Aguachile Shrimp Salad

By Paola Briseño-González

Published Aug. 27, 2025

Aguachile Shrimp Salad
Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Vivian Lui.
Total Time
35 minutes
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Rating
5(198)
Comments
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Aguachile, the fiery dish from Mexico’s Pacific coast, means “chile water,” a reference to the bold sauce, which blends lime juice, dried chiles, fresh serranos, cilantro and cucumbers. Fresh raw shellfish, such as shrimp or scallops, are marinated and lightly cooked by the acid. Here, the aguachile sauce is swirled into sour cream with just a touch of mayo to turn it into a silky and electric dressing for quickly boiled shrimp, and thinly sliced tomatillos add a crisp, gooseberry-like freshness. Since the shrimp is cooked, the dish travels well, making it the perfect centerpiece for a picnic or a summer get-together. Feel free to use shell-on shrimp if you prefer and peel them after cooking.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • Sea salt and black pepper
  • 2pounds peeled, deveined large shrimp 
  • ½ cup fresh lime juice (from 6 to 8 large limes)
  • 4serrano chiles, stemmed and seeded (or not seeded if you prefer spicy), roughly chopped
  • ½cup tightly packed cilantro leaves and tender stems, plus ½ cup leaves for garnish
  • ½cup tightly packed parsley leaves and tender stems
  • ½cup tightly packed mint leaves
  • ½cup full-fat sour cream
  • 2tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 1small cucumber, peeled, seeded, halved, and cut into half-moons
  • 4medium tomatillos, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced 
  • ½small red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1large avocado, thinly sliced
  • 1large baguette or tostadas, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

332 calories; 16 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 15 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 34 grams protein; 787 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

  1. Step 1

    Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add shrimp and cook until pink and just cooked through, depending on the size of the shrimp, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl to cool. When the shrimp are cool enough to handle, roughly chop them into bite-size pieces.

  2. Step 2

    In a blender or food processor, combine lime juice, chiles, ½ cup cilantro leaves and stems and all of the parsley, and mint. Pulse until a smooth sauce forms, but speckles are still visible. Pour sauce into a large bowl and whisk in sour cream and mayonnaise until combined. Season with salt and pepper.

  3. Step 3

    Toss shrimp with sauce. Season cucumbers with salt and toss with shrimp, tomatillos, and onion. Transfer to a large serving platter and scatter with reserved cilantro leaves and top with avocado. Serve with sliced baguette or tostadas, if you like.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
198 user ratings
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Comments

Christine

@Marlene it has 1/2 cup of full fat sour cream plus 2 tablespoons of mayo - how can it be in need of fat?

Donna M.

Many fabulous flavorful herbs! So do you have any specific recommendations that you would like to offer?

Marlene

This was extraordinarily mediocre, way too much acid, desperately in need of fat and flavor.

endoftheroad

This was fabulous and will go into our rotation. No greasy pans to wash! The herbs were bright and added to the sour cream/mayo, made a smooth sauce. I made it exactly as written except for the tomatillos which are not locally available. The avocado and crunch of the cucumbers added different textures. I would add more mint and less parsley. It was perfect over 1/4” rounds of baguette that I toasted under the broiler. A perfect light meal!

NYTC fan

delicious!!! i needed more lime juice for my herbs to blend but it worked out for a nice consistency. i’m glad i seeded half/ left half serrano seeds in, perfect heat. I forgot to chop the cooked shrimp but i don’t think it mattered. cooked for just under 2 mins, was perfect. all in all i would make this again just be warned it is quite labor intensive. for the amount of work/time I feel this would be superb for a late summer dinner party with the suggested tostadas or tortilla chips, or if i make it again i will go for a fusion - make some lo mein noodles and spoon the salad over them.

Arbee

Works just fine without the cilantro! I love cilantro, but I was cooking for a friend who isn’t a fan. I left it out of the herbs in the blender, upped the lime juice a little, and then offered optional chopped cilantro at the table for serving. I tried it with and without, and honestly, both were delicious. Will make again!

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