Name: Aguachile Recipe (Mexican Shrimp Ceviche)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 pound raw shrimp (peeled, deveined and sliced in half lengthwise); 1 cup lime juice (about the juice from 3-4 large limes); Salt to taste; 1 small red onion (thinly sliced); 1 teaspoon white vinegar; 1 cup water; 1/2 cup lime juice (reserved from cooking the shrimp); 1 tablespoon jugo maggi (or use soy sauce); 3 cloves garlic (chopped); 3/4 cup fresh cilantro; 1 large jalapeno pepper (chopped); 1 serrano pepper (chopped); Salt to taste; 1 medium cucumber (peeled and deseeded, sliced into crescents); 3 radishes (thinly sliced); 2 serrano peppers (thinly sliced); Chopped fresh cilantro; Spicy chili flakes

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Aguachile is an essential Mexican ceviche from Sinaloa with shrimp marinated in a mix of lime juice, chili, and herbs with lots of fresh garnish, so good! Great with scallops, too!

A bowl of aguachile features shrimp, cucumber slices, red onions, and cilantro in a vibrant green sauce. Lime slices and tortilla chips accompany this delicious aguachile recipe on a light surface with a green cloth.

Aguachile Verde Recipe

We're cooking up a fresh bowl of Shrimp Aguachile in the Chili Pepper Madness kitchen today, my friends. You are in for something wonderful.

What is Aguachile?

Aguachile is a Mexican seafood dish that is essentially a ceviche made with either shrimp or scallops, or both, that are marinated in lime juice and served in a chili-lime marinade, usually garnished with cucumber.

As with ceviche, the acidic lime juice cooks the shrimp and imparts its tart, addictive flavor.

The dish comes from Sinaloa in northern Mexico, and has gained popularity not only in Mexico as a Mexican appetizer, but in the United States as well.

You'll find variations depending on the cook and the ingredients used, with versions of aguachile verde and aguachile rojo and recipes in between.

This particular recipe includes shrimp (aguachile de camaron), though you can easily sub the shrimp in whole or in part with scallops or other white fish. It is meant to be a fresh, bright dish, best served cold, with a good level of spice and heat.

You can easily dial back on the heat if you'd like, though you'll then be missing a component of the dish that makes it so popular.

Let's talk about how to make aguachile, shall we?

Featured Reader Comment

"I made your aguachile recipe! Excellent, delicious and super easy to follow! You have so many recipes I want to try!!! I actually live in Puerto Vallarta Mexico! Thank you for all your knowledge!" -- Debbie

Aguachile Ingredients

The full ingredients list with measurements is listed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.

FOR THE SHRIMP
Raw Shrimp
Lime Juice - Enough to cover the shrimp and cook them.
Salt
FOR THE RED ONION
Sliced Red Onion
Vinegar - I'm using simple white vinegar, though you can use others.
Water - Enough to cover the onions
FOR THE AGUACHILE MARINADE
Lime Juice - Reserve some of the lime juice from marinating the shrimp, or use fresh if you'd like.
Jugo Maggi - or use Soy Sauce
Produce - Garlic, cilantro, jalapeno peppers, serrano peppers
Salt
AGUACHILE GARNISH
Sliced cucumber, radish, serrano, chopped cilantro, spicy chili flakes

How to Make Aguachile - the Recipe Method

First you'll marinate the shrimp in fresh lime juice. The acidic lime juice "cooks" the shrimp through, which takes about 20 minutes to 30 minutes.

Soak the red onion in water as well to take the bit out of it.

Soaking red onions and marinating shrimp in lime juice to make Aguachile

Next, we make the aguachile marinade. Process 1/2 cup reserved lime juice from cooking the shrimp, jugo maggi (or soy sauce), garlic, cilantro, jalapeno, serrano, and salt to taste to a blender or food processor.

Add the shrimp with remaining lime juice to a serving bowl. Pour the chili-lime marinade over it.

Processing chilies and herbs, and soaking shrimp to make Aguachile

Top with sliced cucumber and onion, chili peppers, and radish. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes to chill.

Top with fresh herbs. Sprinkle with red chili flakes.

Serve with tostadas or tortilla chips.

Boom! Done! Your aguachile is ready to serve. Looks incredible, doesn't it? Look at that vibrant green color and textures. I could eat this all day long.

Recipe Tips & Notes

Other Ingredients. Feel free to use scallops with this recipe as well, or only shrimp for aguachile de camaron. Jugo maggi is a popular addition, though you can use soy sauce. Try it with fresh sliced avocado and a bit of salt and pepper. Absolutely delicious.
Heat Factor. You'll get a nice level of heat from the serrano peppers, though you can omit them. For the chili flakes, try crushed pequin chilies, chiltepin, or chiles de arbol. Or, use crushed red pepper to taste.

Make Ahead Aguachile

If you want to make your aguachile ahead of time, you can make the marinade the day before. Two hours before you'd like to serve, cover the raw shrimp in freshly squeezed lime juice to cook through, then assemble and complete your dish.

It is best enjoyed within 2-3 hours.

You can also prepare aguachile with pre-cooked shrimp in the same way.

Serving Aguachile

Serve your aguachile as an appetizer with crispy tortilla chips. Top the bowl with your favorite toppings, like thinly sliced cucumber, sliced radishes, sliced chilies, and fresh chopped herbs.

I enjoy a nice sprinkling of red chili flakes over the top.

Storage and Leftovers

Store any leftover aguachile in the refrigerator with the juices in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy my aguachile recipe. Let me know if you make it. I'd love to hear how you made it your own.

Cookbook Recommendation

If you love traditional Mexican cooking, I love these cookbooks with recipes from all over Mexico. Definitely recommended.

Mexico: The Cookbook (affiliate link, my friends!)
Made in Mexico: The Cookbook, by Danny Mena (affiliate link, my friends!)

Want More Recipes?

If you love aguachile, you'll enjoy this Shrimp Ceviche, which is a South American spin on the dish. Peruvian Tiradito is another you'll certainly enjoy, and one of my favorites.

For shrimp dishes with Mexican flavors, you can't beat Camarones a la Diabla (Diablo Shrimp) for a fiery kick, Mexican Shrimp Cocktail (Coctel de Camarones) for a classic dish, and Mexican Garlic Shrimp (Camarones Al Mojo De Ajo) for mild heat but big garlic flavor.

Shrimp lovers everywhere will enjoy these American dishes as well - Firecracker Shrimp (zesty heat!), Bang Bang Shrimp (just like the restaurant!), Blackened Shrimp (so easy, and you'll love the technique), and Shrimp Etouffee (the famous Cajun/Creole dish everyone loves).

I especially hope you'll try my Shrimp Marinade, which everyone raves about for delivering big flavor to grilled shrimp.

Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.

Aguachile Recipe (Mexican Shrimp Ceviche)

Aguachile is an essential Mexican ceviche from Sinaloa with shrimp marinated in a mix of lime juice, chili, and herbs with lots of fresh garnish, so good! Great with scallops, too!

Save Recipe

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: jalapeno, scallops, serrano, shrimp, spicy

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 20

Calories: 35kcal

Author: Mike Hultquist

Servings:

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5 from 21 votes

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Ingredients

FOR THE SHRIMP

1 pound raw shrimp peeled, deveined and sliced in half lengthwise
1 cup lime juice about the juice from 3-4 large limes
Salt to taste

FOR THE RED ONION

1 small red onion thinly sliced
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 cup water

FOR THE AGUACHILE MARINADE

1/2 cup lime juice reserved from cooking the shrimp
1 tablespoon jugo maggi or use soy sauce
3 cloves garlic chopped
3/4 cup fresh cilantro
1 large jalapeno pepper chopped
1 serrano pepper chopped
Salt to taste

AGUACHILE GARNISH

1 medium cucumber peeled and deseeded, sliced into crescents
3 radishes thinly sliced
2 serrano peppers thinly sliced
Chopped fresh cilantro
Spicy chili flakes

Instructions

FOR THE SHRIMP

Place the sliced shrimp into a bowl and cover with 1 cup fresh lime juice, enough to completely cover the shrimp. Use more as needed.
Add salt to taste let the lime juice "cook" the shrimp for 30 minutes, flipping once part way through. The shrimp will turn pink in color.

FOR THE RED ONION

While the shrimp is cooking, add the red onion to a bowl. Add the vinegar and enough water to cover the onions. Soak until ready to use.

FOR THE AGUACHILE MARINADE

Add the 1/2 cup reserved lime juice, jugo maggi (or soy sauce), garlic, cilantro, jalapeno, serrano, and salt to taste to a food processor. Process until smooth.

ASSEMBLE THE AGUACHILE

Add the shrimp with remaining lime juice to a serving bowl. Pour the aguachile marinade over it.
Top with sliced red onion, cucumbers, chili peppers, and radish. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes to chill.
Top with fresh herbs. Sprinkle with red chili flakes.
Serve cold with tortilla chips.

Video

Notes

Nutritional information estimated without tortilla chips.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 35kcal Carbohydrates: 9g Protein: 1g Fat: 1g Saturated Fat: 1g Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g Monounsaturated Fat: 1g Sodium: 175mg Potassium: 208mg Fiber: 1g Sugar: 3g Vitamin A: 255IU Vitamin C: 27mg Calcium: 27mg Iron: 1mg

Did You Enjoy This Recipe?I love hearing how you like it and how you made it your own. Leave a comment below and tag @ChiliPepperMadness on social media.

NOTE: This recipe was updated on 4/3/25 to include new information and video. It was originally published on 8/30/21.