Aguachile Recipe
Aguachile is a spicy raw shrimp dish made by tossing butterflied shrimp with a lime jalapeño sauce. It's topped with slices of avocado, red onion, and cucumber. This 20-minute no-cook appetizer is the perfect light summer meal served with crispy tostadas or plantain chips and a cold beer!
Servings: 6
Cost: $12
Equipment
- mortar and pestle or food processor
- chef knife
Ingredients
- 1 jalapeño loosely chopped
- Kosher salt
- 1/2 pound shrimp peeled
- 1/3 cup fresh lime juice from about 4 limes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 avocado thinly sliced
- 1/2 cucumber peeled thinly sliced
- 1/2 red onion peeled thinly sliced
Instructions
- To Make the Aguachile (water + pepper):
- To a mortar and pestle (alternatively you can use a food processor), add the jalapeño and twist and mash twist and mash. (If using a food processor, pulse until pulverized.) Sprinkle with salt and do it once again, pulverizing the jalapeño into a paste. Add 2 teaspoons of water and do it once more. This is aguachile!
- Pour into the lime juice mixture, add olive oil and a few pinches of salt. Adjust the salt to taste.
- Prep the shrimp by butterflying it. Slice it in half, horizontally. You want it super thin so it really gets marinated.
To Assemble:
- To a bowl, add the shrimp, pour the lime juice mixture on top, tossing it until evenly coated. (If you’re sort of freaked out about eating raw shrimp, no worries; transfer the shrimp to the fridge to marinate and “cook” for 15 to 20 minutes, until no longer opaque).
- Immediately plate, arranging the shrimp how you like. Add the thinly sliced cucumber, avocado, sliced jalapeño, red onion and top with any leftover aguachile lime juice mixture. Serve with tostadas and beer
Notes
Tips and Tricks
Don't want to eat raw shrimp? Boil it for a couple of minutes or until it turns pink, then mix with the marinade. Alternatively, allow the shrimp to "cook" in the lime marinade for 30 minutes before serving. It turns the shrimp from translucent to opaque and gives it a firmer texture. Other seafood options: Authentic aguachile is made using thinly sliced raw shrimp, but feel free to swap it out for sushi grade ahi tuna or raw thinly sliced scallops instead! Again make sure you are using really fresh seafood that hasn't been frozen. Slice all the ingredients thinly. This allows the marinade to flavor the shrimp better and the cucumber, onions, and avocado will be more pleasant to eat! Equipment: Mortar & Pestle | Chef's Knife | Cutting Boards |Nutrition
Calories: 113kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 296mg | Potassium: 159mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 42IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 1mg