Skate

Common Name:

Big skate, clearnose skate, little skate, rosetta skate, California skate, barndoor skate, winter skate, spreadfin skate, thorny skate, longnose skate, smooth skate, spinytail skate

Product Information:

Skate has a mildly pronounced flavor similar to scallops. The flesh is soft but firms up after it has been chilled. Raw meat has a slightly off-white, sometimes pinkish, color and cooks up off-white.The meat of the wings, the only edible parts, has a striated, open-fan configuration. Because of the wing structure, skate has a stringy texture. Each wing produces two fillets — one from the upper side and one from the lower.

Cooking Tips:

The wings are composed of strands of flesh, a layer of cartilage and then more strands of flesh. The meat can be removed from the cartilage after it’s cooked, though cooking does soften the cartilage. Skin should be removed before cooking. Try poaching skate in liquid made of water, wine vinegar, a thinly sliced small onion, a bay leaf, parsley and thyme. Serve with browned butter to which capers have been added.

Cooking Methods: