The Vibrant Kitchen of Chef Gabriela Cámara: Crafting the Best Dishes of Mexico

What Makes Contramar Special?

If you're planning a trip to Mexico City, one of the most popular recommendations you'll receive is to visit Contramar. This renowned restaurant in the Roma Norte neighborhood is famous for its expertly prepared red snapper served with a vibrant red chili sauce and fresh parsley. But that's not all; the menu also features a variety of must-try seafood dishes, including delicious tuna tostadas.

Chef Gabriela Cámara: The Force Behind the Flavor

The culinary genius behind these incredible dishes is Chef Gabriela Cámara, one of the busiest chefs I know. Not only does she run Contramar, but she is also involved in several new projects, including Cantina Contramar in Las Vegas. So, whenever she has some free time, she truly cherishes the moments spent at home.

A Sun-Drenched Kitchen

Cámara's kitchen is flooded with natural light streaming through glass doors, filled with stacked cookbooks, her grandmother's copper pans hanging on the walls, and bowls of fresh vegetables from her garden. Here, she shares how she maintains inspiration and prepares delicious meals amidst her hectic work schedule.

Starting the Day with Breakfast

Every week, Cámara dedicates time to prepare breakfast, cooking a large pot of beans and making a batch of tortillas on her dual-zone grill. For dinner, she hosts grand feasts inspired by her mother's traditional Italian recipes. She fires up her stove to 20,000 BTUs to quickly cook fresh pasta and then lowers it to 300 BTUs to gently warm up vegetable sauces made from her garden's bounty.

Perfectly Grilled Fish

When entertaining guests, she often relies on her spacious convection oven for precise cooking. Her favorite dish? A whole fish roasted in salt. "This is a wonderful way to grill fish without overcooking it," she shares.

Versatile Grilling Pan

Cámara also uses a HexClad grill pan with evenly spaced holes, perfect for roasting peppers, tomatoes, and herbs from her garden. This pan is large enough to accommodate a significant amount of vegetables, and its ceramic non-stick surface makes cleanup a breeze.

Blending Tools

After roasting the ingredients for salsa, Cámara uses either a Vitamix blender or a traditional molcajete and tejolote, a stone mortar and pestle from Puebla. The Vita-Prep blender yields a smooth salsa, while the molcajete preserves a rustic texture, resulting in delightful chunks of tomato and onion.

Coffee Always on Hand

Even on her busiest days, Cámara always takes time to brew coffee. For herself, she brews it on the stovetop. However, when she has guests, she uses the La Marzocco Linea Micra coffee machine, a compact version of the ones in her restaurant, capable of producing café-quality espresso.

Wrapping Up the Day

In this way, Gabriela Cámara's kitchen is not just a place for creating delicious dishes; it is a meeting point of passion, creativity, and family memories amidst the busyness of life.