Ingredients
Skate and ray
Other Names: Gangiei (Japanese); kalkanóvatos (Greek); raia (Portuguese); raie (French); rajafish; raya (Spanish); razza (Italian); rochen (German); skat (Russian); vatoz (Turkish). Rajidae.
General Description: The bottom-dwelling, kite-shaped skate is found worldwide and is usually brownish gray. Like sharks, skate have the cartilage of primitive fish. In America, all members of the Rajidae family are known as skate; elsewhere, skate are larger with long snouts, and rays are smaller with rounded heads. The thornback ray (R. clavata_) is most common in Great Britain, while the starry ray or thorny skate (_R. radiata) is found in northern and arctic Atlantic waters. Skate does well with spices, rubs, and other strong flavors. Flaked, cooked skate may be substituted for crab while circles of cut-out skate wing were legendarily, but not necessarily truly, substituted for sea scallops. Because of its high gelatin content, skate should be eaten piping hot, or it can feel sticky.
Locale and Season: Skate harvested in winter are considered the best, but they’re most abundant in the market from summer through late fall.
Characteristics: Skate wings are composed of long strips of flesh separated by strips of cartilage, all coming together in an open fan shape. Skate taste better when they are several days old so any ammonia odor dissipates. The skin is thick and inedible, and it is usually removed before sale. The raw meat is pinkish to light tan in color, cooking up to off-white with firm, gelatin-rich meat that is moderately pronounced in flavor. The livers are also eaten.
How to Choose: Choose shiny skate wings with no ammonia odor.
Storage: Store skate up to 2 days refrigerated. Store poached skate up to 2 days longer before finishing.
Preparation:
1. To remove the skin, poach the wings briefly in salted
water, about 2 minutes, just long enough to firm them up. Remove from the water, rinse, and then peel off the skin. After cooking, the flesh can be separated from the cartilage. Skate may also be filleted and skinned like a common fish.
2. Bake, pan-fry, deep-fry, poach, or sauté.
Suggested Recipe: Skate in Black Butter (serves 4): Poach 3 pounds skate wings in a court bouillon for 6 minutes, drain,
cool, and trim. Flour the wings and brown well in a little oil in a hot skillet. Remove from the pan, pour off the excess oil, and add 4 tablespoons butter. Brown the butter until rich, deep brown, add 4 tablespoons capers, the juice of 1 lemon, and boil until syrupy, about 5 minutes. Stir in chopped parsley and pour over the skate and serve very hot.
Flavor Affinities: Bacon, bay leaf, capers, fennel, leek, lemon, mustard, nutmeg, onion, red wine, sherry, tomato, vinegar.
from Quirk Books: www.quirkbooks.com
