The grocery store had skate wings, $3.99 per pound, up for sale. Onions couldn’t resist, and bought one.

The skate is a marine denizen that glides along the bottom of the ocean.

She got it home, decanted it from its wrappings, and discovered much to her dismay that the dorsal (upper) surface of the skate, dark grey in coloration, was covered with sharp pointy bumps. It was also covered (dorsal and ventral) with the marine version of that good ole okra-ooze. Being that Onions likes okra, she decided to salvage her pride and wash the thing with cold tap water whilst wearing kitchen utility gloves (you know, those yellow things) for protection from those sharp pointy bumps.

Onions then decided to cut the wing in half. Eat one part now, the rest later. The thing was TOUGH. You cannot bend a skate wing, not normally. Probably a good chainsaw or something. Maybe getting out the extra-sharp cleaver. There was also the issue on how to skin this thing, as those prickly bumps were not meant for any sapient gullet. Onions bagged the idea, and took to the internet.

There are a lot of skate recipes out there. Some are quite rich and fattening, and since that’s not in my current health regimen, I found recipes that used skate boiled. Or simmered, more precisely. 10-15 minutes. They said, “don’t boil!” without explanation. I noticed that recipes pretty much featured adjuncts such as red wine, vinegar, citrus, and members of the *ahem* allium family. (Onions…) This led me to believe the taste would be mild, and would welcome the enhancement.

If you boil this fish rapidly, I’m sure it would fall apart. I simmered it for 10-12 minutes, then pulled it from the pot (oversized as it wouldn’t fit into a regular pot, not until it simmered when suddenly it became as loose as any other fish). I put in a dollop of red wine (not much available), and a dollop of rice vinegar (ditto), simmered it with leeks, and removed it. The skin pulled off easily and those sharp points were now nearly baby-smooth.

You do need taste enhancers with skate. It is a very bland fish, though the texture is fine. I cooked it with a little red wine and a little vinegar and a little lime juice, and slices of leek. I think if this fish ever swims into my grocery store again in the future, I’d want to try copious amounts of red wine vinegar in a smattering of water.

I brought one to my dad, who told me he breaded it then sauted it in a little oil, and that the texture done that way was a little... strange, and not what he hoped for.

I'll put photos up next post.