Cooking Cambodian at home is a snap after an afternoon of sleuthing at Kampuchea on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. A fusion of Thai, Indian and Chinese cuisines, Cambodian food packs a flavor punch with curries, full-flavored proteins and fresh herbs aplenty. With help from the talented chef Ratha Chau, I learn how to balance sweet, savory and crunchy and wield a bottle of fish sauce. Watch a kitchen mission accomplished! —Brooke Parkhurst

Continue reading for Brooke's delicious skate recipe.

Skate Salad (for the at-home cook)

Easy and so elegant, skate is an impressive fish to prepare at home. Its mild flavor and lovely texture make it a real "wow" presentation on the plate. This is my adaptation of Ratha's "chefly," time-consuming recipe.

For the sauce:
Four 3 oz. portions of skate (appetizer) or two 5 oz. portions
1 cup San Marzano whole canned tomatoes
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. lime zest
1 tsp. curry powder
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tsp. fish sauce or soy sauce
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

For the salad:
1 tomato, sectioned
Mache or mesclun greens
Cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
Olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a saucepan, heat 1/3 cup olive oil over medium high heat. Add curry powder and stir well. Add canned tomatoes, garlic, lime zest and simmer. Continue by adding fish sauce and chicken stock and allow to liquid to reduce for approximately ten minutes. Season.

Portion out your skate and season with salt and pepper. Dredge fish in flour, taking extreme care to pat off all excess. Heat a sautée pan and add just enough olive oil to coat the bottom. Sear the skate for approximately 3 minutes total time, 2 minutes on first side, one minute on second side.

Line your plates with tomatoes slices and spoon sauce on bottom of each plate. Top with skate and drizzle a bit of sauce on top. Finish by placing a nest of mache and cilantro atop the fish, squeezing fresh lime juice and sprinkling olive oil on the greens.

Serve warm.