Eating Shark

Unused fish are a frequent topic of conversation.
A little while ago, Rin Natsuki introduced them in an article.
Please read the following to understand what unused fish are.
Although the photo is a bit..., it is written very clearly.

I was honestly surprised that it is so difficult to obtain fish in the metropolitan area.
In Sendai, where I live, I rarely have trouble getting fish.
Not only are the famous fish available, but it is not rare to see nameless fish on display that make me think, "Who are you?" (though I might just be ignorant).

As I wrote in the comments of the article above, shark fillets are commonly sold in some supermarkets in Sendai.
After exchanging comments, I sent Natsuki-san a "proof photo" via DM.
It is a variety called "Mouka-zame" (salmon shark).
As you might expect, this species is also sometimes classified as an unused fish.

Naturally, I receive a message like this.
"I've never eaten shark meat. What does it taste like?"

Naturally, I reply like this.
"I've never eaten shark..."

Yes, I have never eaten shark.
Even though I acted superior, saying things like "Sendai has lots of fish for sale!", I have never bought shark meat.
I eat ume-suisho (plum cartilage) and shark fin, but I have no experience with the fish meat itself.

There is no clear reason why I don't touch it.
If asked why, it's just things like,"The form doesn't whet my appetite," "Just because," "I don't like sharks for some reason," or "It seems like it would be fishy."And incidentally, this "Mouka-zame" is apparently officially called the "Salmon shark" (Nezumi-zame).
That makes me lose my appetite even more.

While I was grumbling,

"You should just buy it and cook it! As an ambassador for Miyagi Prefecture, I want you to at least do that much!"

Since I was finally given this order, I would like to report on it and introduce it.
I should say for the record that I am not an ambassador for Miyagi Prefecture.

Salmon sharks are caught in large numbers in Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture.
For details, please take a look ateveryone's favorite Wikipediaas well.
It even includes a photo of its clearly violent form.
According to Wiki, "they do not eat humans."
What a relief.

I struggled with how to cook it, but since a very strong seasoning would make it hard to judge the quality of the shark meat itself, for the first time I decided onsomething like a meunière.

The procedure is quite simple.

Lining them up on a tray makes it look like I know what I'm doing, but I'm not doing anything difficult at all.
After letting it sit for a while to let the flavors meld, I wipe off the excess moisture and lightly coat it with cake flour.

Unable to shake the suspicion that it might be fishy, I poured olive oil into a frying pan and infused it with the aroma of garlic.
Since I was out of fresh garlic, I used dried garlic.
It's convenient to keep in stock.

Because it burns quickly if you 'rehydrate' it, I did it slowly over low heat.
The goal here is strictly to 'infuse the oil with the aroma'.
Some people stubbornly keep frying it even if it occasionally burns or crumbles, but that's not very refined.

At a good point, I want to move it to a separate plate for a moment (don't throw it away, as you'll use it later).

Finally, I added the main ingredient.
I grilled it slowly over medium-low heat.

Once it browned, I flipped it over and browned the other side.

Once it has browned nicely, put a lid on it and cook it thoroughly through to the center.

If you ask how many minutes to cook it... that's a case-by-case situation.
I'd like you to rely on your own intuition.

When I thought it was cooked through, I opened the lid to let some of the moisture evaporate.
I shook the pan with the idea of pan-frying the coating in the accumulated oil to give the surface a crispy finish.

Done.

I skipped the butter and lemon.
As a garnish, I tried topping it with the garlic chips I set aside earlier.

[Impressions]

Delicious.

In a word, it's a light white fish.
It has no strong flavor, none of the fishiness I was worried about, and it doesn't fall apart during cooking.
The meat is tender and has a nice elasticity, so it's quite satisfying.
My three-year-old daughter also polished it off in one go.

It's also good to add the garlic chips for a change of flavor and eat them together.
The contrast between the crunchy chips and the tender meat is lovely.

The price is also stable at around 150 to 200 yen per 100g, which is easy on the wallet.
It's a real waste that this is classified as an underutilized fish.

I'd avoided eating it until now, so it never made it to my dinner table, but this is definitely a new regular.
Next time, I plan to deep-fry it. Definitely.
It will probably be delicious.
Tartar sauce or Worcestershire sauce should both go well with it.

If you see it, please give it a try.