Skate wings were introduced to me by our friend Bill and are now a favourite seasonal treat. I poach them in a court -bouillon then eat with a delicious nutty, buttery sauce. I don't serve with anything else, just lots of parsely in the black butter. Scrape the flesh off the cartilage with a fork. Delicious.
skate with black butter
nigel slater
2 skate wings
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings
2 bay leaves
black peppercorns
120g butter
2 tabs capers
2 tabs red wine vinegar
small bunch of parsley, roughly chopped
Place the skate in a large, shallow pan and just cover with water. Add the carrot and onion rings, bay leaves and about six whole black peppercorns.
Bring the liquid to the boil and immediately turn down to a simmer, leaving the skate bubbling very gently until it is opaque and tender. Depending on the thickness of your fish it will take 10-15 minutes to become tender. Lift the fish from its liquor and place it on two warm plates.
Melt the butter in another shallow pan. When it starts to foam watch it carefully. As soon as it turns a pale nut brown (it will go black in seconds) pour in the vinegar, add the parsley and the capers and immediately pour over the drained fish.