Paperbark grilled skate wings and liver

Skate wings are the edible portions of the skate fish, a cartilaginous fish, similar to a ray. The skate wings have a delicate, sweet flavour similar to scallops. This recipe uses native Australian paperbark (Melaleuca quinquenervia) to flavour the skate, utilising a native Indigenous Australian culinary technique for imparting flavour and moisture to meat, fish and vegetables.

Credit: Jiwon Kim

• serves

  4

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 4 large sheets paperbark
• 4 skate wings
• 150 g skate liver
• Olive oil, for drizzling
• ½ tsp salt, plus ¾ tsp for the water
• ¼ tsp ground pepperberry (or black pepper)
• 1 litre water

Damper (Johnny cakes)

• 300 g (2 cups) self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
• 110 g (1 cup) milk powder
• Salt
• 125-185 ml water
• Butter, for cooking

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180˚C. In an extra-large bowl, carefully soak the paperbark in boiling water to soften, until pliable.
   
2. Use paper towel to gently pat the skate wings dry. Use a sharp knife or kitchen scissors to trim away any membranes from the wings.
   
3. Preheat a chargrill pan or barbecue. Brush the skate wings on both sides with olive oil and sprinkle with the salt and pepperberry. Grill for 5 minutes, turning occasionally, until cooked through. Towards the end of the cook time, add the liver to the grill to cook. Once cooked, remove the grilled skate wings and liver to a plate. Drain the paperbark and use it to line a baking tray.
   
4. Fill a large bowl with 1 litre of water and whisk through ¾ tsp salt to emulate seawater. Using a fork, gently shred the cooked meat from the skate wings. Take around 2 tbsp of the shredded meat and use your hands to immerse it in the salt water, whilst squeezing, to extract any milky liquid from the skate into the water (this is a traditional Indigenous culinary technique to remove bitterness).
   
5. Remove the skate meat from the water and squeeze out any excess liquid, then transfer directly into the centre of the paperbark to form a sausage-like shape. Repeat with remaining skate meat.
   
6. Place the grilled liver into the centre of the paperbark, then roll to seal the paperbark. Wrap the paperbark roll with foil to tightly enclose, then bake for 15 minutes.
   
7. While the skate is baking, make the damper (Johnny cakes). In a large bowl, combine the flour, milk powder, a generous pinch of salt and enough water to form a thick dough. Knead the dough to bring it together, then divide into 4 equal balls. Flatten into discs and pan-fry in a large frying pan with butter, until golden on both sides and cooked through.
   
8. Serve the paperbark grilled skate wings and liver with the damper (Johnny cakes).

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.