Skate

According to a recent trend, ff monkfish—an unlovely creature whose veiny, purplish flesh turns off many shoppers—could find favor among chefs, you had to figure it was only a matter of time before skate, another “trash fish,†would be rediscovered.

If anything, skate suffers from an even worse image problem. Resembling a giant batwing, it takes on a distressing aroma of ammonia after being out of water for a couple of days. On the other hand, its flaky white, sweet meat with long, separated strands that run along the line of the bone and make it easy to eat. And while prices continue to go up for other white flaky meats such as flounder and trout, skate is cheap—“One of the few fish,†says Bob Kinkead of Washington, DC’s Kinkead’s, “a chef can actually make some money on.â€

That makes it a hot commodity among chefs who can seek out the fresh product on the market and try to convince diners that skate is worth gambling on.

“It’s just a matter of getting people to make the leap from ‘Ooh, it’s a stingray’ to ‘Ah, it’s a really flaky, sweet fish,’†says Kinkead, whose waitstaff appears to be doing just that. Five years ago, a good night for skate was ten orders. These days, his rendition of pan-fried skate with parsley sauce and gnocchi sells three times that many.