Aguachile Verde (by Cynthia)

Introduction

 Aguachile is a seafood dish in which raw shrimp is “cooked” in lime juice. It is normally eaten with tostadas and it is a very popular part of Mexican cuisine. It can be different colors such as black: which is prepared with soy sauce and worcestershire sauce, and red: which is prepared with red peppers. This dish is traditionally from the Mexican state of Sinaloa and although my family comes from the state of Jalisco in Mexico, it is a dish that quickly became very popular in my home. This recipe was first introduced to my family by one of my cousins who claims that seafood is his favorite type of food. I chose this dish for this cookbook because it emphasizes convivencia. In communicating and forming a bond with my cousin, my mother and I were able to learn how to make a quick, simple, and delicious dish together and strengthen the bond between us in the process.

Ingredients

serves 4-6 tostadas
 

• 1 pound of fresh shrimp
• 1 cup of sliced cucumber
• 1/4 of cucumber (separate from the sliced)
• 1 red onion
• 1 cup of lime juice
• 2 Serrano peppers (adjust quantity to desired spiciness)
• Cilantro
• Salt to taste
• tostadas

Method

1. Peel the shrimp and remove the digestive tract. Then butterfly the shrimp by slicing it longways down the middle. Put the shrimp in a bowl.
2. Slice the cucumber and the red onion into thin slices.
3. Squeeze 1 cup of lime juice. Blend the lime juice together with salt, the desired amount of serrano peppers, the 1/4 part of the cucumber, and cilantro.
4. Add the blended ingredients.to the raw shrimp making sure that all the shrimp is well mixed with the mixture..
5. Add a pinch of cilantro, the slices of cucumber, and the slices of red onion on top of the mixture.
6. Let it sit for approximately one hour. The shrimp should start to look pink or orange as if they were cooked.
7. Once the shrimp is “cooked” serve it on a tostada and enjoy!

How to butterfly shrimp:

Aguachile Verde: Final Product