Shrimp Aguachile
Published June 29, 2025
- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 5 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1pound medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cut in half lengthwise (see Tip)
- ¼red onion, cut into small dice
- Fine sea salt
- 2 to 3serrano chiles, stems and seeds removed, chopped
- ½cup fresh lime juice (from 5 to 6 limes)
- 1packed cup cilantro leaves and tender stems
- 1tablespoon avocado oil or other vegetable oil
- 1ripe Hass avocado
- Crushed red pepper, optional
- 5tostadas, broken into quarters (or use tortilla chips)
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
157 calories; 8 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 7 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 16 grams protein; 335 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Place shrimp and red onion on a serving platter and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt. Toss to combine and spread in one layer.
- Step 2
In a blender, combine chiles, lime juice, cilantro, oil and 1 teaspoon salt, and pulse until cilantro is broken into tiny pieces. Pour over the shrimp and red onion, toss to coat and spread in one layer.
- Step 3
Cut avocado in half lengthwise, remove the pit, and then peel. Lay each avocado half cut-side down on a work surface and thinly slice lengthwise. Transfer to a serving plate, keeping the slices together so they’re easy to move. Fan out the avocado down the middle of the plate to create a row of avocado on top of the shrimp. Sprinkle the avocado with ½ teaspoon salt and crushed red pepper, if using.
- Step 4
Serve immediately with tostadas so that diners can assemble their own bites.
- While fresh-from-the-ocean shrimp is ideal, you can create incredible aguachile at home using high-quality frozen shrimp. In fact, properly thawed frozen shrimp often outshines what’s sitting in the seafood case, since most “fresh” shrimp has been previously frozen anyway — and by thawing it yourself, you ensure it’s at peak freshness.
- To thaw frozen shrimp, place them in a bowl of cold water and check after 15 minutes. Change the water if the shrimp are still frozen and allow to sit for another 10 minutes. Drain and rinse.
Private Notes
Comments
@MJfromCali I make aguachiles quite often and my recipe is pretty similar to this one. I steam or boil shrimp until cooked through but not tough and don’t mix the shrimp with the lime juice mixture until it’s time to serve. I always get rave reviews and more people started taking it from the buffet table once they knew it wasn't raw.
I'm going to assume that this recipe calls for raw shrimp. I think the context clearly suggests that. However, I do think recipes should be explicit, and in this case it should be explicit about whether one is to use raw or cooked shrimp. After all, one can buy frozen cooked shrimp at the grocery store and then "thaw [the] frozen shrimp." Anyway, this recipe sound great. I'm going to try it.
I used fresh raw, thinly sliced wild halibut. Not shrimp. Added extra lime juice. When I put it together I refrigerated it ( without avocado) for 30 min. The lime juice ‘ cooked ‘ the delicate fish. I pan fried thick corn tortillas, then put them in a 300 degree oven to get crunchy. Sprinkled the tortillas with garlic salt. Delicious!!!!
I thought commercial freezers killed everything that could make you sick, but I’ve learned this is not true. If you eat standard frozen grocery shrimp raw, you aren't likely to get a parasite, but you are playing "bacterial roulette." A study of raw shrimp samples once found that over 50% contained Vibrio, a bacterium that causes pretty nasty gastrointestinal distress. The Verdict: Unless the bag explicitly says "Sashimi Grade" or "Safe for Raw Consumption," it’s best to give them a quick sear or a boil until they turn pink.
Great recipe. I added some chopped cherry tomatoes
If it's 5 out of 5 stars I think my mom made it wrong.