Underrated star

The skate, a cartilaginous fish related to rays and sharks, did not use to get the respect it deserved. Two decades ago, the fish was a low-brow seafood product, especially in the U.S. “In the 70s, what were sometimes sold as scallops in middle America were actually pieces of skate wing meat, punched out by a round cutter,” reveals Dan Segall, group executive chef of The Big Idea, a restaurant group that manages establishments like The Pelican, Fat Cow and Oriole Coffee.

But in recent times, the fish, which is often caught as by-catch by trawlers, is starting to challenge the pecking order: in New York, Momofuku serves a pan-fried skate with fried cauliflowers, while the Michelin-starred Le Bernardin offers a poached skate with a chanterelle mushroom ragout. Taking a bite out of a roasted skate, you’ll wonder why it was ever condemned to the role of imitation seafood. The wing’s fan-shaped, tender meat—the edible part of the skate—tears away easily from the cartilage, and offers a pleasing clean and sweet accent. Segall recommends pairing it with “any sauce that you’ll serve with pork” as “the skate has that gelatinous quality, which reminds me of fatty pork meat”, and thus making it a perfect foil for rich, flavoursome accompaniments. Taking inspiration from a pulled pork sandwich, Segall creates a ‘Pulled’ Skate Wing Sandwich with Coffee Barbecue Sauce. The rich coffee notes are absorbed by the sweet flavours of the skate’s meat, turning the dish into an irresistible hearty snack.

Excerpt from the February 2013 issue of epicure.