With a flaky, string-like texture, skate fish tastes like crabmeat. It is a succulent white fish with a nutty flavor and needs to be accentuated with some type of acid like lemon. Part of the ray family, only the wings of this fish are edible. It doesn’t have bones, but rather a cartilage that is easily removed. Deep frying them with a lemon drizzle is just one way this unique fish can be made.
Ingredients
2 skate wings
1 cup flour
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp pepper
Juice of one lemon
Water bath
Light oil for deep frying
Ensure to keep the fish in an ice bath to retain its freshness. Skate is a delicate fish that will get an ammonia like taste if not kept cold.
Skate fish has a tough skin on the one side that must be removed. To do so, pull up on one corner and cut into the flesh with a sharp knife. Once you have lifted a part of the skin up, you can run the knife underneath to remove most of the outer skin.
Once the skin has been removed, use a knife to cut the flesh into pieces. At the tip where the cartilage is, use a butcher’s knife or similar to cut into pieces.
In order to fry the fish, it is best to double dredge the pieces in the seasoned flour. One coating does not stick very well to this fish. Prepare the seasoned flour by mixing the flour with the salt and pepper. Dip the piece into the water bath and then into the flour coating. Once coated, dip it a second time into the water bath followed with a coating of the flour.
Fry in hot oil for about 3 minutes and then turn the fish and fry for an additional 1 to 2 minutes. The fish will be golden brown when cooked. To serve, drizzle with lemon juice.
Serves 3 to 4.
Patataki 