A Simple & Cooling Summer Meal

slow food

Mar 11

An authentic aguachile recipe with Shrimp! It is similar to ceviche, except shrimp is sliced in half, and cooked in a mixture of lime juice, chiles, and cilantro. A flavorful, simple and delicious meal. Serve with cucmber, avocado, and tortilla chips.

INGREDIETS

FOR THE ONIONS:

½ of a small red onion very thinly sliced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup white vinegar

FOR THE SHRIMP:

1 pound raw shrimp peeled, deveined, tails removed
½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
½ teaspoon kosher salt

FOR THE MARINADE:

½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
zest from 1 large lime
1 large clove garlic
1 cup roughly chopped and lightly packed cilantro leaves and tender stems
2 medium jalapenos sliced in half lengthwise, seeds removed
1 serrano chili sliced in half lengthwise, seeds removed
2 Persian cucumbers thinly sliced
4 small/medium red radishes thinly sliced

INSTRUCTIONS

For the onions: Place onion in a small bowl and sprinkle with salt. Add the vinegar. Then add just enough water to cover the onions. Set aside.
For the shrimp: Slice shrimp in half lengthwise (it's helpful to have the shrimp very cold when doing this), removing any remaining veins and/or tails. Place in a low wide glass bowl, in an even layer, and sprinkle with salt. Then pour lime juice over the shrimp. Fold gently to mix the lime juice well with the shrimp, as the lime juice will "cook" the shrimp with its natural acidity. Place in refrigerator to keep cold - and fold shrimp every 5 minutes or so, until all shrimp have turned from opaque to white/pink in color. This should take 20-30 minutes total.
For the marinade: Place all marinade ingredients in a high-powered blender and blend until completely smooth, scraping down sides as needed.
Add marinade to shrimp and fold to coat. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, and up to 4 hours.
To serve: Transfer marinated shrimp to a low wide serving bowl or platter. Drain the marinated onion slices. Top the shrimp with a scattering of onion, cucumber, and radish slices. Serve cold with your favorite tortilla chips and enjoy!

Sylvia Birnbaum