Friday, February 11, 2011

Skate with Shiitake Mushrooms and Roasted Hazelnuts



Most people have never heard of skate, a cousin to the stingray, but its wing-like pectoral fins have a delicious, extremely delicate flesh that is slightly sweet and reminiscent of crab or lobster meat. It's one of my favorite types of seafood but isn't very common, so if you do find it at the fish market or your local grocery store, snatch it up and try it - I doubt you will regret it! Just be sure to have the cartilage, which is tough and inedible, removed before you prepare it. (Trust me, removing it yourself is a pain in the ass.)

Skate, being a mild fish, tastes best when it is prepared with somewhat rich or strong tasting ingredients, whereas a fish that is stronger tasting to begin with such as salmon ought to be prepared more simply - even with just extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper - in order to allow the natural flavor, which can stand on its own, to shine.

I've prepared skate the traditional way before - a la Grenobloise (in the style of Grenobole in the Dauphine region of France), with brown butter, capers, parsley, lemon juice, diced lemon, and tiny croutons.



But I prefer the version in the following recipe (slightly adapted from a recipe by the very talented Daniel Boulud), which marries the rich, earthy flavors of the shiitake mushrooms and crunchy roasted hazelnuts sautéed in butter with the tender, mild flesh of the skate. The richness of the dish was cut with the acidity of fresh lemon, which provided a wonderful tang. What an incredible combination of tastes and textures!

FYI, Hazelnuts are rich in protein, dietary fiber, iron, calcium and vitamin E. Like all nuts, they contain a lot of fat but over 80% of the total fat in hazelnuts is monounsaturated (healthy fat).

Skate with Shiitake Mushrooms and Roasted Hazelnuts
Adapted from Daniel Boulud's Food and Wine recipe

Ingredients:
• ½ cup hazelnuts
• 3 medium shallots, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, halved
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• ½ pound shiitake mushrooms
• leaves from 2 thyme sprigs
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1½ - 2 pounds skate wing fillets, cleaned and cut into 4 equal portions (about 6 ounces each portion)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ lemon, peeled, sectioned and diced
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 170°F. Spread the hazelnuts in a pie plate or baking pan and toast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. (You can also roast the hazelnuts at a higher temperature, if your oven's settings don't go as low as 170°F, but you do risk destroying the healthy fats. I roasted mine at 300°F - the lowest temperature setting on my oven - for about 10 minutes.) Let cool for about 10 minutes, then place them on a kitchen towel and rub them together to remove the skins. Some of the bits of skin may remain. Coarsely chop them and set aside.
2. Wipe the mushrooms with a damp paper towel, then dry them with another paper towel (washing them will cause them to become soggy). Remove the stems from the mushrooms, then cut the caps into 1-inch pieces.
3. In a medium skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over moderately low heat and sauté the shallots and garlic until softened, 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms and thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Continue to sauté the mixture, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes. Discard the garlic and thyme. Reserve a third of the mixture. Purée the remaining mushroom mixture.
4. Cut each skate wing in half crosswise and season with salt and pepper. Spread 4 of the skate pieces with a quarter of the mushroom puree. Cover with the remaining skate wing, pressing the packets together.
5. In a large skillet, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the skate packets and cook over high heat until browned and crisp on the bottom, about 4 minutes. Flip the packets, lower the heat to moderate and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, the reserved mushroom mixture, the hazelnuts, diced lemon and lemon juice. Cook until the skate is just white throughout, 4 minutes. Transfer the skate to plates, and top with the mushrooms, nuts and lemon and serve.

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