Razor Fish

[SoloBoy]

Hello one and all,this is my first visit to the bushcraft forum,and have A question?
How do you catch razor fish? The ones when you go to the beach, and in the sand you can see tiny holes on the surface.
Now I have seen it done on the television by my mate Ray .
But,I have tried taking the salt seller to the beach,and it doesnt work!
What am I doing wrong??

 

[tomtom]

GENTLY kneel down your knees either side of the hole.. using both hands dig AS FAST AS YOU CAN.. you will feel it with you fingers.. once you feel it grab it because they are suprisingly strong and move fast underground.

 

[AJB]

Like you I’ve only seen it done on TV, but when Hugh Fernley Cricketbat does it he used loads of salt, it seemed like about 2 tablespoons per hole and on another occasion he used a concentrated salt solution injected down the hole with a garden spray.

 

[dtalbot]

Like Andy (and HFW) said LOADS of salt and then some salt and it will work!

 

[SoloBoy]

Cheers guys,thanks

 

[bushbasher]

An old washing up liquid bottle 1/4 filled with salt and topped off with warm water usually works. If you walk backwards with slow shuffling steps you will get a good chance to blast them as they squirt water out of their holes. Give each one a good 2 second blast. That should do the trick.

 

[Spacemonkey]

I remember reading that the old tecnique involved getting a wire coathanger and straightening it. At the end, turn the last little bit back to make a small barb of sorts, then poke it down the blow hole til you find it. Spear it and withdraw. Never tried it though.... I'm sure that if the end was kept straight and the end sharpened and small barbs CUT into it, then it would be far better.

 

[MalIrl]

I remember reading that the old tecnique involved getting a wire coathanger and straightening it. At the end, turn the last little bit back to make a small barb of sorts, then poke it down the blow hole til you find it. Spear it and withdraw. Never tried it though.... I'm sure that if the end was kept straight and the end sharpened and small barbs CUT into it, then it would be far better.

I talked to my grandad, God rest him, about this method and he said it worked but there was a risk of breaking the razor fish in two if you pulled too hard. Apparently a long slow pull is needed.
Another method he described was from Co. Sligo, where they would go out in boats in shallow water, and grab the razors while they were poking above the surface. I never heard of this technique anywhere else so I can't verify if it works.

Slan,
Mal

 

[den]

I collect razor fish once or twice a year. I only go on the lowest of the tides within the year. Any other time and i dont do that well as the tide never goes far enough back. Even on the lowest tides if the wind is against you collecting can be poor.

I use salt striaght from the container. Try to walk up to the hole light on the feet or he will dive down deeper into his hole making him almost impossible to get out.

Normally i salt half a dozen holes then look back to see what has come up. Dont be shy with the salt I get through a good kg of salt on a hunt.
You can tell almost instantly if it is going to work as the hole pushes up water as if he was heaving underneath. As he rises he will sit just out the hole . Grab him but dont try to pull. you will be able to feel him try to dive again which will last for a few seconds when you feel him relax pull him out.

I have had seagulls come down and get them if you are not quick enough .Also people walking dogs on the shore line tend to make them dive deeper in the holes
If you take anything away from this go on a spring tide.

 

[match]

So now, assuming I've a bucketfull of razorshells what do I do with them?

Just drop em in boiling water like mussels? Or is there some cleaning/preparation needed here?

 

[den]

I just boil them in salt water then add loads of vinegar and pepper

 

[AJB]

So no cleaning or binning bits?

 

[match]

Just found this info:

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]Cooking:
To keep the Razor Shells alive out of water for any length of time, you should collect them together like a bunch of pencils and place a couple of elastic bands around them, so they are unable to open, otherwise the muscles relax, the liquid escapes and the valve dies. Wash thoroughly first, then put them in a pan with a little drop of salted cold water, (if preferred include some herbs or spices), or alternatively replace the water with some butter and crushed garlic, turn up the heat until the shells spring open, leave for one minute, if using butter and garlic give them a little stir to mix the liquid into the meat, then they are ready to gobble up. You can eat the lot, but some people prefer just to eat the white muscle. Sumptuous!

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