Martin is having fish and chips this weekend…

Gummy shark, like the one Martin caught yesterday is a very nice table fish. Ryan from Melbourne, also onboard knows it very well as Flake. The term flake is used in Australia to indicate the flesh of any of several species of small shark, but particularly the gummy shark.

The term probably arose in the late 1920s when the large-scale commercial shark fishery off the coast of Victoria was established. Until that time, shark was generally an incidental catch rather than a targeted species.

Flake rapidly became popular and it is not surprising. It has a mild flavour, a soft texture that nevertheless remains well-defined after cooking, and a clean white appearance. These qualities saw flake become by far the most common type of fish to be served in Australian fish and chip shops. Flake remains popular, but is no longer especially cheap.
We like it a lot, and it is great fish to introduce kids to sea food, just nice clean white meat and no bones!