Authentic Aguachile Recipe (Mexican Shrimp Dish)
Looking for a delicious and authentic Mexican shrimp dish? Look no further than Aguachile! This dish is made with cooked shrimp, lime juice, chilies, and salt. It is served cold and can be enjoyed as an appetizer or main course.
Ingredients
Scale
Shrimp:
- 1 pound raw shrimp (peeled and deveined, tails removed)
- 1–3 large limes (1 cup)
- pinch of salt (kosher)
Red onion:
- ¼ of a medium red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar ( optional, to brighten color)
- 1 cup of water to cover
Aguachile Marinade:
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice ( 2–3 limes; you may also use the left over lime juice from “cooking” the shrimp)
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 cup cilantro, packed
- 2 jalapeños
- 1 serrano chili pepper ( optional)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Clean the shrimp by removing the shells and deveining them. Butterfly cut them. Rinse the shrimp in cold water and pat dry with a paper towel.
- Place the peeled shrimp on a dish in one layer and squeeze lime juice over shrimp. Season with a little kosher salt. This process will “cook” the shrimp. Flip if needed – shrimp will turn pink within 20-30 minutes.
- Next, thinly slice the red onion and place it in a bowl then season with salt. Pour enough water to cover the onions. Add a splash of white vinegar (this is optional but it will bring out the red color more). Let the onions sit for at least 15 minutes.
Aguachile Marinade directions:
- Add all the ingredients for the Aguachile marinade in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
Aguachile:
- Pour the aguachile marinade over the shrimp with the excess lime juice if you haven’t added it to the blender.
- Drain the red onions and add them to the top of the Aguachile.
- Garnish with chopped onions, cucumbers, radishes, or chili peppers.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours. This dish is best served cold!
Serve with slices of avocado, tortilla chips, Mexican shrimp cocktail, fresh herbs (cilantro), red chili flakes, and an optional drizzle of olive oil.
Enjoy!