Pan-Fried Crispy Skate with Ponzu Sauce from "Go Fish" by Al Brown

• By foodie User FoodieReview
  More recipes by this foodie >
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Course: Entree
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

This was the signature dish of a restaurant where I worked as a cook in the Tribeca neighbourhood of Manhattan in New York City. On occasions, it was so popular it would out-sell the rest of the entrées on the menu by two to one. Seji, our chef, would procure only small skate wings that, once cooked, presented on the plate like a beautiful outstretched butterfly wing. A dish of ponzu was all that accompanied the skate, now one of my favourite fish. It was here that I truly began to understand and love the whole ‘less is more’ philosophy of cooking. Ponzu is a classic Japanese dipping sauce that is salty and sour. The skate is lightly floured, which gives it a crisp outer that you dip into the ponzu with each mouthful.

Step 1: Ponzu Sauce
½ cup rice wine vinegar
½ cup soy sauce
¼ cup red wine
1½ tablespoons dried bonito flakes
2 pickled plums (available at Asian stores)
1 lime, quartered

Step 2: To Cook and Serve
6 x 140g boned fresh skate fillets
flour seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper
clarified butter (or regular butter)
lime wedges to garnish

Method

Step 1: Ponzu Sauce
Place all the ingredients in a small saucepan and place on medium-low heat. Bring to a very slight simmer. (Do not boil.) Simmer on very low for 30 minutes to let the flavours infuse. Remove from the heat and strain through a fine sieve or, better still, a piece of muslin. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate.

Step 2: To Cook and Serve
Bring a sauté pan up to medium-high heat. Lightly dust the skate fillets in the seasoned flour, patting off any excess. Once the pan is hot, add a liberal amount of clarified butter. Fry 1–2 skate fillets at a time for a couple of minutes on each side until golden and crisp on the outside. Keep the cooked skate warm by placing on a cake rack in a preheated oven to retain their crispness while you cook the rest.

To serve, place the skate fillets on warm plates with a little dish of dipping sauce and a wedge of fresh lime alongside.

NB: To clarify butter (ghee), place at least 250g of butter in a saucepan and place on medium-low heat. Bring to a simmer for 20–30 minutes to evaporate any water. Remove from the heat, skim off any scum before pouring off the clarified butter and discarding the milk solids at the bottom of the saucepan.