Mexican-Vietnamese fusion Aguachile

Mai

When it’s summer, sometimes you just need to eat something cold & refreshing that doesn’t require turning on the stove. Aguachile is one of my go-tos for sweltering summer days.

This is my VietMex fusion version! Aguachile with a few Vietnamese twists.

We’re substituting jalapeños with bird’s eye chilies, red onion with shallot, and radish with kohlrabi. We’re also adding in ngò gai (culantro/sawtooth herb), lime leaves, and most importantly fish sauce for that extra umami kick, and finally serving with bánh phồng tôm- shrimp crackers instead of tostadas or tortilla chips.

The ngò gai gives the sauce a lighter, brighter taste, and the fish sauce adds some beautiful depth. The combination of the spiciness, the acidity, and the flavor from the fish sauce (plus the shrimp crackers) really make it super reminiscent of gỏi- Vietnamese salads.

INGREDIENTS

• Shrimp – Tôm
• Lime – Chanh
• Salt – Muối
• Shallot – Hành khô/hành tím
• Garlic – Tỏi
• Cilantro – Ngò rí/rau mùi
• Culantro/sawtooth herb – Ngò gai/Mùi tàu
• Bird’s eye chili – Ớt hiểm
• Fish sauce – Nước mắm: arguably the most important seasoning sauce in Vietnamese cuisine. Made from fermented anchovies, it is salty and incredibly umami. Non-vegan Vietnamese recipes without fish sauce are very rare. The best nước mắm comes from Phú Quốc or surrounding islands off the coast- Southwest of mainland Vietnam. Our favorite brand available outside of Vietnam is Red Boat (U.S.).
• Cucumber – Dưa chuột/dưa leo
• Kohlrabi – Su hào
• Lime leaves – Lá chanh

DIRECTIONS

1. Peel, cut in half lengthwise and devein shrimp.
2. Arrange shrimp in a single layer on a small plate and pour in enough lime juice to cover (about half the amount of lime juice).
3. Salt generously and let cook for 15 minutes, then flip and let sit for another 15 minutes.
4. Thinly slice shallot.
5. Add to a bowl, along with 1/4 tsp of salt and enough cold water to cover.
6. Peel kohlrabi, thinly slice and cut into 2cm pieces. Sprinkle generously with salt and let sit for 5 minutes.
7. Add the remaining lime juice, garlic, cilantro, chili(es), culantro, and cilantro to a blender.
8. Blend until smooth, then add in fish sauce to taste.
9. Strain shallot.
10. Rinse and strain kohlrabi.
11. Thinly slice cucumber.
12. Pour the sauce over shrimp.
13. Arrange shallot, kohlrabi, and cucumber on top.
14. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
15. Chop cilantro and culantro.
16. Thinly slice lime leaves into ribbons.
17. Slice more bird’s eye chili for garnish.
18. Fry shrimp chips for serving according to package instructions.
19. Garnish aguachile with herbs and sliced chili, and serve with shrimp crackers.

Mexican-Vietnamese fusion Aguachile

Recipe by MM Bon Appétit Course: Appetizers, MainsCuisine: Mexican, VietnameseDifficulty: Easy

Makes

2

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

Total time

1

hour 

10

minutes

A delicious Mexican dish that’s perfect for summer, with a few Vietnamese twists.

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

• 300 g 300 shrimp (370g frozen shell-on)

• 100 ml 100 lime juice

• Salt

• 30 g 30 shallot

• 2 cloves 2 garlic

• 10 g 10 cilantro

• 10 g 10 ngò gai (culantro/sawtooth herb)

• 2 2 bird’s eye chili (or to taste)

• 2 tsp 2 fish sauce (to taste)

• Small cucumber

• 80 g 80 kohlrabi

• 2 2 lime leaves

• Shrimp chips (for serving)

Directions

• Peel, cut in half lengthwise and devein shrimp.
• Arrange shrimp in a single layer on a small plate and pour in enough lime juice to cover (about half the amount of lime juice).
• Salt generously and let cook for 15 minutes, then flip and let sit for another 15 minutes.
• Thinly slice shallot.
• Add to a bowl, along with 1/4 tsp of salt and enough cold water to cover.
• Peel kohlrabi, thinly slice and cut into 2cm pieces. Sprinkle generously with salt and let sit for 5 minutes.
• Add the remaining lime juice, garlic, cilantro, chili(es), culantro, and cilantro to a blender.
• Blend until smooth, then add in fish sauce to taste.
• Strain shallot.
• Rinse and strain kohlrabi.
• Thinly slice cucumber.
• Pour the sauce over shrimp.
• Arrange shallot, kohlrabi, and cucumber on top.
• Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Chop cilantro and culantro.
• Thinly slice lime leaves into ribbons.
• Slice more bird’s eye chili for garnish.
• Fry shrimp chips for serving according to package instructions.
• Garnish aguachile with herbs and sliced chili, and serve with shrimp crackers.

Recipe Video

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