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Aguachile Verde

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Prep
20 min (plus 5 min shrimp cure)
Cook
None (raw preparation)
Total
20 min
Serves
4 servings
Aguachile Verde recipe

Bright, fiery, and cold, aguachile is shrimp cured in lime, swimming in a tomatillo salsa that brings heat from two chiles at once. Fresh herbs keep it green all the way through.

Ingredients

  • [Tomatillo Salsa]
  • 230 g (8 oz) tomatillos, husked and cleaned
  • 1 green onions, cleaned
  • ½ jalapeños, stems removed and roughly chopped
  • ½ serranos, stems removed and roughly chopped
  • 1 garlic cloves
  • ¼ bunch cilantro
  • 1 tsp agave syrup
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • [For service]
  • 21/25 shrimp, deveined and cleaned
  • Fresh lime juice
  • Red onion escabeche
  • Sliced avocado
  • Sliced radish
  • Cilantro leaves
  • Maldon sea salt

Instructions

  1. 1
    For the salsa: blend tomatillos, green onion, jalapeños, serranos, garlic, cilantro, and agave until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Keep cold.
  2. 2
    For each serving: place 85 g (3 oz) shrimp in a bowl and cover with fresh lime juice. Let sit 5 minutes, the shrimp will turn pink and firm.
  3. 3
    Drain most of the lime juice, then spoon 60 ml (2 oz) of tomatillo salsa over the shrimp.
  4. 4
    Arrange sliced avocado, red onion escabeche, radish slices, and a few cilantro leaves on top.
  5. 5
    Finish with a pinch of Maldon salt.

Cook's Note

Five minutes in lime is enough, the shrimp will look pink and feel firm. Beyond that they get rubbery and lose their bite.

Best Served With

Tostadas or thick tortilla chips, the crunch is the contrast the dish needs. Ice-cold beer or mezcal-soda alongside.

Why This Recipe Works

Jalapeño and serrano together give you different layers of heat, the jalapeño hits immediately, the serrano lingers. Tomatillo keeps the salsa bright and slightly tart so it doesn't sit heavy. The quick lime cure firms the shrimp just enough without cooking out all their sweetness.

Make It Yours

  • Use scallops instead of shrimp for a sweeter, meatier version
  • Add a habanero to the salsa for serious heat
  • Swap agave for a tablespoon of honey if agave isn't on hand

Leftover Strategy

Cured shrimp don't hold, eat the same day. The tomatillo salsa keeps refrigerated for 2 days and works as a dipping salsa or taco sauce.

Want to impress guests with this dish? Ask Jeff →

Pairing

Mezcal with a splash of soda and lime is the classic match. For non-alcohol, a cucumber-lime agua fresca keeps the cold, bright feeling going.