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What is Aguachile?
Aguachile is a Mexican seafood dish that is essentially a ceviche made with either shrimp or scallops, or both, that are marinated in lime juice and served in a chili-lime marinade, usually garnished with cucumber. As with ceviche, the acidic lime juice cooks the shrimp and imparts its tart, addictive flavor. The dish comes from Sinaloa in northern Mexico, and has gained popularity not only in Mexico as a Mexican appetizer, but in the United States as well. You’ll find variations depending on the cook and the ingredients used, with versions of aguachile verde and aguachile rojo and recipes in between. This particular recipe includes shrimp (aguachile de camaron), though you can easily sub the shrimp in whole or in part with scallops or other white fish. It is meant to be a fresh, bright dish, best served cold, with a good level of spice and heat. You can easily dial back on the heat if you’d like, though you’ll then be missing a component of the dish that makes it so popular. Let’s talk about how to make aguachile, shall we?
FOR THE SHRIMP Raw Shrimp Lime Juice - Enough to cover the shrimp and cook them. Salt FOR THE RED ONION Sliced Red Onion Vinegar - I’m using simple white vinegar, though you can use others. Water - Enough to cover the onions FOR THE AGUACHILE MARINADE Lime Juice - Reserve some of the lime juice from marinating the shrimp, or use fresh if you’d like. Jugo Maggi - or use Soy Sauce Produce - Garlic, cilantro, jalapeno peppers, serrano peppers Salt AGUACHILE GARNISH Sliced cucumber, radish, serrano, chopped cilantro, spicy chili flakes
Soak the red onion in water as well to take the bit out of it. Next, we make the aguachile marinade. Process 1/2 cup reserved lime juice from cooking the shrimp, jugo maggi (or soy sauce), garlic, cilantro, jalapeno, serrano, and salt to taste to a blender or food processor. Add the shrimp with remaining lime juice to a serving bowl. Pour the chili-lime marinade over it. Top with sliced cucumber and onion, chili peppers, and radish. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes to chill. Top with fresh herbs. Sprinkle with red chili flakes. Serve with tostadas or tortilla chips. Boom! Done! Your aguachile is ready to serve. Looks incredible, doesn’t it? Look at that vibrant green color and textures. I could eat this all day long. It is best enjoyed within 2-3 hours. You can also prepare aguachile with pre-cooked shrimp in the same way. I enjoy a nice sprinkling of red chili flakes over the top. That’s it, my friends. I hope you enjoy my aguachile recipe. Let me know if you make it. I’d love to hear how you made it your own.
Mexico: The Cookbook (affiliate link, my friends!) Made in Mexico: The Cookbook, by Danny Mena (affiliate link, my friends!)
NOTE: This recipe was updated on 12/10/21 to include new information and video. It was originally published on 8/30/21.
