Seafood & Gourmet Products

Skates are found worldwide in temperate and cold waters as well as deep, tropical waters. Skates are like sharks and have no bones, only cartilage. The edible portions of the skate are the wings and the cheeks. The wings are composed of strands of flesh, a layer of cartilage and then more strands of flesh. The skin should be removed before cooking and the cartilage can be easily removed after cooking. Skate has a shorter shelf -life in the summer months. The meat of the skate is reddish in color in the raw state and cooks up to an off- white. It is a moist fish with a firm texture. The strands of the flesh in the wing structure form an open-fan configuration and lead to a stringy texture. This can be misleading and most assume the meat will be tough, although the meat is rather delicate. Skate is caught by hook and line, trawls and traps. The northeastern Skate fishery is managed by the New England Management Council.