My fish guy usually has some beautiful slabs of skate (or raie in French) on ice, but I’ve been looking for other fish. Recently, I brought home a big wing, cut in half and decided to make it in a classic way with butter and capers. Serves 2:
Skate Grenoblise
- 1 large skate wing (about 1 pound/500 grams)
- ½ cup flour
- Salt and pepper
- 2-3 tablespoons butter
- Juice of ½ lemon, or more to taste
- 1 tablespoon capers
Pat the skate dry with paper towels, you can cut the skate in half if it’s unwieldy. Put the flour on a plate and add the salt and pepper. Stir to mix. Dredge the skate pieces in the flour.
In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. When the butter is melted and bubbly, add the skate pieces, skin/cartilage side down. Cook for about 4-5 minutes until golden brown. Flip them over and cook for about 3-4 minutes until golden. Transfer to a warm plate or serving platter.
If the pan is dry, add a little more butter. Add the lemon juice and capers, scraping up any bits that might be in the pan. Pour the sauce over the skate, serve and enjoy!
My verdict:
Skate might be hard to find, but it’s really worth trying if you see it in a restaurant or fish shop. There’s a lot of cartilage, but the flesh that’s nestled there is sweet and tender (unless you’re a friend of mine who thinks it’s way too gummy).
The piece my fish guy gave me was really thick on one side so I think I cooked it about 5-6 minutes on each side. Luckily, skate is not a fussy fish and while you could probably overcook it, it’s not that easy to do. And butter makes everything better…
I served this with some white rice and asparagus and it was a wonderful spring dinner.
