FRESHNESS AND FLAVOUR

Authentic Mexican dishes at home

Pescado a la talla — grilled whole red snapper served with a stack of warm corn tortillas — is the signature dish at Contramar restaurant.

When chef Gabriela Cámara opened the Mexico City institution two decades ago, a beachside palapa (open-air restaurant roofed with palm thatch) was your best bet for the traditional dish.

Now, as a testament to her far-reaching style, its popularity has spread far beyond the surf.

Typically slathered entirely with red chili sauce, Cámara’s version reflects the preferences of her family. Part Mexican and part Italian, she likewise divides the fish, painting one side with a tart and smoky red adobo, the other with a salsa verde-esque green sauce.

A striking contrast of complementary colours, the preparation offers options in terms of palate: Spicy or mild, or a bit of both.

In her debut cookbook, My Mexico City Kitchen (Lorena Jones Books, 2019), Cámara gives the dish further flexibility: The option of using fillets instead of a butterflied whole snapper.

“It really makes it adaptable to cooking at home,” she says. The same is true for the other 150 recipes. Cámara was adamant the book be cookable, not a “restaurant book.”

In addition to sharing some of her favourite recipes, she reflects on the evolution of her food in Mexico City, a city she’s returning to this summer after moving to San Francisco to open Cala. Cámara will serve as food policy adviser to Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. It’s a move she’s looking forward to, in large part because of Mexico’s food culture.

“I love that people really enjoy eating and really take their time in eating. Of course, it’s become more of a luxury, especially the time part,” says Cámara. “But in general, I feel people in Mexico still really enjoy these pleasures of life.” Recipes excerpted from My Mexico City Kitchen: Recipes and Convictions: A Cookbook by Gabriela Cámara and Malena Watrous. Published by Lorena Jones Books.