Aguachile

How to Make Aguachile

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1. Butterfly the prawns by slicing down the back and opening them flat. Rinse and pat dry.

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2. Soak the sliced red onion in cold water for 10 minutes, then drain — this takes the harshness out.

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3. Blend the lime juice, serranos, coriander, garlic and salt until smooth and bright green. Taste: it should be aggressively sour and hot.

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4. Arrange the prawns in a single layer on a wide, chilled plate.

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5. Pour the chilli water over, scatter the cucumber and drained onion on top, and leave 5 minutes only.

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6. Lay the avocado over, add a pinch more salt, and serve immediately with tostadas.

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Tips for Making Aguachile

• Buy prawns you would happily eat raw, from a fishmonger you trust.
• Five minutes, not fifty. Long curing turns aguachile into rubbery ceviche.
• Chill the serving plate — the dish should be cold from first bite to last.

Changing the Recipe

• Dried chilli flakes can stand in for the chillies. Heat varies a great deal between chillies and between jars, so start with a small pinch and add more to taste.
• Lemon is the everyday swap for lime in this kind of dish — the acidity plays the same role even though the flavour is not identical.
• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.

What Goes With Aguachile

• Cold Mexican lager with lime
• Tostadas
• A michelada

Keeping and Reheating

Eat within the hour. This dish does not keep.

What's in a Serving

Per serving, an approximate calculation from the ingredient list. Treat it as a rough guide: garnishes, greasing and other items with no amount are not counted; part of the energy comes from foods, or weights per item, with no recorded source. How the figures are worked out.