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The summer heat is upon us! If you’re like us, cooking in a hot kitchen during the summer is not at the top of our to-do list. Fortunately, we have a go-to, no-cook, healthy recipe that keeps the heat in our taste buds and out of the kitchen!
Aguachile ceviche is a spicy, yet refreshing, Latin American dish. It consists of slices of raw fish or shellfish cooked in an acidic marinade. Combined with the bold flavors and colors of cilantro, red onions, tomatillos, cucumbers, radishes and peppers, it’s an exceedingly simple and flavorful dish to make that’s perfect for all your summer gatherings!
AGUACHILE SHRIMP CEVICHE RECIPE
Serves 4-6
Prep time: 20-30 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
WHAT YOU'LL NEED
1lb large shrimp
8-10 limes
Optional: 2 cans hearts of palm, drained (for a vegan alternative, use these in lieu of the limes and shrimp)
2 large tomatoes
1 ½ red onion
½ bunch of cilantro
1 bunch of radishes
1 large cucumber
AGUACHILE SALSA
4-6 tomatillos
½ red onion
½ bunch of cilantro
1 cup of water
1 jalapeno (stem removed)*
4 serranos (stems removed)*
4 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp of salt
1 tsp of black pepper
TOPPINGS & SIDES
1 avocado, sliced for garnish*
1 pack of tostadas or tortilla chips*
*Optional
CLEANING THE SHRIMP:
If you prefer to skip the cleaning step, you can simply buy deveined shrimp. If not, you’ll need to clean your shrimp before marinating. Rinse them under cold water and peel. Next with a sharp knife, butterfly and devein the shrimp by cutting each one lengthwise along the back. Once open, remove the grey line running through the center of the shrimp. For large shrimp, you can cut the shrimp in half. For smaller shrimp, keep the halves intact.
MARINATING THE SHRIMP:
One of the key characteristics of ceviche is that the fish or shellfish is “cooked” in lime juice. The acidity of the lime denatures the proteins in the fish which makes it is safe to eat! In our recipe, we’ll be using shrimp.
Place the shrimp in a medium bowl. Squeeze 8 to 10 limes over the shrimp. You must have enough lime juice to cover the shrimp. Next, cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator to marinate for 20 to 30 minutes. You’ll know the shrimp is ready once it turns an opaque pink color and feels firm to the touch.
While the shrimp is marinating, prep the rest of the recipe. Dice the 2 large tomatoes, cucumber, and radishes. Slice the onion into thin half circles and finely chop the cilantro. Place the ingredients in a large enough bowl or pot that will later also fit the shrimp and salsa.
AGUACHILE SALSA:
Tomatillos are a green tomato that are covered in a papery husk, ranging from pale green to a light brown color. They can be anywhere between 1 to 4 inches in diameter. When picking tomatillos, they should be firm and free of defects. Depending on the size of your tomatillos, you can use between 4 to 6 for this recipe. Remove the husks and rinse under cold water.
In a blender, add 1 cup of water, half a bunch of cilantro, garlic, half of a red onion, tomatillos, peppers, salt and black pepper. If you’re using larger tomatillos, cut them in half before blending. Don’t forget to remove the stems from the peppers, too. Blend until the ingredients are broken down. The salsa doesn’t need to be super smooth.
Finally mix together the shrimp, lime juice marinade, salsa and the chopped ingredients in the large bowl. Serve over a tostada and top with slices of avocado. You can also serve it in a bowl with a side of tortilla chips. Feel free to serve in a cocktail dish or bowl to eat without tostadas or tortilla chip for less carbs!
SUBSTITUTES & ALTERNATIVES:
For our vegan and vegetarian friends, you can substitute the shrimp with hearts of palm. You won’t need to marinate them in the lime juice, just toss into the salsa and you’re good to go!
If tomatillos aren’t available in your area, substitute 4 roma tomatoes to make a red salsa instead. You could also use your favorite store-bought green salsa, too!
Traditionally, this is a very spicy dish! For those of you that aren’t as spice-inclined, just use less of the serrano peppers and jalapenos, or leave them out entirely. You can also keep the peppers but remove the spice factor by cutting the peppers in half and removing the seeds and veins.
If you are opposed to eating the shrimp cooked in the traditional method, you can buy pre-cooked shrimp from your local deli or frozen cooked shrimp from the supermarket. Another option is to buy raw shrimp and boil them in water until they turn opaque pink. If you use these methods, don’t marinate the shrimp in lime juice because it will overcook your shrimp! Just combine your ingredients with the salsa and serve!