Aguachiles + VIDEO

Aguachiles, or shrimp marinated in a spicy green chile sauce. Delicious, light, and full of bold flavors. This Mexican food classic will impress your guests and delight your palate. Watch the VIDEO or follow the step-by-step pictures.

Aguachiles. Just the thought of it makes me go .. YUM!! Mexico is surrounded by water. Our seafood dishes are incredibly, OMG, mind-blowing, ah-mazing!! Humbly speaking, of course. This dish is no exception.

You start with fresh raw shrimp. I used Jumbo shrimp, but you can use whatever size you like. I find that using larger shrimper saves time in the cleaning process.

Ooooh… so, I kinda cheated. My shrimp were already cleaned. I paid more, but it was worth the price. I hate cleaning shrimp! If you buy shrimp with the poop tract inside, remove it. No one likes a poop eater. Ha!

Remove the shells and discard. Frozen shrimp are ok. They won’t ruin your day.

You can leave the shrimp whole. Or, chop into tiny pieces. I prefer butterflying the shrimp open.

They look bigger for some reason when they are butterflied. Place in a large Pyrex plate and set aside.

Lime. Lots and lots of lime. In Mexico, we primarily use key limes for our dishes. They also tend to be less expensive and juicier than regular limes. You’re going to need 1 cup of lime juice. Sometimes, you need more. Juice away…

If you are not convinced about cooking the shrimp in lime, you can put them in water and let them cook slightly. However, Aguachiles is a type of ceviche, and traditionally cooked in lime juice.

Add salt. Not too much. You never want to oversalt. Then place this in the refrigerator while you’re making the Aguachile sauce.

Aguachile literally means “chile water.” Traditionally, we use serrano peppers, but some people have a hard time finding serrano so they will use jalapenos instead.

I slice open the serrano to remove the seeds. I’m all about flavor to savor. You’re not a wimp if you don’t like spicy shrimp. Add the serrano to the blender.

Then cilantro. I like the herby taste. That’s why I’m adding the stems. If you don’t like it, just use the cilantro leaves and chop off the stems.

Add the remaining lime juice to the blender.

Blend until smooth. Taste for good measure. Set aside until ready to use.

Take the shrimp out from the refrigerator. See how they are already turning pink? This means that they’re cooking. It’s exactly what we want!

Add sliced cucumber. I’m only using one whole cucumber, but you can add more or less depending on your taste.

Add the red onion. Red onion is traditional, but you can also use white onion. It will somewhat pickle with the sauce.

Pour the “aguachile” green sauce all over the shrimp, cucumbers, onion. Mix well and put inside the refrigerator. 30 minutes more, and this Mexican food favorite is ready!

Aguachiles makes a tasty and flavorful light lunch. Since you can make it ahead of time, it’s perfect for entertaining. Serve with saltines, avocado slices, or on a tostada. Hope you enjoy!

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Aguachiles

Aguachiles, or shrimp marinated in a spicy green chile sauce. Delicious, light, and full of bold flavors. This Mexican food classic will impress your guests and delight your palate.

Prep Time1 hr 10 mins

Total Time1 hr 10 mins

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: Authentic Mexican Food, Easy recipe, Low Carb, Mexican food, Mexican recipe, Seafood, Shrimp

Servings: 4

Author: Maggie Unzueta

Ingredients

• 1 lb raw shrimp
• 1 cup lime juice
• Salt
• 1 cucumber peeled and sliced
• ¼ red onion thinly sliced
• 4 serrano peppers - sliced and seeds removed
• ½ bunch cilantro

Instructions

• Peel and devein the shrimp.
• Cut the shrimp open in a butterfly.
• Add 1/2 cup of lime juice and salt to shrimp.
• Cover with plastic wrap.
• Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, slice the serrano peppers in half.
• Remove the seeds from the peppers.
• Add the serrano peppers, cilantro, and remaining lime juice to the blender.
• Blend until smooth.
• Taste for good measure.
• (Salt was added to the shrimp, but you might want the sauce to have salt too).
• Take the shrimp out of the refrigerator.
• Add the cucumber and red onion to the shrimp.
• Pour the sauce all over the shrimp, cucumber, and onions.
• Mix well.
• Cover with plastic wrap again and return to the refrigerator.
• Marinate for 30 minutes.
• Serve with saltines or tostada.
• Optional: you can top with avocado slices.

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