Shark Fin Soup

[MilKii]

Anyone have any recipes on this bad boy?

 

[kitchenelf]

I've eaten it but have no recipe. I searched Google and came up with several recipes.

 

[redkitty]

Please don't cook sharks.

 

[sparrowgrass]

Do a little net search on how shark fins are collected. They are cut off of live animals, and the sharks are then tossed back into the sea to die slowly.

Sharks do fill a role in the life of this planet, regardless of their bad press, and they don't deserve to die like that.

 

[sattie]

What a waste of an awesome creature, it would be one thing if they actually used the whole shark, but to just cut off it's fins and let it bleed out to die is really sad.

Sorry MilKii. I don't have any recipes for you and this is a touchy subject for me. No disrespect to you.

 

[BreezyCooking]

This is perhaps one of the most environmentally incorrect things you could want to consume. Do some research before you pursue it.

As other posters have stated, the sharks are caught, their fins removed, & then they're dumped back dying/dead into the sea. Just for their friggin fins. WHY OH WHY would you want to add to the demand for this?

Years & years ago sharks were considered trash fish. That ain't the case today, & many are endangered or are close to becoming so because of overfishing & idiotic recipes like this.

And yes - I admit that I do eat shark steak occasionally during the summer months when it's available. But the markets that carry it are utilizing the whole fish, not just the fin, & they're also leaning towards using varieties that are more plentiful at this time. Plus, there are now limits in place (not enough in my book) to help prevent overfishing.

Any sharks fin you might be able to obtain would inevitably come from an overseas market, & their environmental concerns aren't the same as ours.

Please rethink your yearning for Sharks Fin Soup. In my book, it runs along the same lines as Whale Meat Stew or Poached Elephant Trunk - recipes that were all the rage back in the 60's for game afficionados.

 

[Barbara L]

As some of the others have said, I have eaten shark, but then the whole shark was used. I was sickened when I heard how sharks' fins were removed and then they were thrown back into the ocean alive (but not for long), but I was horrified when I saw video of it happening. Cruelty is cruelty, and I don't want to do anything to add to it.

Barbara

 

[simplicity]

I understand Shark Fin Soup is a part of an ages-old Chinese tradition, usually reserved for special occasions. I only had it once, at a Chinese wedding, where each course was symbolic of wealth, luck, fertilitity, happiness etc. I think the same is true for a couple of other cultures.

 

[Tr0piCh3f]

Ain't enough money in the world to get me to eat shark's fin soup. Anyone who treats an animal that way should have their hands and feet removed and thrown into the ocean as well.

 

[plumies]

I've only had shark fin soup twice as a little kid and loved it. When I was old enough to go on a fishing trip with my uncles, a couple of their friends caught a shark. And after seeing what they did with it, I vowed never to eat shark anything again. It was a horrible experience and I still get a bit sick to my stomach thinking about it all these years later.

 

[kitchenelf]

I had this when I was very young also. I had no idea.

I think we've pretty much done all we can in this thread.

 

[SixSix210]

I worked for years at an aquarium in california, actually got to dive with the sharks and answer questions from inside the tank, they are beautiful, graceful, powerful, amazing animals. I just wanted to put in my two cents here. I was deeply saddened by the request for the recipe, and at the same time, I realize that culture is culture, and right or wrong, there really isn't much that will change it. I was heartened and wanted to extend my thanks to those who jumped to the sharks' defense! There are over 380 species of shark in the world, no-one has an exact number because more go extinct everyday, but more are discovered everyday as well.

TY to all.

Odd shark facts: Their skin is more closely related to teeth than it is to scales, hence the name "denticles" they point backward and have a ridge that splitts the water much like a boat keel does, allowing the shark to attain stunning speeds in the water (some can hit close to 30 mph, we are lucky to hit 1 mph) Their skin was dried by the romans and used as sandpaper for wood and stone work. Samurai warrior wrapped the skin around the hilts of their swords for added grip. And stay out of the mississippi river kids, the bull shark is territorial, and regularly enters fresh water streams along the gulf of mexico. ;-)