Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Panko Crusted Skate

My good friend Corrie asked me a while back for a recipe using skate, so I am complying today with what is probably one of the easiest way to cook the fish, although it should probably be finished with a bit of chopped parsley.
I just happen to hate parsley.
Another option would be to make a gremolata to sprinkle on top.
I started out by chopping a number of almonds down into a fine sprinkle.  I only used about a dozen almonds. This was a mistake. I should have used at least twice as many, if not three times. I suggest using much more almond than panko if you actually want to taste the almond.

I also zested half a lemon into the panko crust.
You can see how much more panko I used than almond.
It was enough to encrust three pieces of skate, but if you want to taste the almond, as I said before, use fewer panko flakes and much more chopped almond.

It still looks like an appetizing crust, tho, doesn't it?

I learned tonight that skate is actually part of the ray family.
I presumed before that the "skate wing" was just a fish like a flounder, explaining away the shape that way. My mistake. I can't believe it's a ray!
Or that I find it so much odder to eat a ray than a fish.

I seasoned the skate wings with salt and then dredged them through flour (shake off excess), then beaten egg, and then the above almond/panko/lemon zest crust.
In a hot pan on medium-high, heat a few tablespoons of oil and about 2 tablespoons of butter. When the fats are beginning to sizzle, add your skate wings.
Cook about 3-4 minutes per side, making sure not to crowd the pan. (Crowding only leads to soggy, steamed fish. Ick.)

To finish the dish I squeezed fresh lemon juice over the hot skate and served it right away. 
You do not want to serve cold skate.
Yick.
Dinner, however, was very tasty.
When the hubs commented that he really liked it and that the fish was in no way "fishy" I simply replied, (pretending to be all knowledgeable) "That's because it was a ray."
Seafood makes you smart.
Or insane from mercury poisoning.
Wonder which way I'll go...

4 comments:

Joe Ambrosino said...

We eat so much fish, you could put my finger in your mouth, yick, and tell whether you had a fever! Anyway, nice meal. Was hubs satisfied with no rice or potato? Just asking.

RocknRollGourmet said...

Actually the hubs is OK with the nights that I do not serve a starch, and sometimes he picks up a baguette on his way home and just snacks on it. Hence not making starches as often with dinner.

But also the irregularity of serving makes him that much happier when I make roasted or mashed potatoes, pasta, quinoa, etc.

Unknown said...

That sounds delicious, but I'm still going to have to pretend it's just a fish. What sort of flavor does skate have?

RocknRollGourmet said...

Skate has a very mild taste (note the hubs saying "not fishy!"), but the consistency is different from fish. It is not white and flakey like most fish are. Rather it has more of a firmness and resilience, while still being delicate and tender to eat.