This blog post has probably been waiting its turn to come about for quite some time. For me, to talk about Contramar is something that I probably should do separately. However, today, it seems impossible. Truly, I have no recollection of the year when I went to this delicious restaurant located on the Cibeles roundabout in Mexico City for the very first time. I would most probably lie if I said this or that date, but I do recall it was always necessary to reserve in advance in order to have a table available upon arrival. I also remember its delicious food as well as its being a sure bet if one wants to get together with friends, enjoy the family or delight visitors from abroad. Everyone who asks me to recommend a place to go to in Mexico City gets Contramar.
Not living in Mexico anymore for me has meant missing flavors and places all the time and try to reproduce them at home. Not vainly did I prepare for the very first time tamales on my own while living in Paris even before starting my culinary adventure. It is also not strange that each and every time we crave for something we hit the cookbooks look for classics we have no idea how to prepare and run two or three tests before they become our Proust’s Madeleine and then be part of our house menus whenever we want to delight our guests. And of course, visiting our loved ones while on vacation is the perfect opportunity to also return to places like this one, where one is treated like family and you eat like there is no tomorrow.
So, when any given Sunday as I glanced at books at the local bookstore I came across the culinary novelties of the month and I found My Mexico City Kitchen by Contramar’s cheffe, Gabriela Cámara, I jumped and very excitedly began to flick through its pages. I ran and showed it to my husband. I had already made my decision. This was the book I was to take home. Among the recipes one could find the tuna tostada, the Contramar signature pescado a la talla, as well as other recipes such as a homemade chorizo or even crema that being far from home comes in quite handy at times. And you know what? That’s just the beginning of it.
My discovery was back in the Summer of 2019 if I’m not mistaken and even though it took me longer to start cooking with it, I have to say that discovering the different recipes in this book has been among the silverlining I’ve had during the COVID-19 pandemic. Each time I try a new recipe, we fall in love with it and it gets added to the menus. I must confess though, that now most of my friends have tasted my approach to the tuna tostada, and not to brag, but I think every time it comes out better. Maybe I should try to have Gabriela over and have her taste them and give me her opinion. I mean, why not?
Anyways, when I decided to include recommendations from my personal library, I’ve got to admit that this book was among the masterpieces that inspired me to do so. Therefore, if you haven’t discovered it yet, I highly recommend it. There is also a Spanish edition under the title Mi cocina de Ciudad de México for those who would rather have it in Spanish, and even though I haven’t seen it, I’m sure it must be just as good as the original version in English. As a matter of fact, I just ordered a new copy to give as a gift to a friend, because I saw my culinary ranking before his and his wife’s eyes surmount quite some places thanks to the tuna tostada and the Nonna’s octopus salad. Hahaha!
So yes, my recommendation today is an amazing mexican cuisine book and a fish and shellfish restaurant I consider among my personal favorites. And if you go, don’t just ask for what I’ve shared here, try the shrimp aguachile, the Contramar ceviche with manzano chile (not habanero), the tuna carnitas, and the fig tart or the pavlova. I understand that due to COVID restrictions, it is possible to have either delivery or takeaway. Enjoy the restaurant and the cookbook!
Spanish