Cantina Contramar Las Vegas

Pescado a la Talla (Contramar's Red and Green Grilled Snapper)

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 at 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.

Cantina Contramar Las Vegas

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

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Thai Green Curry Two Ways: Salmon or Vegan

Thai Green Curry with Salmon

Thai Green Curry Two Ways
🐟 🌿 🍚

Pan-Seared King Salmon
or
Shiitakes, Baby Corn, and Bok Choy

Thai Green Curry with Shiitakes, Baby Corn, and Bok Choy

Thai green curry begins with fragrant curry paste and coconut milk. In this version, shiitake mushrooms, baby corn, and bok choy simmer in the aromatic sauce until the vegetables are tender.

For the salmon version, a pan-seared king salmon fillet rests on top instead of simmering in the curry, as the protein traditionally would. This keeps its golden, seasoned surface intact, with the sauce and vegetables beneath it. The same vegetables also make a satisfying vegan version, spooned over jasmine rice. It’s one curry dish prepared two ways, each with its own appeal.

Thai Green Curry Two Ways

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Challah French Toast

Challah French Toast

Raisin Challah French Toast
A Rosh Hashanah Breakfast

For our Rosh Hashanah dinner, we bought two challahs. A plain challah was served with apples and honey at the beginning of the evening and accompanied the savory meal. The raisin challah was set aside for breakfast the following morning.

With its egg-enriched crumb and gentle sweetness, raisin challah is particularly well suited to French toast. Thick slices are soaked in a custard scented with vanilla and cinnamon, then cooked in butter until golden brown. Served with maple syrup, it continues the holiday’s celebration of sweetness into the next morning.

Rosh Hashanah Table

THE perfect dinnerware for Rosh Hashanah! Kristy’s gorgeous Honeycomb Dinnerware Collection from Williams Sonoma here.

Rosh Hashanah Challah

Challah French Toast Recipe

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Silken Tofu and Wakame Hot Pot

Silken Tofu and Wakame Hot Pot

Silken Tofu and Wakame
Hot Pot
🍲 🥢 🍲

This simple Japanese-inspired hot pot pairs delicate silken tofu with a generous amount of wakame (seaweed) in a savory dashi broth. Hot sesame oil, ground sesame seeds, and shichimi togarashi (seven-spice blend) provide the finishing layers of flavor.

I love the balance in this dish—the soft tofu, the supple texture and subtle salinity of the wakame, and the measured heat of the chile-infused sesame oil and shichimi togarashi. The result is deeply satisfying without becoming heavy, with a layered interplay of texture, umami, and spice.

Hot Pot Recipe

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Crispy Salmon Skin Tacos

Crispy Salmon Skin Tacos

Crispy Salmon Skin Tacos
🌮 🐟 🌮
Cabbage, Red Onion, Avocado
Salsa Verde

Raw salmon dishes—such as salmon crudo, sashimi, or aguachile—are prepared without the skin, but don’t discard this flavorful and nutritious part of the fish. Crisp it until golden, tuck it into warm tortillas, and let the skin steal the show. The savory salmon skin is especially good against the cool cabbage, creamy avocado, and lively salsa verde, with every bite offering a delicious contrast of flavors and textures.

When removing the skin from the salmon for these raw preparations, leave some of the flesh attached. In the oven, the flesh browns as the skin turns crisp, creating substantial pieces that are especially good in these tacos.

And September is a wonderful time to catch the last of the season’s fresh corn. Serve the tacos with simply prepared corn on the cob while it is still sweet and plentiful.

Salmon Skin Tacos Recipe

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