Tell me what you know about eating dogfish

[DoubleJ]

With the number of sustenance fishermen we have on here, at least a few of you keep and eat dogfish.  What are your tips and tricks?

[Skillet]

Curious myself.  There is a strong market for these as "fish & chips" in Europe.  Of course, some of those folks also eat haggis as well...

[h20hunter]

I've heard of a few guys that eat them...never tried it myself.

[lokidog]

Bleed them, ice them, filet and deep fry.  Not as good as rockfish but still better than store bought.  Bigger is better as the amount of meat is not a lot as they are pretty skinny.

[Fishstiq]

Bleed them, ice them, filet and deep fry.  Not as good as rockfish but still better than store bought.  Bigger is better as the amount of meat is not a lot as they are pretty skinny.

I should have known you'd eat 'em!   

[CoryTDF]

Chew and swallow that’s all you need to know.

[lokidog]

Bleed them, ice them, filet and deep fry.  Not as good as rockfish but still better than store bought.  Bigger is better as the amount of meat is not a lot as they are pretty skinny.

I should have known you'd eat 'em!   

That's all we can eat now that the state won't let us keep much of anything....  don't let it out or we'll have a catch card for them coming soon.   

[bobcat]

I almost think I'd rather eat coyote than dogfish, especially considering the polluted waters they come out of.   

[lokidog]

I almost think I'd rather eat coyote than dogfish, especially considering the polluted waters they come out of.   

They come out of the same water you are eating rockfish, lings, crabs, etc. out of....     And they eat the same things.

[DoubleJ]

Instruct me on the bleeding process.  I watched a video where a guy cut off the spines, stuck rhe knife through it just behind the head on the mid-line, cut all the way to the back, made a small cut by the head to free the skin, ripped off the skin, then removed the now skinless, gutless meat from the body.  I didn't see bleeding in there anywhere. 

Basically lookkng for hook to plate instructions.  I don't want to get sick and don't want to ruin it and not like it if it is actually worthwhile.

[Skillet]

I almost think I'd rather eat coyote than dogfish, especially considering the polluted waters they come out of.   

I'd try it, don't seem like they're in polluted water to me.  We caught and released a ton of them just jigging spoons on Possession bar a week or so ago.  They filled the water column from 100 feet up to about 15 feet below my boat, so they're not only bottom feeders...

[DoubleJ]

The big one we caught last night was about 5' up from bottom with a nightcrawler

[Blacktail Sniper]

Bleed them, ice them, filet and deep fry.  Not as good as rockfish but still better than store bought.  Bigger is better as the amount of meat is not a lot as they are pretty skinny.

Is there any particular fish that you would equate them too, maybe catfish, perch, or something else?  How about number of bones, some fish seem to be more bones than fish.

[luvmystang67]

"Spiny dogfish are not in demand as a food item in the United States, but they’re popular on the international market. If you order “fish and chips” in Europe, for example, you’ll probably be eating spiny dogfish shark meat. The size of north Atlantic fishing catches that supply this market climbed sharply between 1988 and 1998, leading researchers to declare the dogfish shark overfished. Spiny dogfish don’t become sexually mature until 20 years old, so overfishing can be devastating to populations. To protect dogfish populations, quota limits were established in 2000 in waters from Maine to Florida; once the quota is filled, dogfish shark fisheries are closed for the season.

You can read more about the sustainability of sharks as a food item in the Seafood Watch section of our web site."

http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/AnimalDetails.aspx?enc=VsGX+Lst7QYFrKIYw3JEKQ==

[luvmystang67]

and theres this... enjoy them while you can.

"Once the most abundant shark species in the world, populations of Squalus acanthias have declined significantly. They are classified in the IUCN Red List of threatened species as Vulnerable globally and Critically Endangered in the Northeast Atlantic, meaning stocks around Europe have decreased by at least 95%. This is a direct result of overfishing to supply northern Europe's taste for Rock Salmon, Saumonette or Zeepaling. Despite these alarming figures, very few management or conservation measures are in place for Squalus acanthias"

[Skillet]

Wish they'd come over to Possession with those trawlers and clean them buggers out!

Actually, no I don't. 

[magnanimous_j]

A few things, they are difficult to kill (for a fish), so for humane reasons, make sure you’ve done the job  properly before processing them. I chop the head off with a hatchet. Secondly, hang them upside down and bleed thoroughly. They pee through their skin (kind of), so let the meat soak in a solution of 1:5 lemon juice to water for a couple hours to neutralize the urea. If you bleed them well you don’t necessarily need to soak them, but I do just for peace of mind. Also, something about having cartilage instead of bone keeps them from saving well, so don’t bother freezing them.

That being said, dogfish meat makes excellent fish and chips and is great in soups like Cioppino. If you get skunked on Salmon, keep your last shark. it’s quite a bit better than bringing home a frozen pizza.

[Kc_Kracker]

A few things, they are difficult to kill (for a fish), so for humane reasons, make sure you’ve done the job  properly before processing them. I chop the head off with a hatchet. Secondly, hang them upside down and bleed thoroughly. They pee through their skin (kind of), so let the meat soak in a solution of 1:5 lemon juice to water for a couple hours to neutralize the urea. If you bleed them well you don’t necessarily need to soak them, but I do just for peace of mind. Also, something about having cartilage instead of bone keeps them from saving well, so don’t bother freezing them.

That being said, dogfish meat makes excellent fish and chips and is great in soups like Cioppino. If you get skunked on Salmon, keep your last shark. it’s quite a bit better than bringing home a frozen pizza.

word for word 100% spot on  i have tried not soaking them and it was weird, i always feel better doing the soak. have only had a few times but done right its great, but cleaning them is a PITA

[ICEMAN]

Second time was not better than the first.

[DoubleJ]

A few things, they are difficult to kill (for a fish), so for humane reasons, make sure you’ve done the job  properly before processing them. I chop the head off with a hatchet. Secondly, hang them upside down and bleed thoroughly. They pee through their skin (kind of), so let the meat soak in a solution of 1:5 lemon juice to water for a couple hours to neutralize the urea. If you bleed them well you don’t necessarily need to soak them, but I do just for peace of mind. Also, something about having cartilage instead of bone keeps them from saving well, so don’t bother freezing them.

That being said, dogfish meat makes excellent fish and chips and is great in soups like Cioppino. If you get skunked on Salmon, keep your last shark. it’s quite a bit better than bringing home a frozen pizza.

word for word 100% spot on  i have tried not soaking them and it was weird, i always feel better doing the soak. have only had a few times but done right its great, but cleaning them is a PITA

I was going with this method:

fish filleting part 4:skin a dog

[Kc_Kracker]

skinning is easy, its basically peeling skin, the cartilage is another story, luckily me exes new hubby is Tongan and very good at it so if i share he does all the work i just have to catch and cook lol 

[lokidog]

OMG, you filet them just like any other GD fish....  Bleed them the same way as a salmon, stick your knife up the gill slits, turn and cut down through the gills, drag for a bit off the side of the boat or toss in your now bloody cooler.

This is not rocket science.  Yes, they excrete through their skin, don't cook the skin.  Soaking, I've never bothered and have not had a bad tasting one (sidenote, the coyote I tried did taste bad, ergo I have some taste buds left      ).

I cut down at the side of the head, turn it and stick my blade under the skin and cut up along the top of the back, you will have a hard time cutting through the skin from the outside.  Then I just work my knife tip down the back "bones" until I reach the spine and cut out from there.  It is easier to cut through as their cartilege is somewhat softer than a salmon's bones.  There is not much meat below the lateral line, unless it is a really big one.  Remove the filet, flip and cut the skin off holding your knife flat and parallel to the board, voila, done.  They have a dark fat layer along the lateral line which I usually shave off.

I don't eat them often but occasionally I do.  Still better thaqn fish sticks.  I like to deep fry them with egg and cornflake crumbs.  The meat can be a bit soft and this seems to crisp it up nicely.

[RadSav]

Tough on your knife, but Loki is right, filet just as you would any other fish.  And get that dark meat off...the cats will love it!  I too will do a soak first. 

Flavor is good.  Texture not so much! Closer to fish pudding that Fish Stix.  Much better than farm raised salmon, carp, pollack, lake caught trout or tilapia IMO.  But then again I don't mind coyote, coon or possum either

[SCRUBS]

Tag.

[ICEMAN]

Loki and Rad, that was my issue, a bit on the mushy side...

[boneaddict]

Its good to see YAR is still going strong.   

[ICEMAN]

 

[sirmissalot]

  And I thought you guys who love pinks are crazy! 

[FC]

Loki and Rad, that was my issue, a bit on the mushy side...

Cut the fish into smaller pieces before battering it, I've always soaked the fillets in milk for a bit but lemon juice is probably better for firming up the meat a bit.

[lokidog]

The lemon juice will "cook" the meat, that and lime are what you use to make ceviche.  If you use it, don't leave it in long.

5/8" thick maximum and deep fried 'til crispy.