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You are here: Home / Foodie Travels / AGUACHILE RECIPE AND HISTORY – Mexican marinated shrimp salad

AGUACHILE RECIPE AND HISTORY – Mexican marinated shrimp salad

05/19/2018 by Filippo Trapella 8 Comments

Aguachile is an ancient Mexican marinating technique for fish and seafood. This salad enhances incredibly the taste of the seafood, particularly the shrimp. The best way to serve Shrimp Aguacile is over Tostadas along with mashed avocados: spicy, fresh and tasty!

AGUACHILE RECIPE AND HISTORY - Mexican marinated shrimp salad

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AGUACHILE RECIPE AND HISTORY - Mexican marinated shrimp salad

ORIGIN OF AGUACHILE

Aguachile is an ancient cooking method, probably invented in the Mexican state of Sinaloa and quickly spread into Northern Mexico.

Initially, the Aguachile technique was used to soften and season the jerky meat: the meat had been submerged into a bowl filled with boiling water along with Pequin or Chiltepines chili peppers.

Starting from this process, the Aguachile recipe evolved into a tasty marinade, and used to flavor raw fish and seafood, particularly shrimp.

AGUACHILE RECIPE AND HISTORY - Mexican marinated shrimp salad

PEPPERS AND VEGETABLES

Nowadays the Aguachile marinade is composed of lime juice, salt, and vegetables: commonly chili peppers, cucumber, and red onions. Besides, the essential ingredient the Aguachile is subject to several variations with different vegetables and proteins.

The most used chili peppers are Jalapenos, Serrano, and Habanero, mixed depending on the personal taste.

Some Aguachile recipes also require fruit like mango or watermelon; in some others Mexcal or Tequila are added to the marinade.

A particular version is Aguachile Rojo (Red Aguachile) made with red chili peppers and sometimes tomatoes and Habanero red sauce or Huichol salsa, a hot sauce typical of the Nayar mountains.

AGUACHILE RECIPE AND HISTORY - Mexican marinated shrimp salad

FISH AND SEAFOOD

As I said, the most famous Aguachile is with shrimp, but this recipe is also prepared with other seafood and fish, like tuna, snapper, clams, or octopus. The octopus Aguachile is the only one where the seafood is previously boiled before being marinated.

AGUACHILE RECIPE AND HISTORY - Mexican marinated shrimp salad

TIPS AND SUGGESTIONS

Here some tips to prepare shrimp Aguachile to perfection:

SHRIMP – Choose and handle the shrimp is critical to prevent possible foodborne illness. You want to prefer prime quality seafood, previously frozen, and prepare the Aguachile as soon as possible.

The best way is buy the shrimp frozen and thaw out them directly in the fridge. Once the shrimp are thawed, prepare the Aguachile at least within 12 hours. If you don’t feel comfortable eating raw seafood, boil the shrimp before marinating: it is not strictly traditional, but tasty as well!

CHILI PEPPERS – Personally I use a blend of Serrano, Jalapenos, and Habanero peppers. Feel free to experiment your preferred amounts and varieties to find your preferred grade of spiciness!

TOMATILLOS AND OTHER VEGETABLES – Beside the classic vegetables, I like to add a tomatillo into the blender. Some chefs love to add fruit like mango in pieces just before serving.

AGUACHILE RECIPE AND HISTORY - Mexican marinated shrimp salad

AGUACHILE – MARINATED SHRIMP SALAD – RECIPE

Yield: 4

AGUACHILE RECIPE AND HISTORY - Mexican marinated shrimp salad

AGUACHILE RECIPE AND HISTORY - Mexican marinated shrimp salad

Aguachile is an ancient Mexican marinating technique for fish and seafood. This salad enhances incredibly the taste of the seafood, particularly the shrimp. The best way to serve Shrimp Aguacile is over Tostadas along with mashed avocados: spicy, fresh and tasty!

Prep Time 4 hours 20 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • β€’ 2 Lb (900 g) shrimps
  • β€’ 1/2 (200 g) red onion
  • β€’ 1 clove garlic
  • β€’ 4 lime
  • β€’ 2 tomatillos (optional)
  • β€’ 2 avocado (optional)
  • β€’ 1 cucumber
  • β€’ 1 sprig coriander
  • β€’ 4 serrano peppers
  • β€’ 2 jalapeno peppers
  • β€’ 1 habanero (optional)
  • β€’ 1 dash black pepper
  • β€’ as needed Tostadas
  • β€’ to taste table salt

Instructions

CHOOSING THE SHRIMP

  1. Given that the Aguachile recipe requires raw shrimp, you want to choose prime quality frozen seafood.
  2. To thaw out correctly the shrimp, place them in the fridge the previous night and prepare the Aguachile as soon as possible or at least within 12 hours the seafood is thawed.

CLEANING THE SHRIMP

  1. Rinse the shrimp, then peel them. If you want to utilize the peels, prepare a broth following my recipe.
  2. Now, incise the back and the underside of each shrimp and discard the black veins: this step is critical otherwise the taste of the recipe will be ruined.
  3. Finally, rinse the seafood one more time, place them into a bowl and toss with 1 tsp of salt. Now, season with 1 cup of fresh lime juice, wrap the container and store into the fridge 2 hours.

AGUACHILE MARINADE

  1. After 2 hours, take the bowl out the fridge, and raise the shrimp saving the liquid.
  2. Now, cut the peppers in half and discard the seeds and any white part. Then, peel and chop 2 tomatillos into quarters. Finally, peel and slice half of the cucumber.
  3. At this point, mix all these ingredients with a blender along with a peeled clove of garlic and the liquid of the shrimp, until smooth.
  4. Eventually, pour the Aguachile marinade into the bowl along with the shrimp, wrap, and store in the fridge 1 or 2 hours more, until the seafood looks white and firm like it was boiled.

ONIONS AND CUCUMBER

  1. At this point, slice the half onion and the half of cucumber finely.
  2. 30 minutes before serving, add the sliced vegetables into the bowl and salt to taste.

TRADITIONAL SERVING

  1. The Aguachile is traditionally served into a bowl: every guest serves himself pouring a couple spoons of shrimp and marinade on a tostada.
  2. A tasty way to serve Aguachile is along with avocado.
  3. Mash the avocado pulp along with a splash of lime juice then spread it over the tostada.
  4. Finally, add some shrimp and vegetables, garnish with a spoon of Aguachile marinade and a sprinkle of black pepper, then serve immediately!

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 355Total Fat 23gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 16gCholesterol 22mgSodium 408mgCarbohydrates 32gFiber 12gSugar 7gProtein 12g

The writers and publishers of this blog are not nutritionists or registered dietitians. All information presented and written within our blog are intended for informational purposes only. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. You should not rely on this information as a substitute for, nor does it replace, professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any concerns or questions about your health, you should always consult with a physician or other health-care professional. The writers and publishers of this blog are not responsible for adverse reactions, effects, or consequences resulting from the use of any recipes or suggestions herein or hereafter. Under no circumstances will this blog or its owners be responsible for any loss or damage resulting from your reliance on nutritional information given by this site. By using this blog and its content, you agree to these terms.

© Filippo Trapella - philosokitchen.com
Cuisine: Mexican / Category: Salad

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This simple action help the growth of this blog and make very happy πŸ™‚

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AGUACHILE RECIPE AND HISTORY - Mexican marinated shrimp salad

Filed Under: Appetizers, Foodie Travels, Gluten Free, Paleo, Recipes, Salads Tagged With: aguachile, appetizer, avocado, cucumber, fish, game day, healthy, lunchbox, marinade, marinating, Mexican, onions, party, pescetarian, salad, seafood, shrimp, tostadas

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Comments

  1. Cilla says

    08/09/2018 at 11:35 am

    Haven’t made it yet but sounds sooo good! Will try this saturday. Thank you for the recipe!

    Reply
    • Filippo Trapella says

      08/09/2018 at 12:44 pm

      Thank you Cilla

      Let me know πŸ™‚

      F.

      Reply
  2. Maggie Unzueta says

    08/13/2018 at 10:06 pm

    My mouth is watering.

    Reply
    • Filippo Trapella says

      08/14/2018 at 12:44 am

      Thank you Maggie πŸ™‚

      Reply
  3. Hortencia Castro says

    01/11/2019 at 4:45 pm

    My favorite of all times.

    Reply
  4. Clover says

    03/17/2019 at 3:24 pm

    The best

    Reply
    • Filippo Trapella says

      03/17/2019 at 4:29 pm

      Thank you Clover πŸ™‚
      Happy cooking!

      F.

      Reply
  5. Maty says

    06/16/2019 at 1:27 am

    I use cooked shrimp and it’s just as good

    Reply

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