Aguachile de Camaron
Aguachile is a type of ceviche that hails from Mexico's Sinaloa state. A typical ceviche is marinated in lime juice, which "cooks" the raw seafood in citric acid; however, aguachile is served immediately after the raw seafood has been dressed or submerged in an herb-seasoned lime-juice mixture, underscoring the freshness of the dish.
Servings 6 people
Equipment
- chef knife
- boning or fillet knife for cleaning the shrimp
- cutting board
- measuring cups and spoons
- medium pot for making shrimp stock
- fine mesh sieve
Ingredients
Shrimp
- ½ lb shrimp, head-on fresh, 16-20 ct. peeled, deveined, and butterflied
Shrimp Stock or Alternatively store-bought
- ¾ cup shrimp heads, reserved from cleaning
- 2-2½ cups water
- ⅓ cup carrot, rough chop
- ⅓ cup onion, rough chop
- ⅓ cup celery, rough chop
- 2 tbsp. parsley, rough chop
- 1 whole bay leaf
Pickled Vegetables
- ½ whole red onion, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
- ½ whole cucumber, English sliced (or 1 regular cucumber seeded and peeled)
- 1 whole red jalapeno, seeded with seeds reserved (Alternatives Serrano, Tepin chile, seeded thinly sliced)
- 1 tsp. sea salt, (Maldon)
- ¼ cup vinegar, sherry, or champagne
Aguachile
- ½ cup stock, shrimp
- 1 cup lime juice
- 1 tsp black pepper, coarse grind to taste
- ½ cup parsley, cleaned and chopped
- ½ cup cilantro, cleaned and chopped
- 1 pinch of sugar
- 2 tbsp olive oil, good quality
Optional
- ½ whole diced avocado (optional)
- ½ tsp sea salt, (Maldon) to taste
Instructions
- Chill one large platter or plate(s).
Make Shrimp Stock
- Remove the heads and peel, devein and butterfly shrimp. Reserve heads for stock and stores the shrimp separately. Keep cold and reserve.
- Rinse the heads reserved from cleaning the shrimp. Place the shrimp heads in a pot with the roughly chopped onion, carrot, celery, and bay leaf. Add the water and bring to a low boil. Reduce to a simmer and let cook for 30 minutes: strain and reserve shrimp stock.
Pickle the Cucumber, Onion, and Chili strips
- Cut the English cucumber into think slices.
- Core a red jalapeño and cut in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds, but reserve for the next step. Slice the jalapeño into skinny strips(The seeds and pith from the jalapeño will provide the heat for the parsley cilantro sauce.)
- Peel ½ red onion, then core and cut into thin strips (julienne style cut).
- Add the red onions, thin cucumber slices, and thinly sliced red jalapeño to a bowl and toss with sherry vinegar, lime juice, and a pinch of sea salt.
Cure the Shrimp
- Squeeze or juice approximately 8-9 limes (preferably Mexican limes) to make 1 cup of juice and reserve.
- Generously season the cleaned shrimp with 1 tsp of sea salt. Toss to coat the shrimp well. Cover the shrimp with enough fresh lime juice to cover them. Allow soaking for 5 minutes. Remove the shrimp, but reserve the lime juice for the Aguachile sauce.
Make the Aguachile
- Using a blender or food processor, add ¼ cup/60ml of the shrimp stock, puree cleaned chopped parsley, cilantro reserved red jalapeño seeds, and pith, ¼ cup lime juice. Do not over-process the puree in the blender, as this will darken the sauce. It should be bright, green, and fresh.(For a mild Aguachile, skip the step with the seeds and pith.)
- To assemble the plate(s):
- Once the shrimp has marinated in the lime juice, remove and artfully arrange the shrimp on the platter. In between each shrimp, add the marinated cucumber, red jalapeno strips, and red onion—season with a good quality sea salt.
- Spoon on some of the parsley/cilantro purees to cover the shrimp and cucumbers.
- Top with a drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of sea salt. Serve immediately.