I love making skate: it's a really thin piece of fish so it cooks quickly and evenly. I like it best fried in some kind of coating that will make it crispy: my default is flour, egg, panko breadcrumbs and then pan frying.

You have to serve it while it's very hot though. That's when it's best: so have everything else ready and then quickly fry the skate. Also, it's total comfort food for me so I like to have it with something equally comforting like mashed potatoes, or pureed cauliflower.

I will now avoid skate since it's on the list. But I've had it in several French restaurants, where the preparation is usually pretty similar.

Like @bklynchic says, it's best cooked fast and hot with a light coating. I think that I've had it with very simple flour, salt, pepper coating, and usually with a wine/butter sauce. The last time I had it, it was crispy and pan seared with a white wine, lemon, and caper sauce and a side of braised romaine, which was absolutely delish. Cooking a bone-in fillet keeps the fish moist and the bones are so large, they're easy to remove.

There may be some more tips here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/anne-burrell/coriander-crusted-skate-with-spaghetti-squash-and-frizzled-brussels-sprout-leaves-recipe/index.html
She notes that after flouring, the fish must go immediately into the hot cooking fat, or the fish will get gummy.

If you can be assured your skate wing is from a sustainable source, it is definitely something to be savored.

bklynchic and lotusmoss both have it right--either method is delicious.

It is excellent dipped in a fish batter and then coated in panko before deep frying.

My favorite preparation is a simple brown butter and lemon sauce. The key to getting this right is having everything ready for your recipe and a pre-heated skillet.

-Very lightly season the skatewing with salt--skate can easily be oversalted.
-dredge skate in flour and pat the excess off of it.
-fill bottom of hot skillet with enough olive oil so that skate wing is partially submerged in oil.
-after a minute or two the skate will be browning on the bottom--carefully turn it over and while pressing the skate with the back of a spatula, tip out excess oil.
-add a knob of butter to the pan and swirl it around.
-as the butter stops bubbling it will begin to turn brown.
-at this point, add minced shallots, capers and chopped parsley to the butter.

-check fish for doneness, as soon as it is cooked through, it is done. Try separating one of the seams of the skate wing with a knife-tip. If it pulls apart easily, it is cooked through. Turn off the heat.

-squeeze some fresh lemon juice into the butter, place the fish on a plate and spoon the butter sauce over the fish.

This dish takes less than 10 minutes to cook from start to finish. It's a bit of a dance but with a little practice (with skate or other thin, white-fish filets) it's a good one for your repertoire.

Fast cooking is best because skate gets gelatinous and mushy when overcooked.

Here's a link to a post on skate that I wrote for my food blog; it includes a recipe:

http://www.myqqm.com/2010/04/flying-high-on-skate-wing.html

Happy cooking!

Those in Wisconsin should try the skatewing at Sardine in Madison. I had my leftovers for lunch today... phew... what a delectable dish! It's pan-fried and crispy, served with a caper butter sauce and broccoli rabe. So. Good.

Oh! One more thing. Skatewing is very "volatile" meaning, it can turn on you (go bad) quickly. It would not be uncommon to purchase skatewing that has already turned so this is one of those things that you should feel very comfortable asking your fish monger to smell before purchasing. It will smell sweet and slightly sour compared to a regular fish filet. But if you should smell ammonia, specifically, do not purchase.

The ammonia smell will be exacerbated when you cook the fish and upon close inspection your nose will sting with ammonia odor if the fish has turned.

And if you are to receive skatewing at a restaurant that smells like this, return it--even if the chef tells you "that's just how skate is."

Skate is one of my favorite fish. I like a panko crust to act as a crunchy counterpoint to the meaty flesh. For sauces I to go with brown butter or meuniere if I'm feeling a little fancier. Grilled skate wing with sambal is also a classic in Southeast Asian cookery.

We just love skate as well. My usual way of cooking is a recipe from Sophie Grigson's 'Fish' cookbook and is really easy. Just slowly poach the fish in a mixture of water and vinegar. Keeps the fish moist and tender. Then drizzle with brown butter and capers, dash of lemon juice and enjoy!

Haha, this is a very timely question. I've had skate at two restaurants in Philly (Little Fish and Matyson) and they were both delicious. Both times they were prepared with a light, crispy coating and pan fried. A week ago, I tried to cook it at home using a similar method and did not get the same results. I think the fish was cooked to the correct consistency but was pretty ugly. I am interested in trying it again, provided that I can find a more sustainable source.

Skate is great! It's sweet and super-cheap. I often just poach it (the cartilage then pulls right off), and then use it in Thai salads--fish sauce, mint, chili, etc.

amymay, what a coincidence! I had it at Branzino; the waiter talked me into it.

Philly is way over looked for food, in my opinion.

Thanks for answering, Faith

My favorite skate preparation is w/a balsamic glaze and served w/french green lentils. Mmmm.

Skate is very popular here in France, if you see "raie" in France on the menu, you're ordering skate. Now that I know it's on the avoid list I'll do my part. Too bad because it's my husband's favorite. To keep it as fresh as possible I would toss it directly in the freezer once I got home. That way when I prepare it for cooking, I can spread an ultra thin layer of butter all over the entire fish and season it evenly because the butter hardens on contact. Just like that, butter salt & pepper, I pop it in a hot oven (covered with foil if it's really frozen through) and bake it until it's just cooked through (I use a probe thermometer). If I ever prepared this fish again...I'd make a sauce au beurre with chopped capers.