Small Skate Fried is a traditional British recipe, based on Mrs Beeton's recipe of 1861, for a classic dish of skate wings lightly pickled in flavoured vinegar then fried until brown. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Small Skate Fried.
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This is a traditional British recipe redacted from the redoubtable Mrs Beeton's 1861 volume Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, the classic Victorian cookbook.
Original Recipe
317. INGREDIENTS.—Skate, sufficient vinegar to cover them, salt and pepper to taste, 1 sliced onion, a small bunch of parsley, the juice of 1/2 lemon, hot dripping.
Mode.—Cleanse the skate, lay them in a dish, with sufficient vinegar to cover them; add the salt, pepper, onion, parsley, and lemon-juice, and let the fish remain in this pickle for 1-1/2 hour. Then drain them well, flour them, and fry of a nice brown, in hot dripping. They may be served either with or without sauce. Skate is not good if dressed too fresh, unless it is crimped; it should, therefore, be kept for a day, but not long enough to produce a disagreeable smell.
Time.—10 minutes. Average cost, 4d. per lb.
Seasonable from August to April.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
4 small skate wings
vinegar
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
1 onion, sliced
small bunch of parsley
juice of 1/2 lemon
flour for dusting
oil for frying
Method:
Wash and clean the skate (remove the skins if this has not been done so already) then place in a dish, cover with vinegar and add the onion, parsley and lemon juice then season to taste. Set aside to pickle for 90 minutes then drain the fish thoroughly.
Dust the skate wings with flour then heat a little oil in a large pan. Add the skate wings and fry until cooked through and coloured golden brown. Serve hot.
