# BonnetHeads any good eating?



## HeadzInAlaska (Dec 8, 2008)

I've seen internet postings saying that they are edible, but was just wondering do ya'll keep and eat bonnet heads? We released 2 on Sunday because I didn't know. I don't ever keep fish I don't intend to eat....


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## aggiemulletboy (May 31, 2006)

I keep a few each year. Nice looking fillets.


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## Chula Vista (Jun 2, 2004)

*Nasty Stinky!!*

They PEE through Their Skin,,,!! That's Why they Stink
In The Ice Chest,,, YUCK,,,,

Pat


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## aggiemulletboy (May 31, 2006)

Chula Vista said:


> They PEE through Their Skin,,,!! That's Why they Stink
> In The Ice Chest,,, YUCK,,,,
> 
> Pat


They osmoregulate by using urea in their blood. If you bleed them, its fine.


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## owens33 (May 2, 2007)

haven't tried one, but i wouldn't be scared to. sharks are good white meat. i hate to put 'em in the cooler with the rest of the fish because of the smell, but i don't think you taste it at the table. other than that they're just tough on knives. probably better deep fried with some seasoning. but then again i'll eat a lot of stuff some folks won't.


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## Sea-Slug (May 28, 2004)

I dont like them. A well taken care of bled out blacktip is barely edible to me and the rest taste just like pizz to me no matter how you bleed or prepare them. I am sure carp is good to and a meadowlark taste just like chicken. As long as there are trout, croaker, whiting, small reds , flounder to eat I aint eatin a shark.


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## El Carnicero (Aug 27, 2009)

Cut them crossways into steaks. Rub with olive oil, lemon pepper and a touch of slap ya momma. Grill over hot mesquite coals! I'll keep one everytime I catch one from here on out.


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## danmanfish (Jun 17, 2010)

bleed them.. fillet them and marinade in milk overnight... really good fried, grilled, baked or any other way u want to have it... make sure you remove all the red blood lines when you fillet.. charks are good...lol..


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## HeadzInAlaska (Dec 8, 2008)

I'll give er a try next time...course I think kings are pretty good too (properly prepared kings, anyway)


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## iridered2003 (Dec 12, 2005)

you want to kill a poor little shark just to eat it?


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## High Hopes (Oct 10, 2007)

They are not bad, make sure to bleed them well as with any fish. The fillets I get off the small ones are great, I don't suggest keeping anything to big though, the smaller ones taste the best.


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## Day0ne (Jan 14, 2006)

Sea-Slug said:


> I dont like them. A well taken care of bled out blacktip is barely edible to me and the rest taste just like pizz to me no matter how you bleed or prepare them. I am sure carp is good to and a meadowlark taste just like chicken. As long as there are trout, croaker, whiting, small reds , flounder to eat I aint eatin a shark.


The thing to do is to gut them when they hit the deck while still alive. Sharks have an oversized liver hat will start tainting the meat at the time of death. Smaller blacktips done this way are great eating and the guts are chum for more sharks. Try it, you may be surprised.


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## dabossgonzo (Mar 5, 2010)

owens33 said:


> haven't tried one, but i wouldn't be scared to. sharks are good white meat. i hate to put 'em in the cooler with the rest of the fish because of the smell, but i don't think you taste it at the table. other than that they're just tough on knives. probably better deep fried with some seasoning. but then again i'll eat a lot of stuff some folks won't.


I use a razor knife and cut down both sides of the back, around the tail, around the fish behind gills and down the belly then use the filet knife (this way it doesn't have to cut through the sand papper skin and saves the blade) ... really works out well and blades for the razor knife are cheap.


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## REELING 65 (Aug 18, 2009)

Day0ne said:


> The thing to do is to gut them when they hit the deck while still alive. Sharks have an oversized liver hat will start tainting the meat at the time of death. Smaller blacktips done this way are great eating and the guts are chum for more sharks. Try it, you may be surprised.


X2..Bonnetheads are delicious. Great tasting steaks if you bleed and gut them right away. Though if for some reason you cannot gut them and only bleed. The meat will not become poisonous. Just gamy tasting..it will not hurt you. I have eaten plenty of sharks over the years. I am still here ..never got sick or anything like that. Watch what shark's you keep..lot's of species are protected. Catch and release only.
:texasflag


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## Swells (Nov 27, 2007)

TPWD regulations allow for one fish over 24 inches per person in the following species: Atlantic Sharpnose or Bonnethead or Blacktip. I prefer the blacktip for its superior table quality. Good points about gutting and bleeding them asap - I do that with nasty kingfish as well.

Soaking the fillets in very cold seawater/ice slush removes a bunch of the urine (you can see ammonia bubbles coming up). A little Tabasco when cooking also can kill any gamey taste. Great for outside BBQ grilling, using some aluminum foil.


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## jamesgreeson (Jan 31, 2006)

One word[company]!


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## HeadzInAlaska (Dec 8, 2008)

I cook almost all my fish on the grill... Have found that marinading in pineapple juice, Bit of Teriyaki, garlic, lemonpepper will make just about any fish taste good. Man I'm hungry now. Thanks for the replies I'll have to keep one next time. sounds like bleeding/gutting immediately is the key...


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## Swells (Nov 27, 2007)

HeadzInAlaska said:


> sounds like bleeding/gutting immediately is the key...


Might throw him on ice until the biting, gnawing, and thrashing stops, but definitely before they get stiff. The ice puts 'em to sleep. The Teriyaki / Pineapple thang shore is gud on chark!


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## Captn C (May 21, 2004)

Swells said:


> Might throw him on ice until the biting, gnawing, and thrashing stops...


WUS! :dance:

I grab them behind the head and then gut them for those who want to keep them. If you get someone to hold the tail it goes pretty easy. I have one guy who fishes with me a couple times every year...he HAS to have his Atlantic Sharpnose shark every trip. Gets his family members to keep one each too.

I really just don't care much for fish. I eat a few times a year...fresh...

Well, I happened to be swinging by his casa one day when he was getting some shark off the grill...it was blackened and I have to admit it was pretty tasty!


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## aggiemulletboy (May 31, 2006)

HeadzInAlaska said:


> I cook almost all my fish on the grill... Have found that marinading in pineapple juice, Bit of Teriyaki, garlic, lemonpepper will make just about any fish taste good. Man I'm hungry now. Thanks for the replies I'll have to keep one next time. sounds like bleeding/gutting immediately is the key...


Red wine, italian dressing, and lime marinade with tony's/pepper/garlic salt mix works pretty good too.

Also can try marinading and basting with a 1:1 mixture of djion or creole mustard and honey. Turns out great on the grill and caramelizes really well.


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## luna sea II (Jul 11, 2009)

I've heard armadillos and possums are good too....

seriously though, there's just too much better tasting fish out there for me to eat any kind of shark except a mako. I can't get past the smell.


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## Day0ne (Jan 14, 2006)

The ammonia smell isn't urine but urea in the blood from the liver. Get rid of the liver immediately, problem mostly solved


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## aggiemulletboy (May 31, 2006)

Day0ne said:


> The ammonia smell isn't urine but urea in the blood from the liver. Get rid of the liver immediately, problem mostly solved


Yup. They use urea to regulate their internal dissolved solid concentrations relative to the water, while most bony fish either drink more water or urinate more depending on the environment.


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## Swells (Nov 27, 2007)

aggiemulletboy said:


> Yup. They use urea to regulate their internal dissolved solid concentrations relative to the water, while most bony fish either drink more water or urinate more depending on the environment.


Back before all these fishing laws 'n' regulations, there were some shark specialists who used to target large sharks ... and *sell the livers*. I'm no expert but someone said that's how they get shark oil, a very fine lubricant such as for watches, and vitamin A. Those *big ole livers* could fetch a good price, but we're talking monster-sized shark here, including the Great White, Threshers, Porbeagle (rare), Mako, and stuff like over 400 pounds. Bag the liver, throw it on ice, and the fish house (if it was a biggun) would pay you cash by the pound. The Thresher, Porbeagle, and Mako were the best steaks. Lots of waste because we only wanted steaks like you'd cut off like a big swordfish. The rest was considered trash. You'd try to give away them to the poor people but most others and the carcasses were towed 10-40 miles offshore and let go - to catch more shark! Oh and we'd throw the jaws in mom's flower garden so the ants would clean 'em up and bleach em in the sun.

Hey I was an impressionable kid back then, but you might recall names like Frank Mundus. People would crowd the dock just to see his "monsters."

It's *against the law to sell shark livers now*, unless you have a commercial license with the incidental shark permit, I reckon. Since the ban on finning shark, not too many are in the shark business anymore. But at one time, them livers were considered good as cash on the barrelhead.


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## REELING 65 (Aug 18, 2009)

Swells said:


> TPWD regulations allow for one fish over 24 inches per person in the following species: Atlantic Sharpnose or Bonnethead or Blacktip. I prefer the blacktip for its superior table quality. Good points about gutting and bleeding them asap - I do that with nasty kingfish as well.
> 
> Soaking the fillets in very cold seawater/ice slush removes a bunch of the urine (you can see ammonia bubbles coming up). A little Tabasco when cooking also can kill any gamey taste. Great for outside BBQ grilling, using some aluminum foil.


Shortfin Mako,also a great tasting shark. Lemon is one of the ultimate if you can catch one that is. Not as common as the shark's mentioned above.


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## Category6 (Nov 21, 2007)

If you can catch a preggo female...the fetal pups are great fried whole. Stick a stick through em like a corn dog, still alive preferably, and drop in the hot grease. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmm.....really good. Fetal pigs are great the same way.


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## E10C FF (Jul 11, 2010)

Category5 said:


> If you can catch a preggo female...the fetal pups are great fried whole. Stick a stick through em like a corn dog, still alive preferably, and drop in the hot grease. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmm.....really good. Fetal pigs are great the same way.


Duuudde,

When do sharks give birth, I am soooo going to try that, it sounds absolutely delissshhhh. The fetal pig thing sounds a little gross but if the shark is good then I may try pig also.


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## specktackler55 (Apr 11, 2005)

gut em before you put em in the ice chest, & they won't stink.


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## Lone-Star (Dec 19, 2009)

They love them bonnetheads in south carolina. They show pictures of people holding 2 ft bonnetheads in the paper like it was a ten pound trout.


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## Swells (Nov 27, 2007)

Small puppy shark make great shark bait! I caught a "pink line" baby in the surf, some brown shark for lack of ID, and one ole boy asked me if he could have it. He rigged that up live and before long he had a 6-foot blacktip. 

You're thinking of baby makos from a preggo mama. They taste like them small slider hamburgers.


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## mredman1 (Feb 4, 2007)

*Shark recipe*

*Hotrod* has an excellent recipe for shark. He claims people enjoy his shark over most species.

I can't take the stench when cleaning them and don't want to taint other fish in my fish box. Therefore, it is catch and release for me, regardless of species.

Mike


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