Fishermen generally remove the wings at sea and ice them down before returning to shore. Each wing has a cartilage plate that runs through its center. A layer of firm white meat is attached to both the upper and lower sides of this plate. The meat is usually fan shaped and consists of rows of connected filaments or strands of muscle. Whole skate wings are generally available in the marketplace.
Most chefs recommend poaching skate wings in a simple wine and vegetable broth.
After poaching, the meat is easily removed from the cartilage plate and the skin peeled away with little damage to the meat. However, now that skate is beginning to appear in fancy fish stores, the wings are frequently available completely boneless with their skin removed. Filleted and skinless skate wings are easy to recognize because of their fan shape and distinct ribbed texture. Skates prefer to eat mollusks, crustaceans, and small fish that give their flesh a sweet mild shellfish-like taste. Skate can be prepared in a variety of ways.