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Weymouth Bay Blonde Ray
Why you should be eating the ray from the bay
here can’t be an easier fish to cook and eat
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than a ray or a skate. Usually, most of the
work has been done for you by the fishmonger.
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You don’t even need to ask – the translucent,
pinkish, shiny fan-like wing is on the slab, ready
for you to take home and eat. There’s no skin to
contend with, you don’t need to gut it, pin-bone it,
or trim its fins - you can just unwrap it, cook it
and have a delicious fish supper on your plate
before you know it.
All ray needs is a dredging of seasoned plain
flour on both sides and then you can place it in a
pan of hot, foaming butter for four minutes, flip it
over for another four minutes and it’s done; golden
brown and ready to devour. Finish it off by melting
another knob of butter in the pan, throwing in
some capers, parsley and a big squeeze of lemon
and pour the lot over the ray. A delicious, classic
fish dish that’s ready in 10 minutes. OK, more if
you boil some spuds to go with it.
It’s so easy to eat, too. You don’t need to worry
about little bones as you slide the meaty strands
of fish off the fingers (aka cartilage) with your
knife, before scooping up mounds of tender, juicy
buttery flesh on your fork. In that way, it’s almost
like the fishy equivalent of pulled pork, and it’s
equally as good in a bap – just replace the apple
sauce with a dollop of good quality tartare.
But should you be eating it? You may have seen
the ray or skate (for ray is sometimes sold as skate)
on the endangered list as a species that’s been
overfished. Sure, actual skate (common, long-nose
and white) shouldn’t be eaten, but the fact is that
the sustainability of fish can vary depending on
where it’s caught, and Dorset inshore gill-netters
and trawlers are seeing good landings of Blonde
Ray in July, so it’s good to eat right now. And it
is so good.
Ray scattered with
lardons and fennel,
and ready to grill.
Ingredients Method
1x 500-700g Blonde Ray Wing,
skinned and portioned into 2
pieces
100g dry cured lardons
A good handful of chopped French
tarragon
500g new potatoes
500g baby spinach
Fennel seeds or other dried herbs
Seasoning
Lemon
Olive oil
Seafood also in season
Dover Sole: Fry it… Served with brown
butter, shrimps and capers, there isn’t a
better flat fish dish.
Dab: Great with… Mediterranean flavours
like tomato and olives. Fry it and add the
tomatoes and olives when you flip it.
1. Pre heat the grill to 300°C (i.e.
very hot!). Steam the new potatoes
with a clove of garlic and olive oil.
Once done, add a knob of butter
and keep warm, add the tarragon
at the last minute.
2. Lightly season and oil the ray
wing in an ovenproof dish, then
scatter the lardons and fennel
seeds generously over the wing.
Place just below the grill for about
12 minutes; you’ll know when it’s
cooked once it’s lightly golden in
colour and the flesh peels easily
away from the wing.
3. Season again with lemon juice
and serve with the new potatoes
and wilted spinach.
Sardines: Barbecue them… Marinade the
oily fish in a paprika or harissa flavoured
olive oil and lemon dressing for 30 minutes
before you cook it.
Spider Crab: Boil it… In plenty of heavily
salted water and serve with tangy mustard
mayonnaise.
Dorset sole
and sardines in
season now.
Scallops: Griddle them… Brush with olive
oil and cook for a minute or two on each
side. Great with salty bacon.
www.menu-dorset.co.uk