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Shrimp Aguachile Tacos

Shrimp aguachile tacos with a raw, ceviche-style cure—translucent bright pink shrimp coated in vibrant green aguachile sauce. The tacos stay pristine and fresh with warm corn tortillas, avocado, and radish garnish.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
rest 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main
Cuisine: Mexican
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Aguachile
  • 4 serrano peppers Remove stems for best blend; adjust to taste for heat.
  • 1 cilantro Use tender leaves and stems for a brighter green sauce.
  • 1 parsley Adds balance to the pepper-citrus flavor.
  • 0.5 white onion Roughly chopped for quick blending.
  • 1 tsp salt Season the cure so the shrimp flavor stays bold.
  • 4 limes Juiced fresh for strong acidity.
  • 2 tbsp olive oil Whisk in after straining for a silky texture.
Tacos
  • 1.5 lb jumbo shrimp Peel and devein; keep chilled until using.
  • 8 corn tortillas Warm just before assembling.
  • 1 avocado Slice right before serving for clean, creamy bites.
  • 1 radish slices For peppery crunch and a fresh garnish.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Make the aguachile sauce
  1. In a blender, combine serrano peppers, cilantro, parsley, white onion, salt, and lime juice. Blend until smooth, scraping down as needed, until the mixture looks bright and evenly green.
  2. Strain the blended mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing to extract the liquid. The strained sauce should be vivid and translucent with no large bits visible.
  3. Whisk olive oil into the strained aguachile sauce until it looks glossy and slightly thickened. Stop when the sauce turns uniform and coats a spoon lightly.
Cure the shrimp
  1. Place the jumbo shrimp in a glass bowl in a single layer if possible. Pour the aguachile mixture over the shrimp so every piece is coated.
  2. Let the shrimp sit at room temperature for 15 minutes in the glass bowl, uncovered if your kitchen is cool. Watch for the shrimp to turn pink and opaque as the acid cures them.
Assemble and serve
  1. Warm corn tortillas on a stovetop over medium heat for about 30–45 seconds per side until pliable. Keep them wrapped in a clean towel so they don’t dry out.
  2. Fill each tortilla with several cured shrimp, then add avocado slices and radish slices. Arrange to show the shrimp clearly, then drizzle extra aguachile sauce over the top.
  3. Serve immediately while the tortillas are warm and the shrimp look glossy and pink. Finish with any remaining green sauce so the tacos stay vivid.

Notes

Key pro tip: strain the aguachile for a pristine, sauce-on-top presentation and to keep the blend from turning grainy. For food safety, use very fresh, fully deveined shrimp and keep everything cold until the lime cure; refrigerate leftovers up to 1 day, but the texture softens. Freezing is not recommended because ceviche-style cured shrimp can become watery. Dietary swap: use gluten-free corn tortillas if needed for a gluten-free serving.