Here's a take off of a recipe from Keller's book that I played with for a fundraiser dinner - it's very good!!!
* Exported from MasterCook *
SKATE WITH FENNEL-ONION CONFIT & TAPENADE SAUCE
Serving Size : 4
1/4 c Tapenade ( see recipe)
1/2 c EVOO
4 8-oz. pcs skate wing, skinned but not filleted
Kosher salt & freshly ground white pepper
Canola Oil
all-purpose flour
2 ozs unsalted butter
4 sprig thyme
4 clove garlic, peeled & smashed
4 slice lemon
Fennel-Onion Confit, warmed (see recipe)
Oven to 375°
Mix the tapenade and olive oil together in a small bowl and set aside.
Season the skate on both sides with salt & pepper.
Heat two large ovenproof skillets over med-high heat, then add 1/8" of canola oil to each one.
Have two smaller pans ready to weight the fish.
The carilage runs more or less through the center of the skate, but the flesh will be thicker on one side than on the other:
Dredge the thick side of each piece of skate in flour and place 2 pieces floured side down in each hot skillet.
To keep the fish from curling, place the smaller pans over the skate to weight it down for the first minute of cooking.
Then remove the smaller pans and add 1 T. of the butter to each pan.
Continue cooking for 3 minutes, or till the fish is golden brown on the first side.
Turn the skate over and add another 1 T. butter to each skillet, along with 2 thyme sprigs, 2 garlic cloves, and 2 lemon slices.
Tilt each skillet slightly and use a large spoon to baste the fish with the butter & oil for another 2 minutes.
Transfer the skillets to the oven.
After a minute, open the oven door and baste the fish again.
Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, or till the cartilage pulls away easily from the fish.
Remove from the oven.
TO SERVE:
Place a mound of fennel confit on each plate.
Top with the fish, then top each piece with a lemon slice, garlic clove, and thyme sprig taken from the skillets.
Drizzle the tapenade sauce around the fish.
MAKE A LITTLE NOTE FOR EACH GUEST:
To eat the skate, eat the thicker top half of the fish fillet first, then lift off and remove the cartilage in one piece and eat the remaining skate.
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NOTES : Skate cooks very well on the bone, or actually cartilage, which helps the meat maintain its shape and its juiciness. It needs a little more aggressive cooking and can stand higher heat than leaner, more delicate fish.
* Exported from MasterCook *
FENNEL-ONION CONFIT
1 1/2 lbs (1 large or 2 medium bulbs) fennel, trimmed
8 ozs (1 med.) Spanish onion
3 ozs unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1 tsp kosher salt
Bouquet Garni: 8 thyme sprigs, 2 parsley sprigs, 1 bay leaves, 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns in cheesecloth
1/4 c finely chopped pitted Nicoise olives
2 Tbsps minced Italian parsley
Cut the fennel lengthwise in half. Cut out & discard the core.
Place the fennel cut side down on a cutting board and slice crosswise into 1/4" slices.
(You should have ~ 4 cups sliced fennel)
Cut off the top and bottom of the onion and cut the onion lengthwise in half.
Remove the peel & outer layers.
Cut a "V" wedge in the bottom of each piece to remove the core & pull out any solid flat pieces from the center.
Lay one onion half cut side down on a cutting board with the root end toward you.
There are lines on the outside of the onion; cut along these lines (the grain) rather than against them to help the onions soften more quickly.
Holding the knife almost parallel to the board, slice the onion lengthwise into 1/4" thick slices following the lines of the onion.
Separate the slices of onion - you should have about 2 cups of sliced onions
Warm 1/4 cup water in a large pot over low heat.
Add the butter and whisk to melt.
Add the fennel, onions, salt & bouquet garni, stir to combine, and place a parchment lid on top, (parchment lid - cut in a circle after folding like an airplane & cut the tip for a small hole in the center) pressing it against the fennel and onions.
Cook very slowly, stirring every 20-30 min. at first, then more often toward the end of cooking, for about 2 hours.
The fennel and onions will wilt and steam will rise, but the vegetables should not brown.
Check after about 30 minutes: If the veggies seem lost in the pot, transfer to a smaller pot & cut down the parchment lid to fit.
If there is very little liquid in the pot, add a bit more water; or, if there is a lot of liquid remaining, you can turn up the heat slightly to cook a bit more ore rapidly.
After about 2 hors, the veggies will have softened but not be falling apart; there may still be liquid left in the pot.
Remove & discard the bouquet garni.
Let the confit cool in its liquid. Transfer the confit, with the liquid, to a plastic container and refrigerate up to 3 days.
TO SERVE: Drain & reheat over low heat.
Stir in the olives and parsley.
Yield:
"2 c"
I have to cook some skate wings. The wings are well cleaned and skined, any ideas on how I should cook'em?
). I heard that the only part that is truly edible are the wings so I "sawed" them off pretty nicely, then cut them into steak-sized pieces. I'm planning on frying them.
