I ate a Dogfish and it was yum!

[livsdad]

yup, cut into thin strips and covered in breadcrumbs and served with a slice of lemon and some tartare sauce. Blooming marvellous. I caught it on sunday and left it in the fridge till weds. I had to eat it as they are all I am cathing at the mo.:unsure::clap:

[welshy9]

i love them , i know a lot of ppl dont but if i catch a decent size one ill bring it home to eat

[blueskip]

That a strip of human buttock rolled in seasoned flour tastes very similar, but I wouldn't eat that either!:yucky:
blueskip

[whopper]

Rock salmon...:)

Nice eating!

[kdnewton5]

lets b honest if they wernt so diffcult to get the skin off they'd b alot more popular. iv had them a few times, they're not like killing any other fish either which can put u off a bit.

[MartynG]

Very, very good eating - I bring a load of the bigger ones back for the freezer every time I go fishing as none of my mates eat them, so give their catches to me :D

[Double Bass]

lets b honest if they wernt so diffcult to get the skin off they'd b alot more popular. iv had them a few times, they're not like killing any other fish either which can put u off a bit.

Must admit - I haven't caught a doggie yet - is it difficult to send them to the big blue sea in the sky?

[MartynG]

Must admit - I haven't caught a doggie yet - is it difficult to send them to the big blue sea in the sky?

No, but they take an hour or two to realise that they're dead :D I stick a knife in the top of their brainstem and wiggle it around to kill them almost instantly then during slack times between bites take off their heads and gut them before taking them home.

Back home when I skin them (pour boiling or very hot water over them and the skin peels off really easily) they still twitch and coil, ages after being gutted :)

[Double Bass]

I'm not that squeamish but that sounds gross.

[kdnewton5]

i kept one once, i dropped its guts on the spot wher i was fishing, n took the rest of it back up to the bungalow to skin etc, it was still moving all the way home, i left it in a black bin liner on the grass while i watched match of day, when i come to see to it, it was still moving about!! obviously it was dead, but nerves, thers that many nerves in a sharks body.

[Snatcher]

Loads to be caught on the Mull of Galloway. Might try cooking a couple to see what they are like.

Any recommended recepies lads?? :sun:

[STAN M]

The old spurries are what`s sold as rock salmon John, aint too bad if deep fried or baked in steaks but not a pinch on haddie or cod or roker wing.

You`ll get banned from the MOG if you bump a spurrie on the nut:bangin::bangin::bangin:

[EoinMag]

There are some good videos of them being skinned on youtube.
I generally kill, gut, skin and wash them on the beach then pack them away for home.

Try them chopped into chunks in a thai green curry or an indian fish curry based on coconut milk, if you want recipes PM me and I can sort something out, although there are recipes that are suitable in the cook your catch forum.

[bgsats]

You can fillet the whole fish, then skin the fillets (just like any other fillet) if you've nothing better to do! They're not actually inedible, some people like them, some don't. None of the dog family should be sold as rock salmon (though they could be years ago). At the end of the day, they're definitely not salmon - Trade Descriptions Act.

[EoinMag]

I've found myself that the fillets are hard to get off the bone and they're not "just like any other fillet" as you would contend and the best way (if it's good enough for the pros) is to do it as shown in the videos of the smoothhound being done on youtube as demonstrated by a professional filleter.

[kdnewton5]

u need some knife to filllet them like that, nailing their head to a plank of wood, n using a pair of long nosed plyers n a knife to get the skin off that works.
i bet some of these fish n chips shops which plainly sell n advertise as 'fish n chips' i bet the fish is dogfish could u imagine how much money there is to b made from it. once some batter has gone round any fish, n its bin deep fryed, the main difference is texture rather than taste id say

[Ulsterman]

I ate a Dogfish and it's bum! :ohmy: ohmy, :roll1:

[MartynG]

Just had battered dogfish and chips for tea :)

They're easy to skin at home - dip them in very hot water for a few seconds until the fins go crinkly and you'll find that the skin just rubs off. I use the back of an ordinary table knife and it works fine...

[crazyplums]

lets b honest if they wernt so diffcult to get the skin off they'd b alot more popular. iv had them a few times, they're not like killing any other fish either which can put u off a bit.

you're not wrong about killing them!

i took one back to the caravan one night, on the isle of wight. the chap fishing with us caught it, to kill it, he swung it overhead by the tail, and smacked it's head full force on a big rock next to his tripod.

would the damned thing give in? it must have been brain dead, but it had two more smacks from me cos i wasn't sure. in the end, unable to stand watching it wriggle and 'breathe', i filleted it.

even then the body (skinned, gutted, headed and tailed) was writhing about. it was caught about 9pm, went into the fridge about 4am, still writhing, and later that day, around midday, it was still moving!!!

odd things!

Hounds die right away. taste ok too. rarely eat em though :whistling

[bgsats]

The method I suggested does work, and isn't difficult. It's worth a try. There's more than one way to skin a dog - and no method is wrong. BTW, EoinMag, your serving suggestions do sound very good!

[Pugs]

Don't think it is case of 'they are hard to kill', as more something to do with nerves an all

[cupboardlad]

they sound like snig ( eels ) , iv'e cut the head of , gutted them , skined them and cut em into chunks , and the chunks have still been bending in the frying pan lol
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
cuberd

[Johnnygm7lsi]

Bloomin eck!!!!!!! I hope the animal rights folkies arnt readin this

[EoinMag]

Bloomin eck!!!!!!! I hope the animal rights folkies arnt readin this


Mate it's not torture, would you rather eat a fish finger, it's food good fresh food. Unless you're a vegetarian....

[floatfisher]

You`ll get banned from the MOG if you bump a spurrie on the nut:bangin::bangin::bangin:

Is there really spurries in the MOG? i've not heard that before.

[Johnnygm7lsi]

Mate it's not torture, would you rather eat a fish finger, it's food good fresh food. Unless you're a vegetarian....

Ya can keep yer fish fingers, canna wait to taste ma first doggie

[mike (spud)]

Ya can keep yer fish fingers, canna wait to taste ma first doggie

ive heard they are nice to eat as well but i have never caught one so this year my mission is to catch a doggie,kill it,gut it ,skin it, eat it


sounds good to me best way to catch them ?

[1colin]

Is there really spurries in the MOG? i've not heard that before.

no theyv all been bumped on the head :laugh:

spud up here they are all over the place and most baits get them :ohmy:

iv never thought of eating them but might try 1 if i get a decent 1

[pout-king]

better than the last one you tried eh....:yucky:

[pout-king]

im also going to eat mine tonight. why dont you try skinning them yourself next time mate

[findus]

Tried dogfish a couple of times and thought it was really nice, must admit i made a real James hunt of skinning it with the pliers.lol..
Have heard that pouring boiled water over them helps, and also good to hear there is a video to watch..
Need to catch another one soon but they are not that common on the east coast of scotland..

[Snatcher]

The old spurries are what`s sold as rock salmon John, aint too bad if deep fried or baked in steaks but not a pinch on haddie or cod or roker wing.

You`ll get banned from the MOG if you bump a spurrie on the nut:bangin::bangin::bangin:

Would not do it Stan. LSDs are a different matter. The bottom must be covered with them around the MOG. That mark we fished together Stan when you were trying to avoid catching pollack :whistling If you fish mackerel strip there on the bottom its a LSD every chuck with the odd sprinkling of strap conger and tope.

[SmellyFerret]

Just written this reply and its turned into an essay lol! - hope it helps some people :)

Ferrets guide to Doggies! (Lesser spotted bait-eaters!)

Dogfish are part of the Cat shark family, not overly fished for commercial reasons and highly prolific breeders that will eat just about anything make them a rather common fish in our more and more overfished waters.


1 - They will eat most things, but a smelly bait on a reasonable sized hook seems to attract them better than a small bait! (they will go for big baits too, in fact almost anything!).

1.5 - Have I got a dogfish? I googled this: (it seems pretty good!) http://www.habitas.org.uk/marinelife/species.asp?item=ZF400

2 - Respect them when they are caught, they are not vermin. If you don't want to eat one or its small - return it if you can, they are pretty hardy fellows!

3 - How big is big enough to keep? After catching a few you'll know just by looking at them, but to start with it can be confusing as they have a large gut/head and tail all of which are not that useful for the pot! As a rule of thumb I look at the length and 'fatness' of the fish from behind its head to where the tail gets thin - this is the useful meat bit.
NFSA guidelines(nose/tail measurment): 38cm/15in shore 46cm/18in boat - which seems sensible to me!

4 - So you've pulled a Doggie in - and its thrashing about on your hook - how do you get it out asap and the best for the fish? - Well they are strong and their skin in a pretty good substitute for medium grade sandpaper so a good grip is needed. I prefer the 'moon' technique of dealing with them - grip the head and tail and then move them together so they can both be held in one hand. With your other hand use pliers or a disgorger to extract the hook. (I've not had it happen but without a firm grip I could see a dogfish removing skin on your wrists).

5 - How to despatch your reasonably sized doggie as humanely as possible? A good sharp blow to the centre of the head (between the eyes) with a stone/priest is ideal. I will always follow this up by inserting a sharp knife into the same spot and pushing it through. (The dogfish will continue to squirm - this is a trait of the species, however be aware of other beach users who may not be so aware of this and may see our fishing as inhumane.)

6 - How to prepare the fish? There are many schools of thought on this, i prefer to gut them asap and remove the skin. but as this forum will show you there is "more than one way to skin a cat-shark". With a sharp filliting knife (and i mean sharp! - not a blunt bait knife!) grab the fish by the tail and hold it upside down. put the knife on the rear of the belly of the fish (just behind the 2 fins at the end of its belly cavity). Cut into the fish here and then cut away from yourself towards the head - making sure to follow the top of the belly cavity (just below the meat). When you reach the head, cut down through the meat and out the 'top' of the fish. If done correctly this will remove the head and guts in one lump, leaving you with a tail bit to deal with... From this tail bit remove all the fins (except the tail) close to the main body. Finally score a small line in the skin from the back of the belly backwards towards the tail to where you have removed a fin. The last stage is to remove the skin, I find doing this asap makes it 'relativly' easy... Grab some pliers and where you cut the head off work free a bit of skin and get a good grip in the pliers. you should now be able to peel the skin down towards the tail (using the pliers like a key in corn beef tin). The score you made should make that part come off easier and finally cut the tail off to be left with the yummy 'doggie sausage'. Put this in a coolbag (pref with ice) to keep it fresh for when you get home.

16878
( i stole this pic from http://www.charterboats-uk.co.uk/Z%20-%20Fish%20Identification.htm and modified it - full credit to them!)

7 - at home - what do i do with the fish? I like to make small 'nuggets' of doggie and deep frie them in a homemade beer batter (believe me its easy! - and with guiness as the beer its amazing!). But its useable in many dishes (as rock-salmon or as dogfish!). My mum loves fishpie and fishcakes made with them. They are also a very good fish for kids as they have no bones except one central cartilage 'spine' so you can get them used to eating fish and not fussing about bones!

8 - Finally, respect Mr/Mrs Humble dogfish as the fish that saves those blanks, wins those comps! - its not his fault all the other fish in the sea are overfished!

[cabbytx1]

i dont eat them but my dad and brother do ,and they smoke them

[itshowifish]

ive heard they are nice to eat as well but i have never caught one, sounds good to me best way to catch them ?

Ledger, Pennel any darn rig over here, Mackerel strip, Squid strip pretty much anything over sandy ground will nab a doggie for ya. I have noted the only bait they seem not to go for is a cuttle fish. We got plenty of excess doggies here so if you want a couple for the pot just send the postage costs and I'll bung a couple in an envelope! :mail2:

I've even had then on the float in rougher weather.

[livsdad]

i dont eat them but my dad and brother do ,and they smoke them


Which end do you light?

[thecornish1]

I gut them and skin them at work, relatively easy. You can do about 2 a minute, pull the skin of with pliers and it comes off in one go normally.

[willsteele94]

takes some prep work but it is well worth it

[the-fox]

call me a pussy but unless someone prepares and cooks it for me i think i'll stay on the "never tried it list" yeeuuuk:yucky: sickos you lot lol