It’s That Simple is our series about recipes so easy, you can make them with your eyes closed. Think tiny ingredient lists, laid-back techniques, and results so delicious you’ll text home about them.
Two thousand miles from home, I sat at a white-linen-draped table at Contramar, one of the most celebrated restaurants in Mexico City, totally dumbfounded. I had just devoured their iconic tuna tostada: a shatteringly crisp disk, swooshed with chipotle mayo, shingled with ruby tiles of raw tuna, adorned with avocado and fried leeks. I wish I could have packed it in my suitcase like a luxurious little souvenir.
Back stateside, I knew I had to fall down the rabbit hole of trying to replicate it. I sketched out an ingredients list, with sushi-grade tuna parked on the top. After seeking out a nearby fishmonger and calculating what this ingredient would cost me (a precious $30 per pound), I was left with a minor headache. Then I remembered canned tuna is permanently stationed in my pantry, and probably yours too.
Canned tuna isn’t a replacement for the fresh kind but instead is its own big player. Aside from its rich taste coaxed in fruity olive oil, a tin is often less than four bucks. No breaking the bank here. A large jar or two small cans of tuna, your pick, will work. Gently mix it with the chopped shallot and lime juice to maintain the fish’s flaky chunks.
Combining chopped chipotles in adobo with mayo is what gives the tostada its signature whisper of smoke, a super sauce in two ingredients. You’ll slather it onto the tortilla shell, add slices of juicy mango and creamy avocado, and top it all with the tuna. It’s a transportive bite. And while that original tostada still lives in my head rent-free, now I can call upon this laid-back rendition any day of the week.
