Mexican, Aguachile Aguachile

Aguachile

This recipe is mostly found on the Pacific coast of Mexico in the town of MazatlĆ”n, Sinaloa, which is famous for its seafood. Aguachile translates into ā€œchilli-waterā€ in English. It mainly consists of raw fresh prawns that have been cleaned and deveined, then briefly cooked in lime juice and covered in a spicy marinade. This marinade would usually be prepared with very spicy chillies like serranos, habanero or jalapenos, some more lime juice, olive oil, and also coriander. The aguachile is then garnished with fresh cucumber slices and red onion. Aguachile is normally served with tostadas (crispy tortillas) or salted crackers on the side, so it's perfect when paired with Gran Luchito Lightly Salted Tortilla Chips and a very cold beer! It's a similar dish to ceviche but much spicier, and is normally served straight away, whereas ceviche is left to marinate for longer.Ā  When making aguachile we recommend preparing it nearer the time it's being served - the fresher the seafood the better! When preparing ceviche or aguachile, a Mexican seafood recipe where the prawns or fish will be used raw, it's always good to buy your ingredients from a good source like a local fishmonger or over-the-counter at the supermarket, rather than pre-packed prawns. But for those of you who may feel a bit funny about eating raw seafood, you can prepare this recipe with pre-cooked prawns. For our aguachile recipe, we added our special blend of Gran Luchito Medium Taco Seasoning into the marinade. You can also try this same marinade with Gran Luchito Chipotle Paste or Gran Luchito Spicy Taco Seasoning for a slightly different taste. This beautiful recipe is perfect served as an appetizer or snack alongside drinks on a very hot summer's day!
Serves 2
Prep 20MINS
Cook 0MINS
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Ingredients

Aguachile:

  • 400g / 14oz king prawns, cleaned and deveined
  • 3 limes, juice
  • 1 green jalapeno chilli
  • 1 garlic clove, peeled
  • 1 teaspoon Gran Luchito Medium Taco Seasoning
  • 1 handful coriander
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

To Serve:

KCAL: 142
FAT: 7.0g
Saturates: 0.9g
Carbs: 11.5g
Sugars: 0.9g
Fibre: 0.7g
Protein: 7.9g
Salt: 0.79g

Nutrition: PER SERVING

Method
  1. Place the cleaned king prawns in a small bowl and add the juice of 2 limes. Let the lime juice cook the prawns slightly for 10 minutes. Cover them with cling film and let them rest in the fridge.
  2. After 10 minutes, remove the prawns from the fridge. Add the drained liquid from the prawns with the lime, jalapeƱo, garlic clove,Ā Medium Taco Seasoning, and coriander in the blender. Squeeze the remaining lime juice in, add the extra virgin olive oil, a small pinch of salt, and freshly ground black pepper, and blendĀ into a bright green smooth sauce.
  3. In a nice shallow bowl or plate arrange a bed of cucumber. Place the prawns on top, and then pour the green spicy marinade on top. Garnish with more cucumber slices, red onion, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Serve immediately with Lightly Salted Tortilla Chips ready to scoop up your aguachile.

What youā€™ll need

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FAQ'S

Is aguachile raw?
The most classic version is made with fresh raw prawns, cucumber, red onion, lime juice, and chilies (typically serranos or jalapeƱos). The difference between ceviche and aguachile is that ceviche marinates in lime for 20 minutes or maybe hours, whereas aguachiles are tossed in chilli water and served immediately.
Is it safe to eat aguachile while pregnant?
You should not eat aguachile while pregnant because it's made with uncooked seafood. Raw fish or seafood, in this case prawns, can cause food poisoning. It's better to cook the prawns if you are pregnant, then that will be fine.
How to make aguachiles rojos?
Replace the green chillies with red ones, and if you like, add some red peppers!