A Stubborn Myth

• It's widely recognized that unscrupulous fish merchants sometimes sell inexpensive fish as costly and more-desirable species, one of many illicit practices monitored by the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service. In practice, selling stingray or skate wing rounds as scallops doesn't seem to be a major issue. For one thing, the labor costs involved would make it impractical for most retailers or restaurants. More importantly, the substitution would be glaringly obvious. The muscle fibers of real scallops run top to bottom, ending on its flat surfaces. The fibers of skate or ray wings run side to side, a difference that's almost impossible to overlook.

You Are What You Eat

• That being said, the wings of rays and skates are appealing in their own right. These fish live on a diet that's high in shellfish, and -- like a prized hog "finished" on apples and acorns -- their preferred food has a distinct impact on their flavor. The flesh of a stingray's or skate's wing has a delicate but noticeable hint of shellfish flavor, stronger in the skate than the ray. The wing won't serve as a direct substitute for scallops, which have a much more assertive flavor, but the meat is tasty when prepared in the same ways.

High-Temperature Preparation

• The pale color and sweet flavor of scallops work well with high-temperature cooking methods, and most of them can be used with ray wing as well. The simplest is pan searing. Cut the wing into strips or cubes of roughly scallop-like thickness, and sear them quickly in a hot pan with a small amount of oil or clarified butter. Alternatively, coat them first in breadcrumbs, crushed almonds or fine cornmeal and then cook them at a slightly lower temperature until golden. The sweetness of the almonds or especially the corn brings out the scallop-like notes in the ray. You can also skewer cubes or strips of ray, brush them lightly with oil or a marinade, and then grill them.

Moist Cooking Methods

• Scallops can also be cooked through gentler moist-heat cooking methods, which are equally applicable to rays' wings. Poach scallop-sized pieces of wing gently in butter or a mixture of butter and water or white wine, until they're just barely done. A drizzle of browned butter and a squeeze of lemon, a traditional French technique for seafood, teases out the resemblance to scallop flavors. Ray wing can also be added to soups, chowders, risottos or pasta sauces, though it's best to add them as late as possible. Wing pieces are less durable than the scallops they resemble, and will break up in the dish if they're roughly handled.