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Eat like a shark


Shark-friendly recipes for Shark Week

Though you may still be scarred and ocean-leery from seeing the movie "Jaws" as a kid, sharks really do prefer eating seafood over being man-eaters. We certainly don't want to be shark chow, but we are intrigued by the sharp-toothed marine creature. In fact, we plan to eat like a shark (fish only) as we tune in to the Discovery Channel's "Shark Week," starting this Sunday. Here's a roundup of seafood recipes so you can eat like a shark, too.

Woman eating salmon

What is shark chow?

My son stumped me when he asked "Mom, what do sharks eat?" since I've never actually wondered this myself. (I'm more likely to hope they just don't eat me when I'm in the surf.) Sure, I figured it was fish, but young inquiring minds want to know details, so I did some research to find out what sharks consider their chow.

Sharks eat great and small

According to the experts at Sea World, sharks eat everything from plankton to fish to larger marine mammals, such as seals. With around 400 different shark species inhabiting the ocean, defining shark chow becomes complicated. The average shark dines on fish, squid and crustaceans, but some species of sharks have preferences.

For example, hammerhead sharks like stingrays, smooth dogfish sharks have an affinity for crabs and lobsters, tiger sharks eat sea turtles, and blue sharks prefer squid. This may surprise you: whale sharks (the largest of the shark species) feed on enormous amounts of plantkon, filtering water out through their gills.

Eat like a shark

One thing we can learn from the sharks is to eat less. Sharks are cold-blooded animals, which means they have slower metabolisms compared to warm-blooded animals. They don't need, nor do they eat, huge amounts of food. That means you won't find many, if any, sharks with weight problems.

Seafood recipes to eat during "Shark Week"

Visit your local seafood purveyor this week and choose from the freshest picks for crab, lobster, squid, tuna, mackerel, and any other sustainable fish.

Crab recipes

Crab ceviche
Avocado-stuffed crab cakes
Low-carb bagel crab salad sandwich

Lobster recipes

Lobster and asparagus lasagna
Classic New England lobster roll
Asian lobster salad

Squid and octopus recipes

Cheese-stuffed calamari
Crispy fried calamari
Baby octopus in tomato sauce

Shrimp recipes

Lobster, shrimp, and scallop cioppino
Coconut shrimp salad
South Beach Diet spicy citrus shrimp

Tuna recipes

Thai tuna and coleslaw roll
Tuna sashimi salad
Grilled tuna with olive tapenade

Salmon recipes

Salmon BLT sandwiches
Smoked salmon and peace roulade
Planked salmon with coconut rice

Cod recipes

Italian baccala (cod) salad
New England cod chowder
Grilled cod

Tune in to "Shark Week" on the Discovery Channel starting Sunday, July 31.

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