Bones_ Recipes, History, and Lore - Jennifer McLagan [93]
The skate is sautéed with no preliminary poaching, so make sure your fishmonger removes at least the top skin. Buy similar-sized pieces of skate wing, or select two larger pieces and have the fishmonger cut them in half.
⅓ cup (125 g) seedless green grapes
3 tablespoons capers, preferably salt-packed, rinsed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons (60 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
½ lemon, if needed
4 pieces skinned skate wing, 8 to 12 ounces (225 to 350 g) each
¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil
1. Place the grapes and capers in a small saucepan with ⅓ cup (75 ml) water and heat slowly until the water is very hot, but do not let it simmer. Season with salt and pepper, add the butter, and stir until the butter is almost melted. Remove from the heat. Pour into a blender or food processor, and process until the sauce is emulsified (or very well blended) about 1 minute. Pour the sauce back into the saucepan, taste, and add a few drops of lemon juice if necessary; it shouldn’t be sweet. Keep warm over very low heat.
2. Season the skate with salt and pepper. In a frying pan large enough to hold the skate, or two smaller pans, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the skate and cook, turning once, until it is golden and the flesh detaches easily from the thickest section of the wing, about 4 minutes per side. Serve with the sauce on the side.
Frog’s Legs with Lemongrass and Chile
Eating frog’s legs is so closely associated with the French that even today, the English refer to them as froggies, while the French retort with les rosbifs. But frog’s legs are equally popular in Central Europe, where many of the legs consumed in France are raised, and in Asia, particularly Thailand and Vietnam. This recipe is inspired by the flavors of Vietnam rather than the garlic-and-parsley tradition of Burgundy.
The frog’s legs I buy are packaged like shrimp, with a number per pound (450 g) stamped on the box; the legs are sold in pairs, still attached at the tailbone. I used 8-to-12-count frog’s legs; once they were prepared, I had about forty pieces. And no, they don’t taste like chicken.
2 pounds (900 g) frog’s legs
¼ packed cup (50 g) brown sugar
3 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 stalks lemongrass, the white part, finely chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 red chile peppers, seeded and finely chopped
8 green onions, trimmed cut into 2-inch (5-cm) lengths
1. To separate the frog’s legs, cut them away from the tailbone. Cut off and discard the feet and tail-bones. Cut each leg in two, like chicken wings.
2. Mix the sugar, fish sauce, and ‘A cup (125 ml) water in a small bowl; set aside. Heat the oil in a large frying pan, then add the lemongrass, shallot, garlic, and chile, and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Add the fish sauce mixture to the frying pan, stir, and bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute, then add the legs and simmer gently for 10 minutes, or until cooked, turning them from time to time to coat with the sauce.
4. Add the green onions and simmer for another 5 minutes, then serve.
Fried Fish Bones
The origin of this dish is the Japanese kitchen, where it is called senbei. I had read about it in various sources and my friend, the talented cooking teacher Hiroko Sugiyama, confirmed that it is used as a garnish or snack. These fried bones are crispy, salty, and delicious, the perfect accompaniment to a cold Japanese beer.
You’ll have to do the preparation for this recipe yourself; I doubt that your fishmonger will bother with such small fish, but you can always ask. If your filleting techniques are a little rusty, it’s a good way to practice. Best of all, leaving a little extra flesh on the bones is a bonus.
1. You will need