This authentic Aguachile is made from raw shrimp marinated in a chile, cilantro, and lime juice mixture that’s tossed with red onion, cucumber, and avocados. Similar to ceviche, this Mexican dish is bright, tangy, healthy, and refreshing!
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Aguachile is one of those Mexican dishes that I crave every summer. It’s so bright and refreshing, it reminds me of lying by the beach with an ice-cold chelada. Truly the best feeling!
It satisfies my craving for something spicy and highlights the best fresh ingredients – shrimp, lime juice, chiles, and crisp veggies – and is made with vibrant colors that just make your mouth water!
Here’s why I love this recipe:
- It’s fresh and healthy. Aguachile features shrimp cooked in plenty of lime juice and marinated in a spicy salsa. It’s mixed with red onion, cucumber, and avocados for extra flavor and freshness, making it high in protein and low in fat.
- Minimal prep. It literally cooks itself! Just prep the ingredients, toss in the fridge, and it’s ready in about an hour.
What Is Aguachile?
Aguachile is an authentic Mexican seafood dish that features raw shrimp cooked in lime juice and marinated in a mixture of blended chiles, cilantro, and more lime juice. It’s tossed with red onion, cucumber, and avocados and is often served with tostadas or tortilla chips for a light and refreshing summer meal.
It translates to “chile water,” which refers to the spicy water salsa that marinates the shrimp and gives it its great flavor and vibrant green color.
It’s a recipe that’s especially popular along the coast of Mexico where there’s plenty of fresh and delicious seafood. Using fresh shrimp is important to this recipe and gives it better flavor since the shrimp is cooked and cured in lots of lime juice.
Aguachile Vs Ceviche
Aguachile and ceviche are very similar in that they both use shrimp or other seafood that is “cooked” or cured in lots of lime juice and feature fresh vegetables like red onion and cucumbers.
The biggest difference is that aguachile also features a spicy blended mixture of serrano or jalapeños, cilantro, and lime juice that marinates the shrimp, whereas ceviche only uses lime juice. The preparation of the seafood is also different in that aguachile shrimp is usually left whole, while ceviche is often chopped. Both recipes are delicious and refreshing!
Aguachile Ingredients
- Raw shrimp: I used medium fresh shrimp that’s peeled and deveined, but you can use any size. It’s important to use high-quality seafood to get the best flavor.
- Lime juice: Using plump fresh limes will give you the most juice. To check if your limes are ripe, make sure they are slightly heavy and not very firm.
- Serrano peppers: Aguachile is typically prepared with serrano peppers, but you can also use jalapeños.
- Red onion: The sharp flavor of red onions compliments the spice and citrus in aguachile. It also gives the dish a beautiful pop of color
- Cucumber: Adds a refreshing, cooling flavor and crunchy texture.
- Avocado: Adds creaminess and helps balance the spiciness of the peppers.
How to Make Aguachile
Prepare the shrimp. Place them in a shallow bowl or baking dish and pour 1 cup of lime juice and ½ teaspoon of kosher salt on top. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through. The shrimp should be bright and pink, which is how you will know they are no longer raw.
Make the marinade while the shrimp cures by blending serrano peppers, cilantro, and the remaining lime juice until its smooth.
Marinate the shrimp. Once the shrimp has finished curing, pour the spicy marinade on top of the shrimp dish. Gently toss to combine, cover, and refrigerate for an additional 30 minutes.
Garnish and serve. Add red onion, cucumber, and avocados into the bowl and gently toss to combine. Serve with tostadas or tortilla chips.
Recipe Tips
- Adjust the spice based on your preference. If you want it to be less spicy, you can use jalapeños instead of serranos.
- Using quality shrimp is important to make sure you get the best flavor. You can also use frozen shrimp that’s been thawed.
- If the idea of using raw shrimp makes you squeamish, you can use cooked shrimp and reduce the marinating time in half. It won’t be traditional aguachiles but will give you a good idea of how they taste.
What to Serve with Aguachile
Aguachile is traditionally served as a main dish or appetizer with tostadas or tortilla chips. It pairs well with light and refreshing drinks like a frozen margarita, agua de pepino, or a michelada!
Storage
This recipe is best consumed fresh as the shrimp will continue to cure as it sits in the lime juice and will get tough and rubbery if left too long. I recommend eating it immediately after making and up to 6 hours.
More Mexican Recipes
Aguachile
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds medium raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tail-off
- 1 ½ cups lime juice, divided
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste
- 2 serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded, and sliced
- ½ cup cilantro, tightly packed
- ½ cup red onion, thinly sliced
- ½ cup cucumber, peeled and diced
- ½ avocado, diced
Instructions
- Place the cleaned shrimp in a shallow bowl or baking dish with 1 cup of lime juice and ½ teaspoon of kosher salt. Mix together to combine and cover. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through to ensure the shrimp is evenly coated.
- Make the salsa marinade by adding the serrano peppers, cilantro, and the remaining ½ cup lime juice to a blender. Blend until smooth.
- Pour the marinade through a fine mesh strainer and into the bowl of shrimp. Stir to combine. Place back in the refrigerator and marinate for an additional 30 minutes.
- Add the red onion, cucumber, and avocado into the bowl of shrimp and lightly toss to combine. Taste and adjust salt if needed.
- Serve aguachiles with tostadas or tortilla chips.
Notes
- You can adjust the spice based on your preference. If you want it less spicy, you can use jalapeños instead of serranos.
- Using quality shrimp is important to make sure you get the best flavor. You can also use frozen shrimp that’s been thawed.
- If the idea of using raw shrimp makes you uncomfortable, you can use cooked shrimp instead but marinate for half the time. This will not make the traditional aguachile but will give you a good idea of how it tastes.
- Aguachile is best served fresh. The shrimp is cured in lime juice, so the longer it stays in the lime juice, the longer it cooks. I recommend not storing it for more than 6 hours or the shrimp will continue to get tough and rubbery.
Nutrition Information
Photography by Ashley McLaughlin.
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