Easy Mexican aguachile recipe with fresh fish
Mexican vibes with this delicious aguachile recipe. It’s super easy to make, healthy and the perfect way to eat fresh fish! It’s quite an easy recipe and the perfect appetizer.
Aguachile recipe
Last year in january I went on a round trip to the beautiful Yucatan peninsula and obviously I ate a lot of Mexican food. One of our favorite was – without a doubt – aguachile. You can best compare aguachile with a version of ceviche. It’s raw shrimp or raw fish which is basically ‘cooked’ in fresh lime juice. You can make a shrimp aguachile, which we had a lot in Mexico or you can make a fish aguachile which we did here.
What can you find in this recipe?
Making the aguachile is a lot like making a ceviche. I think the main difference is that aguachile is spicier due to the use of habanero peppers and a spicy sauce. It also is apparently a difference in how the food is presented. Shrimp ceviche is chopped in pieces but a shrimp aguachile is made of butterflied shrimp. Also traditionally the aguachile is made with chile water. Finding really fresh shrimps here is quite hard which is why we ended up with making this with fresh cod instead.
Easier version
Basically we ended up making an easier version of the traditional aguachile. I do have a book with the more traditional recipes but this is super delicious too and we added a chipotle sauce to give it more of a Mexican dish feeling. This is typically served as a flavorful Mexican appetizer and it is perfect for hot summer days.
What do you need for the aguachile?
For our version of the aguachile we used red onion, chipotle in adobo, fresh avocado slices, fresh cilantro, enough lime to cook the seafood, chili peppers, cucumber and tomatoes. Obviously you need raw seafood to make the dish. We went for cod, but it is also really good with seabass, other white fish or fresh shrimps.
Slice the fish finely
We sliced the cod with a sharp knife into small strips and placed them in a small bowl. Now add enough of the lime juice so the fish cooks and make sure that it is covered. With ceviche recipes the fish is left to cook for longer, but aguachile is generally served right away. Place the fish in a serving bowl and add the onions, tomatoes, avocado and cucumber and don’t forget a pinch of salt. We added chipotle peppers and some of the adobo sauce to the fish as well. End with a generous amount of the fresh cilantro and serve right away.
It’s delicious served with crispy tostadas or corn tortilla chips. You can use the chip to scoop up the aguachile.
Make sure you place the fish in a single layer so it is cooked properly. You’ll need about a cup of lime juice or about 4 limes.
Can I make this aguachile recipe in advance?
You can certainly slice all the various components in advance. But it is best to put it all together shortly before serving. While the fish does need a little bit of time to cook in the lime juice you do not want it to become overdone.
Is it safe to eat raw fish?
While probably not a good idea if you’re pregnant; eating raw fish is fine if the fish is really fresh. Technically the lime juice doesn’t actually cook the fish but it does provide some sort of anti microbial effect.
Check for more Mexican recipes here.
Aguachile
Ingredients
- 500 g cod or other white fish
- 1 red onion finely sliced
- 4 lime juiced
- 8 cherry tomatoes in quarters
- 1/2 cucumber in small cubes
- 1/2 avocado in cubes
- 1/2 bunch cilantro chopped
- 1 chipotle pepper finely sliced
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 2 tsp adobo sauce
- Start by slicing the fish in cubes or strips and place them inside a bowl in a single layer.
- Juice the lime and pour over the fish. Make sure all fish is covered by the juice.
- Place the fish in a serving bowl and add the red onion, avocado, cucumber, chipotle and a pinch of salt. Add the olive and the adobo sauce and mix it all together.
- Add the cilantro right before serving.
Nutrition Information per portion
Disclaimer
The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.
