On the East End of Long Island we’re lucky enough to have skate caught locally. For those of you unfamiliar with skate, it’s a winged fish–a member of the stingray family. The wings are delicate and light–I would characterize their flavor as very similar to crab.
The French prepare this fish simply by searing in brown butter. Sometimes, capers or lemon are added to cut the richness of the butter.
Tonight, I’m in the mood for something crispy on the outside/tender on the inside. I’m going to do my standard breading operation–flour, then egg, then seasoned bread crumbs (my homemade crumbs–seasoned with salt, pepper, nutmeg and fresh parsley). Then into a skillet of hot olive oil. The fish is done within about 3 minutes total.
To add a little acidity to the dish, I’ve sauteed a couple of slices of lemon in olive oil until they’re golden brown. It might seem like lemon has too assertive a flavor to actually eat it in slices, but the sauteing mellows and sweetens the lemon and the result is very fish-friendly.
Crispy skillet potatoes with sage and garlic will accompany my fish (you can find the recipe in my prior “dinner for one” post, only substituting sage for rosemary), along with a salad of baby arugula, fennel and grape tomatoes, dressed with olive oil and lemon (predictable but I never get tired of it).
Crispy Skate with Sauteed Lemon
serves 2
2 skate wings, off the bone
flour for dredging
1 egg
seasoned bread crumbs for dredging
1/4 c olive oil
1/2 a lemon, sliced paper thin
Salt and pepper to taste
Season skate with salt and pepper, then dredge skate in flour, shaking off excess. Then dip in beaten egg.
Shake off any excess egg, then dip in crumbs.
Gently slip into hot olive oil and on high heat, brown for 2 minutes per side.
In the same skillet, saute lemon slices (make sure they’re paper thin) until theyre golden brown (about a minute per side). Serve a couple of lemon slices over each wing.
Depending on what your seasoned crumbs taste like, this ends up tasting a bit like a crab cake.
italianatedotcom 
Once again ..me having to ask………I am making this for dinner…(I hope). I love,love your recipes! I have to ask, where do I get the skate wings? I go to Cor J’s seafood (Hampton Bays) or where do I go? Are these seasonal ?
thank jul
I found it at Citarella’s!!!!!!! Thanks!
julie–cor-j in hampton bays is exactly where i buy skate wings–they are so beautiful and pink and fresh (as are most things there). it’s always where my seafood comes from.
thank you so much, once again, for reading. it keeps me posting.
best, franco
I have been eating skate wings since I first had then in a restaurant in New York many years ago when nobody ate skate. They were very crispy, with the tast of balsamic vinegar, served on lentils. I make this often, breading the wings as you do (Like a schnitzel), but first pour some balsamic vinegar on them before breading. I add balsamic vinegar to the lentils also and edge the plate I seve the fish on with more vinegar. I don’t use much vinegar, but enough to retain the taste. It is sensational. I like your carmelized lemons and I am going to add those also.
PS: I always cut the wings in half because I can never get them on to a plate looking beautiful as they were when raw.