Skate wing cakes

You may have noticed by now that many of my recipes are unique in that I have relied on an usual ingredient which just happens to be on hand. I had Whole Foods track down some skate wing for me last week. Skate looks like a small manta ray. A whole one, skinned would probably weigh about 1 1/2 pounds. It is easily fileted and sauted in butter 4 minutes per side.
That's what we did with part of our filets. We ended up with enough leftovers to use in another application. Hence, crab cakes made with skate. Use your favorite crab cake recipe, but watch out on the spices (salt, pepper). Remember the skate has already been seasoned and cooked. Add the standard mayonnaise, an egg, breadcrumbs, scallions, and whatever else seems appropriate.
Form the skate into 2 cakes and saute in butter and a touch of olive oil. The taste and texture of the skate is delicious and very enticing.

Shrimp and catfish cakes

Here's something you may not have thought of. I started making shrimp and catfish cakes some years ago. I've fried them, baked them, steamed them...and enjoyed the heck out of them.

My first taste of catfish was while on a concert tour nearly 40 years ago. We were in some city along the Mississippi and I had them at a restaurant. Those catfish were right from the big M River and tasted like muddy water. That doesn't sound very appetizing but I've never found another way to describe that taste. If you ever swam in a river as a kid maybe you can divine what I mean.

These days I can find only farmed cats. They are relatively tasteless. The shrimp bring their own sweetness and flavor, especially if you use wild-caught ones.

I'm excited to announce that I now have a good digital camera. I'm still in the learning curve, but I am pumped.

Shrimp and catfish cakes (4 cakes)
10 oz. catfish filet
10 oz. shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tbsp fresh fennel fronds, chopped (or fresh dill)
2 tbsp parsley, chopped (or cilantro)
unseasoned bread crumbs, about 1/3 cup
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp wasabi powder
1 scallion, finely chopped (both white and green parts)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp white pepper
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp olive oil
4 lemon wedges

Cut the catfish and shrimp into 1” pieces and place in a food processor. Pulse until well mixed but not entirely pureed.

Put the fish into a large bowl. Add fennel (or dill), parsley (or cilantro), 2 tbsp of the bread crumbs, mayonnaise, mustard, egg, wasabi powder, scallion, salt and pepper, and 1 tbsp olive oil. Mix thoroughly. Microwave 1 tsp of the mix for 20 seconds and taste. Adjust seasonings as necessary.

Form the mixture into 4 cakes. Coat both sides with more bread crumbs. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Remove from the fridge and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

In a large sauté pan, heat the other 2 tbsp olive oil and the butter over medium high heat. Add the burgers and cook for 3 minutes on the first side. Turn them over and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes until cooked through.

Serve on buns if you wish, with some lettuce. Or serve on plates without buns. Sprinkle with lemon juice.

For a free excerpt of my book, “A Year of Food,” in which I opine, report, cook, muse and philosophize about everything that passed my lips for an entire year, write to me at: scrout1944@msn.com.