Fried Shark Recipe with Tasty Caribbean Flavors

Fried shark, seasoned with Caribbean herbs and spices, is a delicious, savory delight enjoyed especially in Trinidad alongside fried bake and lots of condiments.

This fried shark recipe walks you through how to prepare the fish properly, season and fry to perfection. You can also use the same flavors for this fried red snapper recipe too.

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Ingredients for fried shark

For this recipe, you will need shark slices, Caribbean green seasoning, salt, turmeric, flour, lime juice and oil for frying. The shark slices I used here were cleaned, deskinned and prepared by my local fish vendor.

The green seasoning is quintessentially Caribbean, made with blended garlic, ginger, pepper, and chadon beni (culantro). You can use my green seasoning recipe to make your own with ingredients from your local Asian or Caribbean stores. Or you can substitute chadon beni for cilantro and chives and still maintain that beautiful herbaceous taste.

Can you eat shark

Yes, you can eat shark, but in moderation. Although endangered, many enjoy shark meat from smalltail sharks, blacktip sharks, Caribbean and Brazilian sharpnose sharks and hammerhead sharks.

Here in the Caribbean, shark meat is most often battered, fried and served with fry bake, vegetables and condiments like pineapple chow, chadon beni sauce, and chutney.

Bake and shark is a favorite in Trinidad and Tobago, enjoyed mainly for breakfast or at the beach. The kind of shark used in the bake and shark depends on what is available to the vendor. However, most bake and shark stalls serve readily available king mackerel, catfish and tilapia in place of shark.

Why is shark meat not eaten by everyone

Sharks are apex predators and so can contain high levels of toxins and heavy metals. As a result, pregnant women and young children should not eat shark meat. All other persons can enjoy the fish in moderation.

How to prepare shark meat

Here’s a photo of the shark used in this recipe. I believe it is a smalltail shark.

Sharks urinate through their skin, so when the fish is being processed, it will have a strong urea-like smell. My local fish vendor usually processes the meat for me by washing the shark, removing its guts, and allowing the blood to drain out.

With amazing precision, he deskinned the shark, washed it again and cut it into smaller pieces. Since this one was only two pounds, he couldn’t debone it without causing damage to the meat.

By preparing it this way, the shark meat did not stink, had no scent and was ready to be used right away.

Pro tip: The fish vendor suggested to wash the shark when I got home with flour only and not lime. He noted lime makes the shark meat tougher and chewier.

How to make this fried shark recipe

Here’s a look at the shark meat after the fish vendor washed, cleaned and deskinned the shark.

As per the fish vendor’s instructions, I rinsed the shark meat and mixed in two tablespoons of flour. After a minute or so, I rinsed the flour off.

Season the shark meat

Here I used salt, turmeric and Caribbean green seasoning made by blending garlic, ginger, pepper and fresh chadon beni and broad thyme leaves from my garden. You can use blended cilantro and chives as substitutes for the herbs. Cover and refrigerate for 15 to 30 minutes.

Before battering the fish, I added a teaspoon of lime juice (although the fish vendor said not to). The juice didn’t affect the meat since I added it right before frying.

Batter and fry

Coat the shark pieces with flour. You can add paprika, garlic powder and other seasonings to the flour if you like.

While battering the fish, place a saucepan on medium heat. Fill it with enough oil for frying the pieces. Leave to heat up.

Once hot enough, fry the shark pieces in the oil for 3 minutes. Flip over and cook the other side for another 3 minutes. For thicker slices of shark meat, cook each side for about 5 to 7 minutes per side.

Remove from the oil and set on thick napkins to soak up the excess oil. Serve hot with your favorite sauces and sides.

What does fried shark taste like

Fried shark has a very mild taste so it takes on the flavor of the ingredients used to season the fish. Sharp, mildly spicy, herbaceous and citrus flavors were used for this delicious recipe and they certainly come through.

What to serve with fried shark

These shark pieces were small, so you can serve them with fries and other fried treats like chicken or shrimp wontons.

For larger pieces and fillets, serve the fried shark with fry bake, lettuce, tomatoes, and pineapple chow. Chadon beni sauce, garlic sauce and mango chutney are great condiments that go so well with bake and shark.

More recipes like this

• fried king fish
• fried red snapper
• whole roasted red snapper
• saltfish buljol
• fried bake

Fried shark bites recipe

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