Mexican
Estofado de Raya
A robust skate stew from Torreón, Coahuila, where the fish is seasoned with lime, shredded while frying, and brought together with tomato, cilantro, and smoky chipotle chiles en adobo. The technique of shredding the skate directly in the pan produces a textured, saucy mixture — part braise, part hash — that reflects the resourceful inland cooking of northern Mexico rather than coastal seafood traditions.
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How the 3 are reached
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- 3 · skate wing, tomatoes, finely chopped (about 1 cup / 250 ml), to 6 chipotle chiles en adobo, roughly chopped, with some of their sauce
I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
1½ lb (675 g)
skate wing
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Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
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3 tablespoons
fresh lime juice
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⅓ cup (83 ml)
olive oil
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⅓ medium
white onion, finely chopped
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2 small
garlic cloves, finely chopped
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6 oz (180 g)
tomatoes, finely chopped (about 1 cup / 250 ml)
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½ cup (125 ml)
cilantro, loosely packed, roughly chopped
Your own market
4
to 6 chipotle chiles en adobo, roughly chopped, with some of their sauce
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Within reach counts in town, delivered, shipped and the nearest city. A staple counts once it has a local seller. Charted from each shop's own pages; not yet vouched by a cook who shops here.
The larder of Coquitlam →II
The Method
1
Season the skate with salt, pepper, and lime juice. Set aside to rest for 30 minutes.
2
Warm the olive oil in a wide, heavy pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, then lay in the skate. Fry together, using two forks to shred and break apart the fish as it cooks, about 5 minutes.
3
Add the tomatoes and cilantro. Raise heat to high and cook, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid has reduced, about 5 minutes.
4
Stir in the chipotles and their sauce. Cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring to combine.
5
Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve immediately, or rest briefly off heat for the flavours to settle.
III
Sensory Tests
◇Pull a pinch of the shredded fish from the pan before adding the tomato sauce: individual strands should hold their shape and show a light golden crust on at least one side rather than being uniformly pale and steamed-looking — this caramelisation is what gives the finished dish its textural range.
◇After the tomato and chipotle are incorporated and the mixture has reduced, drag a spoon through the centre of the pan — the channel should close slowly rather than immediately, indicating the sauce has tightened around the fish rather than pooling loosely beneath it.
◇Smell the pan immediately after the skate first hits the oil: there should be a clean frying smell with the fish's sweet oceanic note, and absolutely no ammonia. Any ammonia at this stage means the fish is compromised and the dish cannot be saved.
◇Where it lives or dies. The dish lives or dies in the first minutes of frying the seasoned skate — the pan must be hot enough and uncrowded enough to dry and colour the flesh rather than steam it. Once moisture pools and the fish begins to stew before it crisps, you lose the textural contrast that defines the dish as a hash rather than a simple braise, and no amount of additional cooking will recover those edges.
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V
What to Pour
The pairing
Beer
From Oregon
Cristom Mt. Jefferson Cuvée Pinot Noir
Cristom Vineyards — Van Duzer Corridor · Van Duzer Corridor
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Wine
Without alcohol
Non-alcoholic
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The whole pairingPillar VI
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Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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The working kitchen