Looking for a delicious and authentic Mexican recipe? Look no further than aguachile verde! This easy recipe will have your taste buds asking for more. Aguachile verde is a flavorful Mexican appetizer made with shrimp, serrano peppers, and lime. It is served cold, has tons of fresh flavors, and makes the perfect appetizer or main course. So what are you waiting for? Start cooking!
PARA LEER EN ESPANOL PINCHA AQUI
What is aguachile verde?
Aguachile verde is a Mexican dish made with shrimp, serrano peppers, and tomatillos. It is served cold and makes the perfect appetizer or main course. The word aguachile means “chile water” in Spanish, which is a good description of the salsa that you will be making as part of the recipe.
This name comes from how the sauce is prepared before adding it to cooked shrimp – by blending together chile peppers, tomatillos and other ingredients into a smooth mixture. The sauce is then poured over the shrimp to create this delicious dish! The addition of chiles makes this recipe a bit on the spicy side, but you can adjust the heat by increasing or decreasing the amount of serrano peppers.
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
To make this authentic aguachile recipe, you will need the following ingredients:
- Raw shrimp (jumbo or extra large) – in any case, you will want to use larger shrimp for this recipe if possible.
- fresh lime juice
- crisp cucumber, chopped into smaller pieces
- red onion
- 1/2 bunch of cilantro
- serrano chile
- 1 tomatillo
- garlic cloves
- Salt and pepper
How do you make aguachile?
Making aguachile super easy! You are definitely going to need a blender or food processor for making the green aguachile salsa that is typical of this recipe.
First, you will want to make sure the fresh shrimp is de-veined and rinsed (drying off the excess water). Once the shrimp is clean, you will add it to a mixing bowl with the lime juice (make sure it is freshly squeezed), a little salt to taste, and the onion slices. Make sure everything is mixed together well and then cover it and put it in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.
After that time has passed remove the bowl from the refrigerator and strain the lime juice from the shrimp and set aside in a separate bowl.
At this point, you will make the green chile sauce by adding half of the strain lime juice, the garlic cloves, pepper, salt,tomatillo, serrano pepper, cilantro, a few pieces of the onion that were with the shrimp in the refrigerator, and 2 tablespoons of the chopped cucumber in a blender and blend well.
You will then pour the resulting salsa verde in the bowl with the shrimp from earlier and mix well. Now, you can add more of the excess lime juice that you strained and adjust the flavor by adding more salt or pepper as needed.
Finally, add the remaining cucumbers and avocado if desired and it is ready to serve!
What are the health benefits of aguachile verde?
Aguachile verde has many health benefits including being a high protein and low fat dish which makes it perfect for those who want to lose weight but still enjoy delicious food.
It also contains vitamins A & C as well as iron and calcium making this dish not only healthy but nutritious as well. Aguachile verde is a great way to get your daily dose of vegetables and shrimp is a good source of omega-three fatty acids, which are beneficial for maintaining heart health and preventing chronic diseases.
How do you serve aguachile?
Aguachiles are almost always served cold as a delicious appetizer or as a main dish. You can serve them by themselves, or with rice, tortillas, or tortilla chips. My preferred way to enjoy them is with tortilla chips, but it really depends on your personal preferences.
Growing up along Mexico’s eastern coast, I ate seafood like this on a regular basis and I hope you will try it too! Let me know in the comments below how it turns out!
Check out these other authentic Mexican recipes!
- How to Make Authentic Pico De Gallo
- The Best Ever Mexican-Style Shrimp Ceviche Recipe
- Authentic Barbacoa de Borrego Recipe (Lamb Barbacoa)
- Authentic Mexican Pozole Blanco Recipe
- Authentic Chiles Rellenos de Queso Recipe
- Authentic Mexican Birria Recipe (3 Methods)
- Authentic Mexican Fried Empanadas Recipe
Authentic Mexican Aguachile Verde Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb Jumbo Shrimp deveined, rinsed, and cleaned
- 3/4 cup Fresh squeezed lime juice
- 2 Cucumbers peeled, deseeded, sliced and cut into half moon shapes
- 1/2 Red Onion Sliced
- 1/2 bunch Cilantro
- 1 Garlic Clove
- 3 Chiles Serranos You can increase or decrease to adjust the level of spiciness
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- 1 Avocado Optional
- 1 Tomatillo
Instructions
- Make sure the shrimp has been adequately cleaned, deveined, and patted dry. Set aside in a large bowl.
- Add the lime juice, a pinch of salt, and the onion slices. Cover and put in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.
- Remove from the refrigerator and strain the lime juice from the shrimp and onions, and set aside.
- Add half of the lime juice that you strained in the previous step to a blender with the garlic, pepper, salt, serrano pepper, tomatillo, cilantro, a few pieces of the onion that marinated with the shrimp, and 2 tablespoons of the chopped cucumber. Blend well.
- Add the mixture made in the previous step to the bowl with the shrimp. Mix well and add additional lime juice and salt to taste.
- Add the remaining cucumbers and avocado slices (if desired) and serve cold with tortilla chips.
R Walton
Saturday 19th of August 2023
"Aguachile verde is a Mexican dish made with shrimp, serrano peppers, and tomatillos." The ingredient list doesn't mention tomatillos....
Charbel Barker
Tuesday 29th of August 2023
Thanks for pointing that out! I just updated the recipe.
Chris
Thursday 16th of June 2022
Why is shrimp not cooked ?
Monday 26th of September 2022
@Chris, shrimp will cook while it sits in lime juice
Roxanne
Tuesday 2nd of August 2022
@Chris,
Fish or shrimp, that should say
Roxanne
Tuesday 2nd of August 2022
@Chris,
The lime juice will "cook" the shrimp. Ceviche is traditionally made this way as well with both fish it shrink. The acid in the juice will cook the protein.
denisse
Monday 1st of August 2022
@Chris, the lime juice cooks the shrimp.