It is no secret to those who know me that I am deathly afraid of sharks. I’m not sure if it is the direct result of growing up in Florida and hearing about the yearly shark attacks to surfers and beach-goers, or the fact that I saw the movie Jaws when I was too young to see it.

I could be melting on the beach like an ice-cream cone in 100 degree temps and refuse to submerge myself in the ocean water past my ankles. So when my husband went shark fishing a few years ago with some friends, I easily bowed out of the trip. Me pass up on a fishing trip…unheard of.

Each year Martha’s Vineyard is home to the Monster Shark Tournament. I have been invited to go and experience the weigh in, but have been too afraid of the nightmares and night-sweats I’m sure will follow. No beer is worth that. One of our dearest fishing friends entered the tournament. He did indeed catch a Thresher and a ton of “Blues” during the two day event, and although he didn’t win, he did hand out trophies to his inner circle of angler friends. My husband got the call and immediately started to salivate and a noticeable bounce in his step instantly started to form.

Dinner Time: I was working on my computer when I could literally hear a dinner bell ring. It’s so nice when your husband cooks dinner for you and has it romantically waiting on the table. I have never seen him prepare a meal in such a short amount of time. I felt like I couldn’t get to the table quickly enough for him. Because of my sheer fear of sharks and those scary teeth, I wasn’t excited to eat one either. I was already trying to come up with an excuse of why I wasn’t hungry.

Change of Heart? When I took my first bite, I was not at all prepared to love it, but I DID! Most recipes call for grilling when it comes to Thresher, but being in “Del Boca Vista Condo Phase 2” (for you Seinfeld fans), we don’t have a grill. My husband simply brushed it with butter and topped it with Chef Paul’s Magic Blackened Redfish Seasoning. Some local supermarkets carry this or for you fishing addicts, on your next trip to Bass Pro Shops, they carry this in their grilling section. He pan fried it to completion and served with a side of salad and bread.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m still afraid of sharks, but now I have to go shark fishing to stock up on thresher. It has now been added to my list of “favorites”…for eating that is!! Damn thresher, why’d you have to be so good; now I’m going to have to face my fear of sharks.

Before Shot

Thresher Steak "After" Shot