Raise a cheer for ray: versatility is this fish's middle name, writes Hugo Arnold
The sweet, saline flavour of ray is complemented by its dense, chewy texture. Although we usually eat only the wings, it also yields the most delicious "cheeks", or "nobs", taken from the tail, which can be deep-fried in batter and served with tartar sauce. My preference for the wings is to poach them, and serve with oily sauces such as salsa verde, tapenade or just plain olive oil and lemon juice.
I recently ate ray with pasta and it was surprisingly good; the soft chewy texture of the fish and an olive oil-infused sauce, laced with capers, sat oddly when I read it on the menu. It worked well, however, with strands of the fish sitting ribbon-like among the slithery linguine.
If you pan-roast the fish - with the lid on - with butter or olive oil and then toss blanched, vinaigrette-infused vegetables in the hot residue, supper can be on the table in 20 minutes. French beans, marsh samphire when it is in season (soon), and purple sprouting broccoli, which is in season now, are all good with ray.
Some older cookery books mention an ammonia smell and ray in the same breath, which is to misunderstand the process. Ray needs some age to tenderise, but if you smell ammonia, it is time to walk away in search of something else to eat. The ammonia, once there, will never go away.
POACHED RAY AND CABBAGE
4 ray wings
2 lemons
1kg fennel, finely chopped
olive oil
1 litre light chicken stock
2 tbsp finely chopped shallots
200g potatoes, peeled and cut into half centimetre slices
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 leek, peeled and finely chopped
1 stick celery, trimmed and finely chopped
600g spinach
bunch parsley finely chopped
bunch dill, finely chopped
a lemon to serve
Grate the zest from the lemons and combine it with the fennel, a seasoning of salt and pepper and four tablespoons of olive oil. Toss well and set aside.
Bring the stock to the boil, season it with salt and pepper and slide in the vegetables. Cook for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Slide in the ray wings, cover and poach gently for eight to 10 minutes, or until the fish is cooked. Remove the fish and keep it warm.
Add the spinach to the hot liquid and poach until it is tender, which should only be a couple of minutes. Divide the spinach on to four plates, top with the fish and spoon some of the stock and vegetables over the top.
Combine the parsley and dill with three tablespoons of olive oil. Serve the fish this salsa, and a lemon wedge.
BRAISED RAY WITH CHERRY TOMATOES AND BABY ONIONS
Olive oil
500g button onions
1kg potatoes, cut into 3cm chunks
500g cherry tomatoes
1kg ray cut into eight along the bone
glass white wine
6 sage leaves
2 bay leaves
Heat six tablespoons of olive oil in a wide shallow pan. Add
the button onions and potatoes, season with salt and cover with a
lid. Simmer over a low heat, adding the tomatoes after the first 10
minutes. Cook for a total of 20-25 minutes, or until the potatoes
are tender.
Season the ray with salt and pepper and sauté in olive oil until it is lightly coloured. Turn the fish over, add the wine and simmer, uncovered, for a further five minutes. Remove the fish and lay it on top of the potato mixture. Add the sage and bay leaves and reduce the wine over a moderate heat until syrupy. This should take about five minutes. Remove the herbs. Serve the fish on top of the potato mixture with the wine sauce and a wedge of lemon. u harnold@irish-times.ie