Hongeo, or fermented skate, is a Korean dish. It is quite possibly one of the strongest smelling and for a reason. Skates, which resemble rays, don’t urinate like most fish. Rather, they pass uric acid through their skin. When it is fermented, the uric acid breaks down into a compound that smells like ammonia. The stench is so strong that diners are recommended to inhale through their mouth and exhale through their nose to reduce exposure to the smell.
My interest is with skates passing urine through their skin. How do most fish pass urine?
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