Name: Shrimp Aguachile Verde Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 2 min
Total time: 22 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 1/2 pound fresh medium-sized (10-15 count) shrimp, US-harvested shrimp is best; 1/4 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice (ideally Mexican key limes); 1 Persian cucumber, trimmed and sliced; 1-2 serrano chiles, depending on how spicy you like, stemmed and sliced; 1 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1 ear sweet corn, shucked; Thinly sliced red onion; Slices ripe avocado; Thinly sliced serrano chiles; Cilantro leaves; Tostadas, for serving

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How to make Shrimp Aguachile Verde, one of Mexico’s most delicious seafood dishes. This no-cook appetizer takes raw shrimp and marinates them in a spicy mixture of serrano peppers, lime juice, and cucumber. Serve with tostadas for a refreshing summertime recipe.

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There are so many types of marinated raw fish and seafood dishes enjoyed all over Latin America.

You may be most familiar with ceviche but a lesser know, albeit equally delicious recipe that you need to try while the weather is warm and no one feels like cooking, is aguachile.

Aguachile, which literally translates to chile water, has the same base of fresh-squeezed lime juice as many ceviche recipes.

Overhead image of shrimp aguachile verde in a white dish with a spoon sticking out of one side. The aguachile is garnished with sweet corn

Where aguachile verde differs is it combines the lime juice in a blended mixture of serrano chile, cucumber, and cilantro for a gorgeous green sauce that is just bursting with flavor.

Aguachile originates in Mazatlán and Mexico’s northern Pacific coast and I’ve enjoyed many versions there.

Not all of them are green like this one, but it is the most common and my favorite so that’s what we’re making today.

As for the charred sweet corn, that is definitely not traditional but was included in a aguachile recipe in Enrique Olvera’s cookbook, Tu Casa Mi Casa. I just loved the sweet contrast, especially during the summer when corn is at its best.

what you need to make aguachile

Ingredients to make aguachile including shrimp, corn, cucumbers, salt, limes, red onion, cilantro, and serrano chiles.

Ultra-fresh shrimp. Scroll down for more info on this.

Fresh-squeezed lime juice. If you can find the small Mexican key limes, even better!

Persian or English cucumber.

Serrano chiles.

Cilantro.

Kosher Salt.

Tostadas. For serving

Sweet corn, avocado, red onions. For garnish.

what kind of shrimp to use

A plate of raw shrimp that has no shells and are cut in half vertically sitting on a pink placemat with a lime cut in half next to it.

Because we don’t cook the shrimp you want to use the freshest shrimp you can buy.

If you live on the coast and can buy local shrimp that is ideal, but if not, look for American-harvest shrimp. Ask when you purchase the shrimp how fresh it is to make sure it hasn’t been sitting around for too many days.

I prefer shrimp that’s on the smaller side, like 10-15 count-size shrimp. If yours is bigger than that you can cut it into smaller pieces so it is not too hard to eat.

Lastly, if really fresh shrimp is not available to you, try this recipe using really fresh white fish instead.

how to make aguachile

A dish of shrimp aguachlie verde on a pink woven placemat on a wood table with a spoon sticking out one side with charred corn on top.

The first step is to prep the shrimp. Peel them, remove the tail, and cut each shrimp in half lengthwise. Remove any veins.

Arrange shrimp in a single layer on the platter you plan on serving it in and refrigerate while you prepare the sauce.

To the blender add chiles, lime juice, cilantro, cucumber and salt. Blend until smooth then strain through a sieve. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.

An ear of yellow sweetcorn sitting on a gas stove with a blue flame cooking the corn from below.

Char the sweet corn over the flames of your gas stove until lightly charred all over. You can also do this under the broiler or on a grill. Cut the kernels off of the cob.

Thinly slice some red onion, a serrano chile, and ripe avocado. Pick some cilantro leaves.

Pour sauce over the shrimp and garnish with sweet corn, onion, serrano slices, avocado, and cilantro.

how to serve it

A tostada sitting on a white plate with shrimp aguachile verde on top with sliced red onions, charred sweet corn, and cilantro leaves.

When to serve the aguachile is a matter of taste.

Some prefer to let the shrimp to sit in the chile sauce for anywhere from 20 minutes to 30 minutes to allow the shrimp to “cook” in the acidity of the sauce.

If you want to do this, obviously, keep it covered in the refrigerator during this time.

I like to let it sit about 10 minutes and then dig in.

Feel free to go either route depending on your preferred texture and flavor. The longer it sits, the less it will taste like shrimp and the shrimp will have a firmer texture.

Once you’re ready to serve, arrange the shrimp on a chilled platter and garnish with the veggies I suggested or simply garnish with thinly sliced cucumbers and onions.

Tostadas are a must for scooping up all the tasty shrimp and sauce.

more authentic mexican appetizers to try!

Too hot to cook?

Make aguachile! When you do, don’t forget to snap a pic and tag me on Instagram @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno so I can see or leave me a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating) ! Also, make sure to sign up for my weekly newsletter, lots of good stuff there too!

Shrimp Aguachile Verde Recipe

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 2 minutes

Total Time: 22 minutes

How to make Shrimp Aguachile Verde, one of Mexico's most delicious seafood dishes. This no-cook appetizer takes raw shrimp and marinates them in a spicy mixture of serrano peppers, lime juice, and cucumber. Serve with tostadas for a refreshing summertime recipe.

Ingredients

1/2 pound fresh medium-sized (10-15 count) shrimp, US-harvested shrimp is best
1/4 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice (ideally Mexican key limes)
1 Persian cucumber, trimmed and sliced
1-2 serrano chiles, depending on how spicy you like, stemmed and sliced
1 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 ear sweet corn, shucked

For garnish:

Thinly sliced red onion
Slices ripe avocado
Thinly sliced serrano chiles
Cilantro leaves
Tostadas, for serving

Instructions

Prep the shrimp. Peel the shrimp and remove the tails. Cut each shrimp in half lengthwise and remove all veins. Arrange in a single layer on a serving platter and refrigerate while you prepare the other ingredients.
Make the sauce. Combine lime juice, cucumber, serranos, cilantro, and salt in a blender. Blend on high until very smooth. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl.
Char the corn. Set the cob of corn over the flame of a gas burner and char, turning frequently until most of the kernels are lightly blackened, about 2 minutes. Let cool slightly then cut the kernels from the cob.
Combine and serve. Pour sauce over the shrimp and garnish with corn, onion slices, avocado, thinly sliced chiles, and cilantro. Serve immediately with tostadas.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 425Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 265mgSodium: 1534mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 5gSugar: 3gProtein: 39g

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