A few years ago I ate at a place in New York City called the Mermaid Inn. Its a little seafood restaurant with an awesome oyster bar. I at my first skate wing there and never looked back. It was like the love child of a seared scallop and pulled pork. Skate is mild, but not flavorless or bland, with a hint of its own sweetness and has a tender, stringy texture. But "stringy" in the best way possible.
I figured skate would be a rare delicacy. Perhaps I would only ever get it when in New York and frequenting the Mermaid Inn. Something as exotic as skate wing must be impossible to find in a grocery store, out of my every day price range, and require at least 46 steps to clean and prepare. Right? Wrong. $6.98 per pound in individually wrapped and frozen packages at the local fish market, cleaned and ready to cook. That's cheeper than most common fish. I guess, when people don't know what a product is or are grossed out by what a product is (skate is a close relative of the manta ray, but don't let that deter you, please) its hard to sell. Oh well. More for me.
Skate goes pretty well with some seafood seasoning staples: lemon, pepper, and capers. Throw in a splash of white wine and you've got a piccata. I paired my skate piccata with a sauté of whatever veggies, both canned (the hearts of palm) and fresh, I found in the house. The creamy texture and tangy bite of the hearts of palm complemented the lemon caper sauce perfectly so I'd recommend giving them a try. As for the broccoli and the mushrooms, they're totally replaceable. Tomatoes and kale, fennel and roasted red pepper, or artichoke and spinach would all be great alternatives.
This recipe is grain free and paleo
Ingredients:
6 oz skate wing
Juice from a lemon
Spritz olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
3 crimini mushrooms, quartered
1/2 cup broccoli, cut into small florets
1 tbsp capers
2 tbsp white wine
2 pieces hearts of palm, cut into discs
Pinch salt
Pinch pepper
Sprinkling of lemon zest
Method:
If your skate wing has a slight ammonia odor (don't worry- its not old- they, like shark, usually do) soak it in a little bit of water with the juice from 1/2 of the lemon in it for 10 minutes or until the odor is gone. Be sure to towel dry the wing before cooking.
Heat oil in a large pan. Add garlic and sauté for a minute before adding the mushrooms and broccoli. Push the veggies to one side of the pan to allow room for the skate. Re-grease the pan if necessary. Add the skate wing to the pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add capers to the pan, allowing some to mix in with the veggies.
After around 3 minutes flip the skate wing. Add the white wine and the juice from 1/2 of the lemon. Add the hearts of palm to the veggies.
The skate is done when it begins to pull apart (another 3 minutes or so) and is opaque white throughout. Serve skate wing along side veggies with remaining liquid from pan poured over top and finished with a sprinkling of lemon zest.
I figured skate would be a rare delicacy. Perhaps I would only ever get it when in New York and frequenting the Mermaid Inn. Something as exotic as skate wing must be impossible to find in a grocery store, out of my every day price range, and require at least 46 steps to clean and prepare. Right? Wrong. $6.98 per pound in individually wrapped and frozen packages at the local fish market, cleaned and ready to cook. That's cheeper than most common fish. I guess, when people don't know what a product is or are grossed out by what a product is (skate is a close relative of the manta ray, but don't let that deter you, please) its hard to sell. Oh well. More for me.
Skate goes pretty well with some seafood seasoning staples: lemon, pepper, and capers. Throw in a splash of white wine and you've got a piccata. I paired my skate piccata with a sauté of whatever veggies, both canned (the hearts of palm) and fresh, I found in the house. The creamy texture and tangy bite of the hearts of palm complemented the lemon caper sauce perfectly so I'd recommend giving them a try. As for the broccoli and the mushrooms, they're totally replaceable. Tomatoes and kale, fennel and roasted red pepper, or artichoke and spinach would all be great alternatives.
This recipe is grain free and paleo
Ingredients:
6 oz skate wing
Juice from a lemon
Spritz olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
3 crimini mushrooms, quartered
1/2 cup broccoli, cut into small florets
1 tbsp capers
2 tbsp white wine
2 pieces hearts of palm, cut into discs
Pinch salt
Pinch pepper
Sprinkling of lemon zest
Method:
If your skate wing has a slight ammonia odor (don't worry- its not old- they, like shark, usually do) soak it in a little bit of water with the juice from 1/2 of the lemon in it for 10 minutes or until the odor is gone. Be sure to towel dry the wing before cooking.
Heat oil in a large pan. Add garlic and sauté for a minute before adding the mushrooms and broccoli. Push the veggies to one side of the pan to allow room for the skate. Re-grease the pan if necessary. Add the skate wing to the pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add capers to the pan, allowing some to mix in with the veggies.
After around 3 minutes flip the skate wing. Add the white wine and the juice from 1/2 of the lemon. Add the hearts of palm to the veggies.
The skate is done when it begins to pull apart (another 3 minutes or so) and is opaque white throughout. Serve skate wing along side veggies with remaining liquid from pan poured over top and finished with a sprinkling of lemon zest.