Skate

Skate is a delicious fish. The wings are fibrous and tender and take well to traditional fish seasonings like lemon, capers, butter and parsley.

I was delighted to see it at our local Whole Foods Market when they first opened, though not consistently. The last time I bought it there, it had an amonia flavor-- it was past its prime, so let that be a lesson to sniff first. (I have read that soaking amonia-scented skate in a weak vinegar solution removes the amonia odor.)

I was very happy to find it in Pittsburgh's wonderful Strip District, in the relatively new Penn Avenue Fish Company (http://www.pennavefishcompany.com/). The wings were priced reasonably at about $5/lb. A friendly employee, Henry, I think, made quick work of cutting off the cartilage and peeling off the tough skin, leaving us with two good portions for about $9. I also got our cartilage, and that of the couple in front of us, for fish stock.

To prepare skate, season the wing with salt and pepper and drege it in flour, shaking off the excess.

Have ready a glass of white wine, a couple of tablespoons of chopped shallot, some chopped parsley, a tablespoon of capers, the juice and scraped rind of half a lemon, and a couple tablespoons of butter.

Heat a large pan over medium high heat and melt a couple of tablespoons of butter. When it foams, add the wings and cook until almost cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. They can break, so use a good long spatula, not tongs, to turn the wings. The flour should give the wings a light brown, just crispy coat. Remove the cooked wings to warm dinner plates in a low oven.

Raise the heat under your pan, add the shallots to the pan, then the wine, allowing it to steam up and reduce by a half. Add the parsley, lemon stuff and capers, and cook for another minute. Finally, turn off the burner, and whip some butter into the hot sauce, a small piece at a time.

Skate is good with mashed potatoes and a green vegetable, with the sauce drizzled on and around it.

We had it with a superb wine from Beringer, Alluvium. Here in overpriced, Stalinist Pennsylvania's State Stores, the wine is $18.