C
Clarity News Hub

What is skate Korea?

Author

Emily Sparks

Published Jan 09, 2026

Skates (hongeo) are cartilaginous fish that excrete uric acid through the skin, rather than by urinating as other animals do. As they ferment, ammonia is produced which helps preserve the flesh and gives the fish its distinctive, powerful odor.

What type of food is skate?

Skate fish have a mildly pronounced flavor, firm flesh and a high collagen content which gives it a unique texture when cooked. The flesh is light beige to pinkish in color but becomes off-white when cooked. Their taste is similar to scallops. Do not over cook Skate or Ray as the flesh will break along the separations.

What does skate fish taste like?

“Because of its texture, taste and handsome appearance, you can't go wrong with any accompaniments and/or sauce to match with the fish. Its flaky, crabmeat-like texture tastes like a succulent white fish with a nutty flavor like crab.

What is skate sashimi?

Hongeo, a dish of skate left to ferment in its own urine, is a beloved delicacy in parts of South Korea — despite its overpowering ammonia smell. A sashimi platter of hongeo for three to four people usually costs anywhere from 60,000 ₩ (U.S. $49.78) to 150,000 ₩ (U.S. $124.46).

What is fermented skate in Korea?

Fermented Skate, Hongeo-hoe. Like Icelandic hákarl, Korean hongeo—or fermented skate—excretes uric acid through its skin. South Koreans capitalize on this pungent, natural preservative by serving the creature as aged sashimi.

38 related questions found

Are skates smelly?

The skates are very primitive biologically, storing some uric acid in their flesh to maintain a proper osmotic balance. Upon death the uric acid in the skate will sometimes develop an ammonia smell.

Are skate good to eat?

You will realize it's delicious.” With a small amount of hot oil in the pan, skate wing fillets will brown and crisp nicely on their own without a coating of flour. The white-fleshed fish is meaty and has a distinctive fan pattern; laid flat, the fillet looks like a bird's wing.

Is fermented skate good?

Fermented skate is a delicacy like no other (it has been described as eating rotten fish) For those uninitiated it might be hard to swallow, but fermented skate is considered a great delicacy in Iceland.

What's the difference between a stingray and a skate?

There are a few key ways you can tell these two flat fishes apart. First, look at their tail. Skates typically have shorter, thicker tails than stingrays, and they do not have a stinger. Stingrays get their name from their sharp, stinging barb on their tail that helps them defend themselves.

Does skateboard pee through skin?

Skates (hongeo) are cartilaginous fish that excrete uric acid through the skin, rather than by urinating as other animals do. As they ferment, ammonia is produced which helps preserve the flesh and gives the fish its distinctive, powerful odor.

What is skate meat?

Product Profile: Skate has a mildly pronounced flavor similar to scallops. The flesh is soft but firms up after it has been chilled. Raw meat has a slightly off-white, sometimes pinkish, color and cooks up off-white. The meat of the wings, the only edible parts, has a striated, open-fan configuration.

Is skate fish healthy?

Each wing produces two fillets — one from the upper side and one from the lower. Skates are an excellent source of healthy, low fat protein. They are low in both calories and sodium making them a nutritious choice for families, schools and other institutions.

What does skate look like?

Skates are rounded to diamond-shaped in form. They have large pectoral fins extending from or nearly from the snout to the base of the slender tail, and some have sharp “noses” produced by a cranial projection, the rostral cartilage. Skates may be solid coloured or patterned.

Can a skate fish hurt you?

Skates, which lack stinging spines, are completely harmless to humans and can be handled when necessary without fear.

Is skate fish nice?

What is this? According to The New York Times, skate wings carry a mild flavor with delicate textures. It isn't overpowering and doesn't taste fishy at all. Some compare its taste to that of shark meat, crab meat, and scallops.

Is a skate a ray?

Skates are different from rays in that they lack a whip-like tail and stinging spines. However, some skates have electric organs located in their tail. The main difference between skates and rays is that skates lay eggs, whereas rays give birth to live young.

What is an ocean skate?

Skates, rays, and even sharks are all apart of a family of fish called elasmobranchs, meaning they are cartilaginous fish. Cartilaginous fish have skeletons made of cartilage instead of bones and many have openings called spiracles on the tops of their heads.

Do skates have stingers?

Skates, on the other hand, have thick, fleshy tails that never have stings. Instead, they have sharp spikes or thorns which run along the middle of their tail and up their back.

How does fermented skate taste like?

Putting the smell side, the fish is appreciated for its chewiness. Despite the fermentation, its texture is similar to that of raw fish. But the stinging taste is unique. After finishing a piece of hongeo, one's mouth stings due to the strong ammonia content of the fermented bottom-dwelling fish.

How does fermented skate smell like?

Fishermen used hooks to haul fermented skate, known as hongeo, at an auction ground. Served as sashimi, hongeo looks as pink and harmless as salmon. But the chewy slices smell like an outhouse, and their ammonia fumes are strong enough to make the skin inside the mouth peel.

What is Gopchang?

Gopchang (Hangul: 곱창) can refer to the small intestines of cattle (or big intestines of pig) or to a gui (grilled dish) made of the small intestines.

What's skate wing?

What is skate wing? Skate is a type of shark, and skate wing is a filet from the huge pectoral fins. They are horrifically adorable considering we consume them. They resemble a mix between a sting ray and a typical fish, and I've never seen a photo nor video of one where it didn't have a smile on its face.

What does ammonia smell like?

What is ammonia? Ammonia (NH3) is a colorless gas that is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen. It has a strong odor that smells like urine or sweat. Ammonia occurs naturally in water, soil, and the air, and is also found naturally in plants, animals, and the human body.

How are skate caught?

Skates used by the Gulf of Maine vessels are caught by vessels fishing in the southern New England area. The other primary market for skates in the region is the wing market. Larger skates, mostly captured by trawl gear, have their pectoral flaps, or wings, cut off and sold into this market.