Fishermen dream of catching the big one -- a fish so large, it can be talked about for years to come. And, there's nothing bigger than a shark. But, if you end up with a sand shark, or any other variety, on your line, what are you supposed to do with it? Sharks actually provide a great deal of meat that can be cooked just like any other fish. Filleting the animal can be a bit daunting, but by following simple steps, you can be eating grilled sand shark, and telling everyone about your big catch, in no time.

  • Fishermen dream of catching the big one -- a fish so large, it can be talked about for years to come.
  • Filleting the animal can be a bit daunting, but by following simple steps, you can be eating grilled sand shark, and telling everyone about your big catch, in no time.

Rinse the sand shark and place it on a table or other flat surface.

Cut behind the shark's head, using a fillet knife, going down into the shark until the backbone has been severed.

Cut along the shark's backbone, moving towards the anal fin. The knife should be placed just underneath the backbone and you should cut parallel to the shark.

  • Cut along the shark's backbone, moving towards the anal fin.
  • The knife should be placed just underneath the backbone and you should cut parallel to the shark.

Cut down when you reach the anal fin, through the cartilage. The cut should go through the shark and will remove the head and the gut cavity in one piece, leaving you with the shark's trunk.

Clean the boot with water, being careful to remove all the blood. You also want to take out the spleen using your knife. The shark's spleen is round and green and can be found in a cavity near the backbone.

Cut off the remaining fins from the trunk piece. What is left is the meat you will turn into sand shark steaks.

Cut down the middle of the trunk, starting at the top and ending at the tail. You should have two pieces of fish, one with the backbone and one without.

Remove the backbone from the half of shark that contains it, using your fillet knife.

Inspect the shark pieces for any remaining pieces of cartilage and cut it out with your fillet knife.

  • Cut off the remaining fins from the trunk piece.
  • Inspect the shark pieces for any remaining pieces of cartilage and cut it out with your fillet knife.

Lay the two pieces of shark flat, with the skin facing up. Remove the skin by gently running your fillet knife between the meat and the skin. Make sure you leave a little meat on the skin, which will make it easier to take off.

Cut the fish into cooking sized portions, such as 1-inch steaks. Measure 1-inch from the start of the trunk, then cut through the piece. Continue doing this along the two pieces of sand shark.

TIP

Make sure you clean your sand shark as soon as possible to avoid ammonia from the shark's spleen leaking into the meat and giving the fish an odd taste.