How a shark recipe cooked up a storm

[Still Waters]

She is the queen of baking who can usually do no wrong in the eyes of her fans.

But when Mary Berry published a controversial recipe using shark fillets, her loyal followers were horrified.

Dozens took to the internet demanding to know why she was encouraging people to eat a species whose numbers are dwindling in the wild because they are being slaughtered illegally for their meat.

Now, in the face of mounting pressure, the much-loved TV cook is to remove the offending recipe – Shark With Tropical Salsa – from her Complete Cookbook.

http://www.dailymail...ed-Twitter.html

[Bendy Demon]

So what exactly is the objection to the shark meat? Did any of the screamers bother to find out what sort of shark she referred to? Did any ask if it was legally caught or farmed?

Just wondering.

[spud the mackem]

It wouldnt bother me if sharks were terminated, it means that more "other" nonpredatory species would escalate.

[Ashotep]

I don't think any species should be hunted to the point of extinction even though some of them I have no use for and wouldn't want to get up close and personal with them. I'm not going to get upset at her because I don't know what species of shark she was using. What makes me mad is people cutting their fins off then turning them loose to suffer and die.

[NiteMarcher]

We eat everything from lobsters to crabs, clams to squid, a few eels here & there, along with so many other species of fish & sea creatures, so why not shark fillets.

I don't believe the shark population is dwindling, at least not in my part of the world where an increased # of shark sightings & attacks have been reported most recently & within the past year. People need to know there are so many, many different species of sharks out there, most found in the ocean, and maybe one or two who are able to survive in fresh water. Due to so much negative media exposure, one's awareness typically becomes centered around those known predators, such as the great white, tiger, bull, and mako sharks.

Asian countries such as China & Vietnam still consider "shark" fin soup a delicacy where each bowl can command top dollar prices when properly prepared. Unfortunately, most of those fishing boats are targeting and harvesting fins only, while discarding 99% of its body back into the sea. It wouldn't be a bad thing if they took the time to create new dishes or a new recipe like our Mary Berry has here.

[wolfknight]

Shark is damn tasty if cooked right. All white meat no bones. I worked on a shrimp boat for a couple of years . Sharks would get caught in the nets. We ate them.Sold them to the cannery.

[spud the mackem]

Shark is damn tasty if cooked right. All white meat no bones. I worked on a shrimp boat for a couple of years . Sharks would get caught in the nets. We ate them.Sold them to the cannery.

Agreed, ref other posts, I dont see how people can get sentimental over 100% killing machines,sharks dont give a hoot when eating other species including humans.

[Sundew]

The main problem with using sharks and rays as a food source is their low birth rate. A bony fish may produce tens of thousands of eggs at a time, a shark, just a few, maybe a dozen or so. This is why Amazon Freshwater Stingrays sell for thousands of dollars for the aquarium trade, even if captive bred, they produce very few young, often only one or two, and it's simply supply and demand.

Sharks are among the top predators in most ocean ecosystems. They are not indiscriminate killers, they prey on the weak and the sick and keep fish populations healthy. There are about 360 + different species of shark and only a very few (less than two dozen) are dangerous to humans; some are found in water deeper than people normally go, or in freezing arctic waters, or are only a foot or so in length when full grown.

It's easy to hate and fear a creature with sharp teeth, driven by a primordial instinct, living in an alien environment. But realistically you have a much better chance of being killed from lightning, anaphylactic shock from an insect sting or an automobile than from a shark.