Made from skate, a bottom-dwelling ray fish, Hongeo is considered by far South Korea’s smelliest food. fish do not urinate as such. A blunted sense for bad-smelling fish might sound maladaptive. Add flavoring ingredients such as whole peppercorns, bay leaves, parsley stems, onion and shallot, and finish with a healthy splash of white wine vinegar. If it wasn’t handled properly, it can smell of ammonia — avoid those pieces. Each batch will have a different consistency based on a multitude of factors. He says you should really be eating skate within a day of two at most of buying it. The use of the name expanded to include people who were wheeler dealers or people who do a lot of ducking and diving but no actual work. If your pan is too hot, you’ll end up with charcoal coated wings. If it does, pay your money and get stuck in! New to Chowhound? e9 = new Object(); Cook as per times provided for all fish. They are also used as lobster bait and they are also used to make fish feed for the fishes which are grown in the tanks at home. “But they do get a lot more prolific round about now, so it is a really good time for them.”, At this time of year, the boats go out to what Paul calls ‘the banks’—“that’s what we call a ledge which sits a few miles out where the sea bed drops steeply from about 70 metres to about 260m deep, so it is a fair old drop. Almost certainly a made up urban legend, like Welsh people knobbing sheep, or people in East Anglia sleeping with their own grannies. A fish’s eyes should be clear and shiny. This is because Skate fish get rid of excess urea through their skin. “This generates a slight ammonia-like smell, nothing overpowering but a definite hint of it. kampur.is. But I have to admit I have never been tempted try it myself.”. What does surströmming smell like? After that, you eat it,” she says, adding that after trying it at least four times you’ll get hooked by “that minty feeling in the back of your throat many say is addictive”. The poaching is done in an acidulated court bouillon and the brown butter sauce has some vinegar and capers in it. The smell and taste of Hongeo is closely tied to one of the things that makes the skate fish special, specifically the way it urinates. Skate wings that smell of ammonia will taste like ammonia. Sue Ahn, a prominent South Korean food journalist, says there is a proper way to eat hongeo and getting it down easier until you get used to it. But feasting on this stinky delicacy comes with a social cost, as the smell tends to linger in the mouth as well as on clothes. “The cartilage is actually hollow and starts to degrade quite quickly once the fish had been caught,” Paul says. If you can smell … It should be a healthy pink colour.”, Great condition If you have not had it before skate is a lovely fish that is really worth giving a go. The teleosts, or bony fishes, excrete nitrogenous wastes in the form of ammonia. Besides a skate would be a very diffult shape to hold. Surströmming has been part of northern Swedish cuisine since at least the 16th century.. Fermented fish is an old staple in European cuisines. //-->. Skates are found near the floor of the ocean, where they spend most of their times. Product of the week, A distinctive-tasting member of the shark family, “The guys catch skate pretty much all year round so it does not have a season as such,” says stall owner Paul Day of Sussex Fish as he packs some ice around the display of distinctively-shaped skate wings, making geometric patterns on the front of his stall. You see, the skate doesn’t pee like other animals, it releases urine through its skin, and that’s exactly the stuff hongeo chefs marinate the meat in for about a month in order to obtain the stomach-churning delicacy. Your kitchen may temporarily smell like a salad, but that is very short-lived, and far preferable to the lingering smell of yesterday's fish. Luckily there is an easy way to tell if the fish is past its best—and it goes back to the fish’s bone structure. Some of the older customers eat the cartilage as well, they swear by it. ... which is true with thin fish but with Skate being (at least) an inch deep, it’s best to let the caramelisation happen slowly. If … If you've got wings with just a hint of ammonia smell you can refresh them. This video is unavailable. “There are none within the flesh itself. Skate is usually poached or steamed, but can also be cooked in any of the other ways you would cook fish. Watch Queue Queue “The paler it is, the older it is. A fully grown skate can have a wingspan of eight or nine feet and weigh in excess of 250lbs. Surströmming’s defining quality, and source of international notoriety, is its distinctive smell. “The skeleton supporting the fish is made up of cartilage and runs down the centre of the fish,” he explains. Before you consume certain fish, you need to understand what kind of food the fish feeds on. Categories: Skate is a deliciously mild, slightly sweet fish that isn’t at all fishy. It’s so stinky that many South Koreans wouldn’t come near it, let alone put in their mouths. Alaska has witnessed a steady increase of cases of botulism since 1985. The common skate is the largest species of skate in the world, and, is one of the largest creatures in British waters. It’s so bad that the late Anthony Bourdain put it on the list of worst things he’s ever put in his mouth. Tom's answer is a good one. Add marinated stake wing fish and cook about 2 mins, add roasted potatoes. Skate are found in water which is several hundred metres deep, although they will co… Skate of this size are thought to be up to seventy years old. Skate can be bought fresh or frozen. bella | Jan 22, 2004 08:00 PM 31. If it has an increasingly fishy smell or starts to smell like rotten meat, it has gone bad. Yet, when made correctly, skate is delicious,” says therealdoctorlew. Jan 14th, 2012. Risks. These skate fish oils are made from fermented fish and will have an odor, taste, or texture that you may find unpleasant. I made a skate wing this evening and one half of it (it was still on the "bone") smelled like ammonia after I cooked it. If the smell is strong, toss them out or suffer the consequences - it won't taste good and the dead fish odor may hang around for days. The tradition of eating skate on December 23rd is still very popular in Iceland despite the strong smell of ammonia that comes from the pickling and putrefying of the fish. Cooking Tips. Sign up to discover your next favorite restaurant, recipe, or cookbook in the largest community of knowledgeable food enthusiasts. To make the most of this tasty white fish, try making Borough Market demonstration chef Hayden Groves’ simple yet delicious traditional recipe for pan fried skate, lemon, capers and nut brown butter. Ammonia is a very toxic compound, and excretion of ammonia requires passing large amounts of water over the gills. Bring it back to a simmer and cook the skate gen… The oldest archeological findings of fish fermentation are 9,200 years old and from the south of today's Sweden. The history of hongeo can be traced back to the 14th century, back when Japanese pirates patrolled the South Seas, forcing the residents of Heuksan Island to move up the Yeongsan River and take their fare with them. To tell if fish has gone bad, touch your raw fish to see if it’s slimy, which happens when fish starts to spoil. Its *roughly* like this:-"Like other fishes, sharks excrete nitrogenous wastes over their gills. Fish should smell fresh and mild, not fishy, sour, or ammonia-like. It should be fragrant-less or smell of the sea. That doesn’t mean it has gone off or is dangerous, just that it is now past its best so I would put it back.”, Another thing our fishmonger says you should take notice of is colour. In the meantime, mix together and heat the coconut milk and milk in a microwave. A similar judgment is implied in the engaging story told by Donald Kenneth Maclean from Srannda in Harris in 1978 (73309). “I’ve eaten dog, durian and bugs, but this is still the most challenging food I’ve ever eaten,” food blogger Joe McPherson said. It eventually became a regional specialty in South Korea’s southwest provinces of North and South Jeolla. Only a few, such as the manta ray and the devil ray spend time away from the bottom of the ocean. 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