Aguachile Verde with Shrimp
By Heidi Allison
This is the perfect dish for when you need something light yet satisfying! Originating in the Sinaloa region of Mexico, this signature appetizer briefly “cooks” sashimi-grade, fresh shrimp or scallops in a fresh, spicy, thin green salsa, which is then garnished with sliced avocado, cucumber rounds, red onion slices, cilantro leaves, paper-thin rounds of red radish and crushed chiltepin chile–a tiny, red, fiery chile that grows wild in Sinaloa. This buckshot-shaped, thin-fleshed chile has a dry and dusty flavor with a searing, transient heat that is especially good in salsas. A seriously addictive side (or main), this dish should be served ice cold. Pair with fried corn chips, tostadas, saltine crackers, fried plantain rounds, cold Mexican beer or slushy Margaritas for an easy dinner!
Traditional Aguachile is the favorite cousin of ceviche, but… there are two main differences: the marinade ingredients and marinating time. Aguachile recipes use the freshest, highest-quality shrimp, which are briefly marinated in an acid (fresh lime juice) to remove surface bacteria and “cook” the shrimp by denaturing the proteins. If you do not have access to sushi-grade shrimp, use frozen, wild-caught, medium-sized Gulf shrimp, which many national market chains carry as a standard product. Read product labels and avoid farm-raised or imported Southeast Asian shrimp for this dish.
There are several culinary tricks that make this dish work: drain the initial green chile marinade through a fine-mesh sieve, pushing the veggie bits with the back of a large spoon through the mesh grid to create the “green chile water.” It’s important to use a thin, water-like marinade, rather than a thick-textured salsa, to flavor the “lime-cooked” shrimp. Keep in mind, this brilliant green, spicy, cilantro-driven “chile water” is the literal translation (and heart) of the dish “Aguachile.” It is also crucial to marinate the thinly sliced (use a mandolin) red onion in a mixture of water and white vinegar (5-6%,) which functions to both maintain the onion’s brilliant purple color and temper its sulfuric “bite.” Choose creamy, rich, buttery Hass avocados, which should be firm with a light “give” to complement the spicy, tangy herbal marinade.
Aguachile Verde with Shrimp
Serves: 2 as a main; 4 as a side
Ingredients
1 lb. medium, good-quality shrimp, butterflied, tail removed and deveined
15 limes, juiced (about 1 cup)
½ teaspoon kosher flake salt
Place shrimp in a single layer in a 9” x 13” shallow Pyrex glass or ceramic container. Sprinkle salt over shrimp and cover with ¾ cups of fresh lime juice. Marinate for 20 minutes. The shrimp will turn a light salmon-pink color, and the translucent flesh will change into an opaque white color. The texture should be firm to the touch.
Red Onion Slices
½ small red onion, sliced 1/8-inch thick
1 cup water
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar (5-6%)
Preparation
Place all ingredients in a bowl to soak, making sure the onions are covered with liquid. Soak for at least 20 minutes, then drain.
Aquachile Verde Marinade
3 Persian cucumbers, sliced into rounds
1 large bunch cilantro, leaves and tender stems
1 jalapeño chile, seeded and stem removed, cut into ¼-inch pieces
1 serrano chile, seeds and stem removed; chopped into ¼-inch pieces
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
1 cup lime juice—about 15 limes
1 ½ teaspoons kosher flake salt
Preparation
Add cucumbers, cilantro, chiles, salt, garlic and lime juice to a blender and pulse until puréed. Do not over-purée, or the color will change from a brilliant Kelly green to a drab olive tone. Pour the marinade through a fine-mesh strainer, gently pushing solid veggie bits through the metal mesh with the back of a large spoon over the bowl. The liquid should look like brilliant green water.
To Serve
Drain the lime juice from the shrimp. Add the shrimp to a medium-sized serving bowl. Pour the green Aguachile marinade over the lime-cured shrimp, add the tempered red onion slices, and toss the mixture gently to combine. Top with additional cucumber slices, radish rounds, sliced avocado and red chili flakes. Pair with fried corn tostadas or saltine crackers, and serve ice cold with garnishes.
Garnishes
1 Hass avocado, peeled, seed and sliced
1 tablespoon red chili flakes, preferably chiltepin
Saltine crackers
Fried corn tostada rounds
Thinly sliced red radish rounds
Traditional Aguachile is the favorite cousin of ceviche, but… there are two main differences: the marinade ingredients and marinating time. Aguachile recipes use the freshest, highest-quality shrimp, which are briefly marinated in an acid (fresh lime juice) to remove surface bacteria and “cook” the shrimp by denaturing the proteins. If you do not have access to sushi-grade shrimp, use frozen, wild-caught, medium-sized Gulf shrimp, which many national market chains carry as a standard product. Read product labels and avoid farm-raised or imported Southeast Asian shrimp for this dish.
There are several culinary tricks that make this dish work: drain the initial green chile marinade through a fine-mesh sieve, pushing the veggie bits with the back of a large spoon through the mesh grid to create the “green chile water.” It’s important to use a thin, water-like marinade, rather than a thick-textured salsa, to flavor the “lime-cooked” shrimp. Keep in mind, this brilliant green, spicy, cilantro-driven “chile water” is the literal translation (and heart) of the dish “Aguachile.” It is also crucial to marinate the thinly sliced (use a mandolin) red onion in a mixture of water and white vinegar (5-6%,) which functions to both maintain the onion’s brilliant purple color and temper its sulfuric “bite.” Choose creamy, rich, buttery Hass avocados, which should be firm with a light “give” to complement the spicy, tangy herbal marinade.
Aguachile Verde with Shrimp
Serves: 2 as a main; 4 as a side
1 lb. medium, good-quality shrimp, butterflied, tail removed and deveined
15 limes, juiced (about 1 cup)
½ teaspoon kosher flake salt
½ small red onion, sliced 1/8-inch thick
1 cup water
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar (5-6%)
Preparation
Place all ingredients in a bowl to soak, making sure the onions are covered with liquid. Soak for at least 20 minutes, then drain.
Aquachile Verde Marinade
3 Persian cucumbers, sliced into rounds
1 large bunch cilantro, leaves and tender stems
1 jalapeño chile, seeded and stem removed, cut into ¼-inch pieces
1 serrano chile, seeds and stem removed; chopped into ¼-inch pieces
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
1 cup lime juice—about 15 limes
1 ½ teaspoons kosher flake salt
Preparation
To Serve
Garnishes
1 Hass avocado, peeled, seed and sliced
1 tablespoon red chili flakes, preferably chiltepin
Saltine crackers
Fried corn tostada rounds
Thinly sliced red radish rounds
