Aguachile

Name: Aguachile
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 lb shrimp (very fresh, peeled and deveined); ¾ cup lime (juice); 2 unit green chiles; 1 unit cucumber; 1 unit red onion (very thinly sliced); ½ cup cilantro; 1 tsp salt

Soups & Salads · Latin American & Caribbean

7 ingredients · 25 minutes · 4 servings

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173kcal35g protein0.6g fat9.1g carbs*

Contains shellfish

Restrictions

ContainsshellfishIt is in an ingredient you cannot leave out.

Diets

PescatarianNo porkNo alcohol

Worked out from the ingredient list. It knows nothing about brands, shared equipment or cross contamination, and it is not a certification — if you have an allergy, you still have to read the label.

Ingredients

Servings:

1 lb	shrimp (very fresh, peeled and deveined)
¾ cup	lime (juice)
2 unit	green chiles
1 unit	cucumber
1 unit	red onion (very thinly sliced)
½ cup	cilantro
1 tsp	salt

Optional

Not counted above. The dish works without them.

1 unit

avocado (sliced)

Steps

slice6 min
cold work surface
Butterfly each shrimp lengthwise almost all the way through and spread it open. The extra surface area lets the lime and chile season evenly during the intentionally short cure instead of leaving a raw-tasting thick center.
slice4 min
paper-thin
Slice the onion thinly and half-moon the cucumber. Thick onion overwhelms a dish that is served immediately; thin slices season quickly without needing a long pickle.
mix2 min
blended until vivid green
Blend lime juice, green chiles, cilantro, salt, and about one-quarter of the cucumber. Taste the liquid before it touches the shrimp: it should read clearly sour, salty, and hot because dilution from the seafood and vegetables will soften it.
mix8 min
refrigerated, shallow layer
Arrange the shrimp in one layer and coat with the green aguachile. Refrigerate only until the exterior turns opaque and firms slightly. Lime changes protein texture but does not make raw seafood microbiologically equivalent to heat-cooked seafood, so start with shrimp appropriate for raw service.
top2 min
serve immediately
Add the remaining cucumber and red onion, spoon the sauce around the shrimp, and add avocado if using. Do not hold the dressed platter: prolonged acid contact makes the shrimp chalky and blunts the fresh chile aroma.