LATIMES.COM/FOOD THURSDAY, AUGUST 8, 2019F7
Leslie GrowThe trick
to great,
simple
aguachile
“You want to make an aguachile?”
asks Gabriela Cámara. “Well, what do
you have that’s delicious? Then make
that aguachile.”
Cámara is the chef of Contramar
in Mexico City, Cala in San Francisco
and soon-to-open Onda in Santa
Monica. Her cookbook, “My Mexico
City Kitchen,” recently came out, as
did “A Tale of Two Kitchens,” a Netflix
documentary about her and her
restaurants.
Beyond the kitchen, she has been
given a prestigious position by the
Mexican government on a new Coun-
cil for Cultural Diplomacy.
On top of all that, Cámara
also makes a mean aguachile.
“Aguachile is from the north of Mexi-
co,” she says. “I’m not from there, but
I remember having aguachile for the
first time while visiting Sinaloa and
thinking, ‘Oh, this is really extraordi-
nary.’ ”
Aguachile translates to “watery
chile,” and Cámara emphasizes that
that’s how simple the dish is. “The
traditional version is literally raw fish
or shellfish, onion and chile tepin that
you season with salt and bathe with
lime juice,” she says.
Unlike ceviche, in which sea-
food marinates in lime juice long
enough to take on a “cooked” texture,
aguachileis eaten immediately. Fish
and shellfish prepared this way retain
a supple silkiness.
Aguachilealso tastes much spici-
er than ceviche because of chile tepin,
small, round red dried chiles from the
north of Mexico that pack an intense
yet fruity heat. The chiles can be scat-
tered whole over the dish or blended
into the lime juice for an even more
fiery effect.
Cámara blends parsley and
cilantro into the lime juice as well. For
this version, she took inspiration
from her L.A. restaurant partner, Jes-
sica Koslow, and pickled the red on-
ions with vinegar.
“L.A. for me is Jessica’s food, it’s
Sqirl,” says Cámara. “All the pickled
deliciousness will give this more acid-
ity to balance the sweetness from the
shrimp.”
Because the onions wilt slightly
from pickling, Cámara includes cu-
cumbers in her aguachilefor their
crunch.
Cámara’s three aguachile es-
sentials — herb-chile lime juice, pick-
led onions and salted cucumbers —
go with any pristine raw seafood.
Here, she uses shrimp, but says, “I
think it’s really important for people
to learn how to eat seafood that’s
fresh rather than absolutely eat
shrimp even if it’s not fresh. Ingredi-
ent-driven food literally has to be
driven by ingredients.”
MASTER CLASS
By Genevieve Ko
“It’s really important for people to learn how to eat seafood that’s
fresh” instead of settling for tired shrimp, says Gabriela Cámara.Mariah TaugerLos Angeles TimesGabriela Cámara suggests using
shrimp for her aguachile recipe only if
you can find very high-quality fresh
shrimp. Here are her tips for tracking
down the best:Become friends with a shrimper
and buy the haul straight off the
shrimping boat.Assuming that’s not an option ...Find a reliable seafood counter or
store and get to know the fish-
monger and his or her suppliers.
Ask for shrimp from that day’s
shipment and ask the fishmonger
to keep it in the cooler until you
can pick it up.If that’snot an option ...Buy frozen shrimp that has been
flash-frozen immediately after
being caught (sometimes labeled
IQF for individually quick frozen)
and thaw it yourself.Once you bring home fresh shrimp,
keep it very cold by putting it over ice
in the refrigerator. You can put it in a
small bowl or resealable plastic bag set
over a larger bowl of ice. Be sure to use
it the same day. When you do, check to
see whether it’s fresh by smelling it and
feeling it. It should smell nearly sweet
and not at all fishy or like a dirty dock.
The flesh should be firm and trans-
lucent, not mushy or opaque.If you’ve bought frozen shrimp, thaw it
safely by putting it in a colander and
running cold water over it until the
shrimp are pliable, two to five minutes.Buying shrimp?
A bit of advice
123Shrimp Aguachile With Cucumbers
and Pickled Onions
Aguachile is best immediately after it’s made, so don’t pre-
pare more than you intend to serve and eat. Cámara sug-
gests enjoying it with tostadas or tortilla chips and beer,
mezcal, tequila or sotol. And if shrimp don’t look or smell
great at the market, she advises using scallops, fish or even
vegetables like chayote or jicama instead.20 minutes. Serves 4 to 6.4 baby red onions, thinly
sliced
¼cup distilled white
vinegar
Coarse sea salt(^1) Persian or other mini
cucumber, trimmed and
cut into^1 ⁄ 8 -inch slices
1¼ pounds medium shrimp,
peeled, deveined and
butterflied
1 cup fresh lime juice
½cup packed flat-leaf
parsley leaves
½cup packed cilantro with
stems
1 teaspoon chile tepin or
chile piquín, crushed, or
red chile flakes
2 tablespoons high-quality
cold-pressed extra-virgin
olive oil
Flaky sea salt or another
finishing sea salt
1 Place the onions in a small
bowl and pour the vinegar
over them. Turn to evenly
coat. In another small bowl,
sprinkle half a teaspoon
coarse salt over the cucum-
ber and toss well. Let both
stand at room temperature
while preparing the sauce
and shrimp.
2 Arrange the shrimp on a
serving platter or individual
plates (not a bowl) in a
single layer. Sprinkle one
teaspoon salt over the
shrimp. Refrigerate until
ready to serve.
3 Combine the lime juice,
parsley, cilantro, a pinch of
coarse salt and a quarter
cup of water in a blender
and puree on high speed
until liquefied. If it’s frothy
(which it probably will be),
let it sit for about five min-
utes to settle.
4 Spoon the lime sauce over
the shrimp, then scatter
chile on top. Drain the onion
and arrange over the
shrimp, along with the
cucumber slices. Drizzle
with the oil and sprinkle
with the finishing salt. Serve
immediately.
Adapted from “My Mexico City
Kitchen: Recipes and
Convictions” by Gabriela
Cámara and Malena Watrous
latimes.com
/food
Watch Cámara cook
Chef Gabriela Cámara prepares
her aguachilein a video cooking
lesson.