Cantina Contramar Las Vegas

Cantina Contramar Las Vegas

At Cantina Contramar Las Vegas,  Chef Gabriela Cámara brings a taste of her celebrated Mexico City restaurant to a beautiful space with a lively atmosphere and attentive service to the Fontainebleau.

My opening photograph shows the dish most closely associated with the Chef: Pescado a la Talla Contramar. A whole snapper is butterflied and grilled, with smoky red chile adobo on one side and a fragrant green parsley and garlic rub on the other. The two colors reflect Cámara’s Mexican and Italian heritage. It was the first dish she put on the original Contramar’s menu when it opened in 1998.

We shared the delicious fish with warm, handmade corn tortillas, refried black beans, and rajas con crema—charred poblano chiles and white corn in crème fraîche. But the menu reaches beyond seafood, and our dinner also included fabulous chicken enmoladas, wagyu beef tacos, queso fundido with chorizo and more.

Preparing a whole fish with two separate sauces is a project I was happy to leave to Cantina Contramar’s kitchen. The Tuna Tostada, though, seemed just right to make at home. I made my own version inspired by theirs, with tuna, chipotle mayonnaise, fried leeks, and avocado. It turned out very well—and brought a little of that dinner back to our table. I share my recipe below.

Dinner at Cantina Contramar

CEVICHE CONTRAMAR
Cured Fish, Kohlrabi, Pico De Gallo Marinade
AGUACHILE NEGRO DE RES
Domestic Wagyu Tenderloin, Salsa Negra, Cucumber, Red Onion, Avocado

TACOS DE PESCADO
Al Pastor Fish, Pineapple, Onion, Cilantro
TACOS DE GAONERAS
Domestic Wagyu Tenderloin, Grilled Onions, Charred Salsa

QUESO FUNDIDO
Melted Cheese, Corn And Flour Tortillas, Chorizo

FIDEO COSTEÑO
Angel Hair Pasta, Mixed Seafood, Avocado Mayonnaise
CAMARONES AL AJILLO
Prawns, Crispy Garlic, Chile Guajillo
ENMOLADAS DE POLLO
Chicken, Corn Tortillas, Mole, Ricotta Salata

PESCADO A LA TALLA CONTRAMAR
Whole Grilled Fish, Red Adobo, Parsley Rub,
FRIJOLES REFRITOS
Refried Black Beans
SERVED WITH FRESH HANDMADE CORN TORTILLAS FROM OUR COMAL

Pescado a la talla comes from the Pacific coast of Mexico, particularly Guerrero, where beachside cooks grill whole, butterflied fish over charcoal. Along the beaches, diners choose a fish by its size or weight—one explanation for the name a la talla—and share it with tortillas and other accompaniments. From that simple preparation came a coastal tradition now served in many forms across Mexico.

PAY FRITO DE MANZANA
Fried Apple Pie, Vanilla Ice Cream

TOSTADA— ATÚN
Tuna, Chipotle Mayonnaise, Fried Leeks, Avocado

How To Make Tuna Tostada At Home

Gabriela Cámara’s tuna tostada is often described as one of Contramar’s signature dishes. Reviewers praise the contrast: a crisp tortilla, smoky chipotle mayonnaise, silky fresh tuna, creamy avocado, and delicate, golden fried leeks.

Cámara has said she created the tostada when Contramar Mexico City opened, drawing on the popularity of tuna sashimi at the time. Its reputation comes from how well those few ingredients work together—which makes it a natural choice to recreate at home.

Tuna Tostadas Inspired by Cantina Contramar

Ingredients

• Mayonnaise, such as Duke’s
• Adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo, such as La Costeña
• 1 leek
• Avocado oil, for frying
• Fine sea salt
• Smoked ahi tuna, such as Trader Joe’s
• 1 avocado
• Store-bought corn tostadas, such as Guerrero Tostadas Caseras Doraditas

Method

Mix the mayonnaise with a little adobo sauce from the can, using the sauce rather than the peppers. Taste and add more adobo sauce as desired. Refrigerate until ready to assemble.

Slice the white and pale green parts of the leek into rounds. Wash thoroughly, then dry well. Fry in a splash of avocado oil until lightly golden. Transfer to a paper towel and season lightly with fine sea salt.

Spread chipotle mayonnaise over each tostada. Arrange thin slices of smoked ahi in a single layer, then top with the fried leeks. Finish with one or two slices of avocado. Serve immediately while the tostada is crisp.

Note

At Cantina Contramar, the tuna tostada is made with fresh tuna. For this easy version at home, I used smoked ahi and store-bought tostadas.

You could use pounded-thin fresh ahi tuna suitable for raw preparation and make your own crisp corn tortillas, but this version captures the combination we enjoyed at the restaurant with much less work. Of course, you can also come to Las Vegas and taste Cámara’s tostada at Cantina Contramar!

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