Shark

Food · Protein · Food, Typed Supps

Plain shark fillet is about as lean as protein gets. The batter is where the calories come from.

Stage by stage

Intake (Chewing): Boneless, flaky flesh breaks down easily; batter and oil, when present, are chewed with it.
Digestion (Fast proteolysis): With almost no fat to slow gastric emptying, the protein is broken down quickly.
Absorption (Amino acids and minerals): Amino acids, selenium and iodine are absorbed across the small intestine.
Use (Repair and maintenance): Amino acids go to protein synthesis; there is little fat to store.

Time to effect

Hours: Protein is digested and absorbed within about two to three hours of a fillet-sized portion.

Allergens

Contains: Fish. Derived from what this food is, not from a product label.

Eating patterns

Fits: Pescatarian, Keto, Gluten-free. Depends on the product: Halal, Low-FODMAP.

Satiety

224 on the satiety index, where white bread is 100 — very high. Modelled from the Holt et al. (1995) measurements.

Cost band

Mid — roughly £11 per kg, as a band midpoint rather than a price.

Key nutrients

Complete protein
Selenium
Iodine
Vitamin D

Nutrition per 100g

Calories: 104
Protein: 24.6g
Carbohydrate: 0g
of which sugars: 0g
Fat: 0.4g
of which saturated: 0.1g
Fibre: 0g
Sodium: 180mg

Food vs. supplement

A single fillet covers most of a day's selenium and a large share of iodine, which are the two nutrients people usually take shark-adjacent supplements for. Both have narrow useful ranges, and selenium in particular has a low threshold for excess, so getting it from food rather than a tablet is the safer default. Protein powder gives comparable amino acids without the minerals or the mercury question.

Kitchen tip

If a fillet smells of ammonia, soak it in milk or lightly acidulated water for 20 to 30 minutes before cooking — that is urea breakdown, not spoilage. Because there is essentially no fat in the flesh, shark overcooks fast; steam or bake just until it flakes, and expect a firm, meaty texture rather than a delicate one.

Common myth

“Flake is a cheap generic white fish.” In reality: Flake is shark. It is genuinely lean and high in protein, but it is also an apex predator carrying more mercury than most table fish, which is why health authorities set serving limits on it that do not apply to something like whiting or salmon.