Fish and Seafood

Fact Sheets

Skate

Raja senta (smooth)
Raja radiata (thorny)

The skate with its unusual broad "wings" and slender rat-like tail has a number of common folk names, including skider, tinker, ginny, flanie, banjo and roker. Two species are sought: the smooth skate, R. senta, is the smaller of the two reaching a maximum of 62 centimetres and is caught from Newfoundland southward. The larger thorny skate, R. radiata, also called the starry skate and the Atlantic prickly skate, reaches almost double the size of the smooth skate and occurs through far northerly waters of West Greenland and Hudson's Bay as well as waters off the Atlantic provinces. Both species are harvested year round in deep water by otter trawl.

Skate wings are usually prepared by cutting in wide strips and are available fresh and frozen. The flesh is medium fat and white when cooked. Somewhat similar to monkfish in taste and texture, the flesh does not flake.

List of Canadian suppliers of skate

NOTE: These processors are volume wholesalers and are not usually set up to deal directly with consumers.

Source: Department of Fisheries and Oceans