Spicy Mexican-Inspired Aguachile (“Chile Water”)
Hot summer days call for something bold, refreshing, and just a bit spicy. This shrimp and scallop aguachile beautifully combines fresh succulent seafood gently “cooked” in lime juice, then bathed in a bright green cilantro marinade. It’s endlessly versatile, so use my recipe as a guideline and build upon with ingredients that speak to you.
Aguachile Verde: Kind Of Like Ceviche, But Spicy 🌶️
This Mexican-inspired seafood dish is essentially a cousin to ceviche, but with a spicy kick from chili peppers like serrano or jalapeño. It’s light yet satisfying, and can be garnished with any number of toppings, like crunchy vegetables, creamy avocado, and fresh herbs. The ideal way to enjoy it? With tortilla chips!
If you’ve tried and enjoyed my shrimp ceviche or yellowtail crudo, you’ll probably love this as well. But don’t stop here, add to your dinner menu with more easy, fresh summer recipes.
Ingredient Overview
With Mexican aguachile, there’s no formal ingredient list (it’s more about the method), but here’s the gist: you’ll want super fresh, high-quality shrimp and scallops, ideally sushi-grade, since they’re served raw or just lightly cured. You’ll also need a ton of fresh lime juice—it’s the backbone of the marinade and what gives the dish its signature zing.
From there, you can customize however you like.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Fish: You can simply use scallops or all shrimp (or even try thinly sliced fish like snapper or sea bass).
- Ponzu: A splash of soy sauce with a squeeze of lime can replace ponzu in a pinch.
- Serrano Peppers: Jalapeños or even Thai chilis work, though keep in mind heat levels vary.
- Cilantro: If you’re not a fan, use fresh basil or mint.
Directions
This is a really easy aguachile recipe that starts off by marinating raw shrimp in lots of fresh lime juice. My personal preference is to keep the scallops raw (they would get too rubbery sitting in lime juice).
It’s also helpful for thinly sliced red onion to sit out in lime juice as well. This helps to mellow out its intense raw flavor.
Meanwhile, make the herb sauce in a food processor.
Simply combine fresh cilantro, ponzu, lime juice, garlic, fresh chili peppers, and kosher salt, then process until smooth.
Pour the marinade into a few smaller bowls or one larger serving platter, then add the seafood directly on top. Garnish with any fresh veggies that you like. Just be sure to sprinkle with flaky sea salt before serving!
That’s it! You can serve this immediately with tostadas or crunchy corn tortilla chips, or pop it in the fridge for up to two hours before enjoying.
Ari’s Best Tips!
- Splurge for the freshest seafood: Since the shrimp and scallops are partially served raw, you’ll want the highest quality, freshest seafood you can source.
- Keep it cold: Cold seafood and cold marinade highlight the dish’s brightness. If anything sits out too long, flavors can dull and textures suffer.
- Taste as you go: Adjust with extra lime or salt. Everyone’s palate is different, so tweak until you love it.
Make-Ahead and Store
Let me be quite clear: do not freeze this.
You can blend the marinade and pickle the onions a few hours in advance–just keep them separate. Any leftovers should be enjoyed within 1 day, but note that the seafood will continue to “cook” in the lime juice, so the texture will change.
Serving Suggestions
Honestly, feel free to eat this straight out of the bowl with a spoon for scooping up that spicy sauce, though piling high on tostadas is also encouraged.
I’m not even a little ashamed to tell you that these Siete lime tortilla chips are my absolute obsession. Go forth and enjoy!
Alternatively, you could enjoy aguachile served on top of a bed of greens, like arugula.
This spicy citrus-marinated seafood dish is absolutely the kind of refreshing no-cook recipe I want on a warm day. Can’t wait for you to try!
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Spicy Shrimp & Scallop Aguachile (Ceviche)
Ingredients
For the Shrimp and Scallops
- ½ lb raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, and sliced in half lengthwise
- ½ lb raw sea scallops, patted dry, side muscle removed
- ¾ cup fresh lime juice, from about 5 medium limes
- Kosher salt
For the Quick Pickled Onion
- ¼ small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced into half moons
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice, about 2 medium limes
- Kosher salt
For the Aguachile Marinade
- ⅔ cup fresh cilantro, no need to remove stems
- 1 Tbsp ponzu sauce (Jugo maggi is traditional, but hard to find locally. You can also use soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce.)
- ½ cup fresh lime juice, from about 2-3 medium lemons
- 1 clove of garlic, peeled and smashed
- 1 serrano or jalapeño pepper, roughly chopped (without seeds)
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
For Serving
- 1 medium serrano pepper, very thinly sliced
- 1-2 small radishes, very thinly sliced
- 1 small Persian cucumber, very thinly sliced
- 1 ripe avocado, peeled, cut into quarters, and thinly sliced
- High-quality extra virgin olive oil
- Flaky sea salt
- Fresh cilantro
- Tostadas or corn tortilla chips
Instructions
- “Cook” the shrimp. Place the raw shrimp in a shallow bowl with enough fresh lime juice to coat them well. Add a generous pinch or two of kosher salt, then let this “cook” for 20 minutes. If the lime juice doesn’t cover the top of the shrimp, flip them over halfway through.
- Slice the scallops. Using a sharp knife, cut each scallop in half or thirds lengthwise so you get 3 smaller rounds from each scallop. Set aside.
- Marinate the onions. Place thinly sliced red onion in a small bowl, then sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt. Add ¼ cup fresh lime juice, stir well, then add enough water to just cover them. Set aside.
- Make the aguachile marinade. To the bowl of a food processor, add fresh cilantro, 1 Tbsp ponzu, ½ cup fresh lime juice, 1 garlic clove, 1 chopped serrano pepper, and ¼ tsp kosher salt. Process until very smooth.
- Assemble. Pour the marinade into 4 shallow bowls (or 1 larger serving bowl). Place the “cooked” shrimp and raw scallops on top, then garnish with pickled onion slices, sliced serrano pepper, radishes, and cucumbers, and avocado (as much or as little as you like!). Drizzle with a tiny bit of extra virgin olive oil, then sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Finish with fresh cilantro leaves, then serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 hours. Enjoy with tostadas or corn tortilla chips!
Notes
- Nutrition facts do not include tostadas or tortilla chips.
- Aguachile is best enjoyed within 2-3 hours, so only make as much as you plan to eat that day. However, the sauce can be made a day in advance, and you can “cook” the seafood before serving, then combine the two.
- Do not marinate the fish in a metal bowl, as it can react with the acid in lime juice.
- Raw onion can be a bit strong, so I recommend thinly slicing. Use a very sharp knife or, to get them really thin, slice them on a mandoline.
Nutrition
Photography by Jo Harding.
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