Junk fish, cooking and eating

[SurfPlug]

Did anyone ever eat windowpanes, the very skinny flounder you catch in the fall? I never tried them, it looks like there would not be enough meat there.

I had always thought that window panes or sundials had little meat. They don't get thick like fluke or winter flounder.

[VSdreams]

Pan-fried Skate Wings with Capers
4 servings

Cut the wings off the skate soon after landing it and keep them cool as the flesh is very perishable. Rinse the wings off when you get them home and soak them for a couple hours in a mixture of water to cover them with a couple tablespoons of lemon juice added to it. Pat them dry and put them back in the fridge for a couple days to age. The aging supposedly improves the flavor of the flesh.


Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless skate wings
(about 1-1/2 pounds total)
1/2 cup milk
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour for dredging
3 tablespoons vegetable or corn oil
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sweet red peppers,
cut into 1/4 inch cubes
1/3 cup drained capers
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
1 tablespoons red wine vinegar
4 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

1. Put the skate fillets in a dish large enough to hold them in one layer. Pour the milk over them and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Turn the fillets in the milk so they are coated on both sides.

2. Scatter the flour over a large dish. Lightly dredge the fillets on both sides in the flour.

3. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high setting. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the fillets. If it is necessary to do this in two batches, use the same oil. Sauté on one side until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Turn and cook on the other side until golden brown, about 3 minutes more. When the fillets are done, transfer them to a warm platter or serving plate.

4. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel and return it to the heat. Melt the butter and add the red peppers, shaking the pan frequently until the butter turns light brown. Add the capers, cook briefly, and add the shallots, vinegar, and parsley. Cook briefly then stir and pour the sauce over each fillet evenly. Serve immediately.

[seamonkey]

Here is a recipe for skate wings I just found -


Skate wings seared in blackened butter is a chef's special in many finer restaurants.

Removing wings from a skate (or ray) is fairly easy. The trick it to cut around the hard cartiage that runs down a skate's back, acting a lot like a topside shield, protecting the animal's internal organs.

Wearing gloves, use your thumb to feel for the topside shield. Thumb along the hard area from head to tail. You'll feel the shield widens about 1/2 way down to the tip of the tail. Knowing that hard zone allows for easy cleaning.

Skates can be a ***** to hold -- due to sliminess -- so getting a super good grip is essential -- and yet another trick to quickly cleaning one. Gloves are kinda indispensable. Also, you'll need a fiercely sharp fillet knife. Hopefully you've mastered sharpening a blade, including the essential leather stroping to reach razorish edging.

Placing a skate on a flat hard surface to clean is standard procedure. Give it a go to learn the fish's layout. Jam the blade in the wing just just past the gill plate. Cut toward the tail. Again, cut the wing off as close to the hard area as possible. The removed wing should have a slightly rounded shape where the cut wrapped around the area where the shield was widest.
I prefer holding the skate wing firmly in my left hand and carving off the wing with my knife hand (I'm a rightie), following the path of least resistance, i.e. along the shield. Hand-holding the skate this way actually allows the knife blade to more naturally follow the line of the back shield.

A little practice will allow the cleaning of a slew of skate. And you do need a few if you intend on filleting the removed wings. Perish the thought. You'll get twice the meat by simply skinning the wings and cooking them. Then, either fork off the meat as you eat or scrap off the meat and serve atop rice.