Northwest Fishing Reports

Went out fishing by the green can on Labor day and didn't catch any salmon. What we did catch were two 3-4 foot long dog fish (mudsharks). My question is, are they any good to eat? I would have to think they would almost be like a cat fish, but never tried them and haven't talked to anyone who has.

hey johnswrench, while I have never actually tried dogfish, I have heard from many people that they are pretty bad eating and that their meat goes bad pretty quickly and is pretty mushy. but like I said I've never tried it, if you decide to, let me know how it tastes. physher

I've heard that they have a defense mechanism where the secret urine into their system and it makes them toxic to eat. I've heard that that to get around that mechanism culinarily, you have to soak the meat in vinegar. I don't have any sources for that though.

Unhelpful post alert! My bad...

Drewp wrote:I've heard that they have a defense mechanism where the secret urine into their system and it makes them toxic to eat. I've heard that that to get around that mechanism culinarily, you have to soak the meat in vinegar. I don't have any sources for that though.

Unhelpful post alert! My bad...

I heard the same

Trick is to bop em and incapacitate them. Then get them gutted, gilled, and SKINNED asap. Field fillet. Getting the skin off so that you just have two raw meat fillets left is the trick.

Can't vouch for the flavor, but thats how you prep em.

E

Dogfish urinate thru thier skin, but then again the English use them for fish n chips.

I think the urinating through the skin is kicker... But I might try them anyway. I've eaten worse things and from what it sounds like just gotta be quick about it. Thanks for the info guys!

Dogfish are quite edible and tastey if prepared correctly.The meat has a poison in it that must be soaked out using a vinager solution.I believe its called Urea.If that is removed and then bread it and fry it ,then you'll have original English Fish N' chips.Be warned about our sound sharks.There are two (probably more with newer warmer waters) to catch.Both look similar.The Dogfish and the Basking Shark.The Basking Shark has white or pale spots on it. The Dogfish dosent but has similar colored skin with no spots.I'm not sure about rules on keeping shark of any kind but I'm sure the state has rules on them.Read or Google Shark Preparation.There must be something on it.Gisteppo was right about skinning fileting and iceing them right away.Check on the urea (better known as Urine)

Well, I took your advice and Googled it.this is what I came up with..but what is "Proper Handling" ???

CULINARY DESCRIPTION

To help improve the spiny dogfish's acceptance with consumers, the FDA approved a new marketing name for the fish -- "Cape Shark". Whatever the name, this fish, when handled properly, is delicious. The fillets are bone-free, firm, and white, with a flaky texture and mild flavor.

The spiny dogfish is truly a culinary delight. It has a slightly higher fat content than most sharks, which is concentrated in the belly flaps. The little extra fat helps keep the flesh moist when cooked. You may cook this shark by just about any technique -- grilling, baking, broiling, microwaving, poaching, or stir-frying. The meat may be filleted off the center piece of cartilage (there are no bones), or cut into chunks. Once cooked, the cartilage lifts right out.

cobrar543 wrote:Well, I took your advice and Googled it.this is what I came up with..but what is "Proper Handling" ???

CULINARY DESCRIPTION

To help improve the spiny dogfish's acceptance with consumers, the FDA approved a new marketing name for the fish -- "Cape Shark". Whatever the name, this fish, when handled properly, is delicious. The fillets are bone-free, firm, and white, with a flaky texture and mild flavor.

The spiny dogfish is truly a culinary delight. It has a slightly higher fat content than most sharks, which is concentrated in the belly flaps. The little extra fat helps keep the flesh moist when cooked. You may cook this shark by just about any technique -- grilling, baking, broiling, microwaving, poaching, or stir-frying. The meat may be filleted off the center piece of cartilage (there are no bones), or cut into chunks. Once cooked, the cartilage lifts right out.

Somebody... Anybody,, pleae cook up a dogfish. I wanna hear from someone who has tried it. I throw so many of these fish overboard, that I want to hear that it's really not that good.

racfish wrote:....I'm not sure about rules on keeping shark of any kind but I'm sure the state has rules on them....

Dogfish and all other sharks fall under the definition of "bottomfish" in the regs. So, they would count in the 15-fish aggregate bottomfish limit. Be sure not to retain any 6-gill sharks, as they are closed to retention.

Did it look like this? Caught this at Fort Flagler on a 4" bait box W/ snares, Trap was made for crabs, But we caught a friggin shark

I've eaten many types of shark meat.Most fish chowders or cippinos have shark meat in them.The Brits use them for fish 'n chips.Ive chopped them up for catching herring ,shiners and smelt.Their high oil content seem to attract alot of fish.

The other thing is you probably got them in the Duwamish which is estuary water.Still alot of salt in the water.Its really the same as the Green it just changes names at Fort Dent. Go figure???????????????/

Jsmooth wrote:Did it look like this? Caught this at Fort Flagler on a 4" bait box W/ snares, Trap was made for crabs, But we caught a friggin shark

That's a dogfish if I've ever seen one!

racfish wrote:Dogfish are quite edible and tastey if prepared correctly.The meat has a poison in it that must be soaked out using a vinager solution.I believe its called Urea.If that is removed and then bread it and fry it ,then you'll have original English Fish N' chips.Be warned about our sound sharks.There are two (probably more with newer warmer waters) to catch.Both look similar.The Dogfish and the Basking Shark.The Basking Shark has white or pale spots on it. The Dogfish dosent but has similar colored skin with no spots.I'm not sure about rules on keeping shark of any kind but I'm sure the state has rules on them.Read or Google Shark Preparation.There must be something on it.Gisteppo was right about skinning fileting and iceing them right away.Check on the urea (better known as Urine)

I don't think anyone besides a large commercial fisherman will catch a Basking Shark, around here or anywhere. Basking sharks are huge, growing between 20-40ft long and are fliter feeders, similar to whale sharks and baleen whales. They only eat plankton and the like, and are extremely rare as they are alomst extinct from over-fishing for their fins and livers.

Theres a Dogfish looking shark that has whitish spots on theyre backs and sides.These are not Dogfish.Theres another name for them Basking is what I thought a Biologist said but I've been wrong on an occasion before.I'll look up this species and report back.I dont see them very often.I seen them more as a kid some 20-30 years ago

:thumright Racfish is spot on!..My brother-in-law has a Fisheries degree from the UofW and they had a BBQ a few years ago and served Dogfish. I must say it was great and had no bad urea taste to it at all. Lot's of people never knew it was dogfish that was being cooked along side the salmon. Since then I have kept a few of the little sharks and bled them out and soaked them in a vinegar solution..1C per Gal Changing it every few hours and finishing it in just plain ice water. Always keeping the fish cold and fileted it of course as soon as it was caught. Get by the idea of it being a shark and you will like it!

If you go to the Pike Place Mkt you can get it already cleaned and soaked and the fish mongers will explain to you ways to cook it. One thing about getting the shark there is they are ocean caught and there is less chance of any heavy metals in them. I would be very cautious about eating dogfish from anywhere south of Point No Point . :thumleft: The ones I ate and got where from areas in the Straits out past Pt Wilson and from Westport. BTW, Skate wing is real nice also...Mild and tastes like scallops. Some Restaraunts serve it as scallops after punching out circles and skinning it.
Just try it!

:geek: Give it to Mikey...He'll eat anything!

I've caught, processed, and sold them all over the world. We don't eat them in the states. Ble-e-e-e-ech!!!!! Never sold a single one here.

The folks who eat them soak them in milk first then after a few hours batter and fry.

Sorry just can't do it. Any fish that urinates through its skin is off the menu for me.

Hahahaha Bodo .Youre a funny guy.I had to go to a wholesale slaughter house once and didnt eat meat for a year.I went to Acme chickens and watched them clean chickens Very gross.Again I stopped eating chicken for a brief moment.
Back in the 70's a fishing buddy and I got into raising hogs.After castrating them with a scalpal and this disenfectent stuff I was sick for a week,then we slaughtered them.I had 300 lbs of pork I gave away.Anyways if youve seen how cattle,sheep,and chickens are kept till slaughtering youd think a lil peepee in the skin was nothing in comparison.

speaking of urinating through the skin that makes me think of tillapia they don't urinate through their skin but in the wild and at zoo's their main food supply is hippo poop i seen it on animal planet one time thats what they eat.. kinda took them off the want to eat menu just for that simple fact. but people eat them regulary and are served in restaraunts everywhere. but poop eating fish??:-& i don't think so i'll pass