Minty Aguachile

What to Cook When It's Hot Out and You're In Your Feels

This month’s free recipe for all is for a dish that I’d eat on my deathbed. But here I am, writing about it on the day that the Supreme Court struck down Affirmative Action.

The decision strikes a devastating blow to the progress made toward achieving equity and diversity in this country. It reinforces that higher education will be a luxury only available to an already privileged group of people.

I was one of two international students at the private college I attended in Portland, Oregon. Their idea of diversity and inclusion was laughable, but I was there. I was possibly the scapegoat for the school to meet some kind of quota or whatever. But the joke’s on them because the network that I built and the mentors I found opened doors for me in ways that I still benefit from today. What will schools look like next year? How will this impact the access and chances for BIPOC to be in positions of power, lead government, and influence policy?

What I know, is that the court’s decision ignores this country’s long history of racist policies and practices that continue to harm, disadvantage, and limit opportunities for communities of color.

Estoy enchilada.

It’s precisely what we say in México when one is fuming. So here’s my recipe for aguachile so that you as an ally, or as someone who belongs to a marginalized group affected by these redlining policies can make when in your feels.

Aguachile is the kind of dish that transports you to a beach in México and one that leaves you feeling euphoric from the high acid of the lime juice. At the heart of it, aguachile is raw seafood marinated in chile water. This aguachile is more herby than spicy. The heat from the serrano is beautifully tempered by fresh mint and cilantro. If you want more heat and you’re extra mad, keep the seeds in the serranos and perhaps add one or two more chiles.

The sauce is meant to be bright and spicy, but if you need to balance out the acidity of the lime juice or the heat of the chiles, add one tablespoon of water at a time to your taste. The olive oil isn’t all that traditional, but it provides an incredibly creamy mouthfeel when the sauce is whirled in the blender and poured all over the scallops. If you want a classic aguachile sans the mint, I published a recipe for Aguachile Verde on The Spruce Eats and I go over the many different styles of aguachile such as natural, rojo, and negro. It’s a great heat-wave read.

The world is on fire, but so is this aguachile.

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Minty Aguachile

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 pound fresh scallops, sliced crosswise ¼ inch thick
Kosher salt
1 small yellow or red onion, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
1 small cucumber (from one 6oz cucumber), peeled and seeded, sliced thinly
½ cup fresh lime juice, (from about 8 large limes)
2 serrano chiles, stemmed and seeded, or more to taste
½ cup cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 avocados, halved, thinly sliced, and cut into thirds
Tostadas or totopos for serving

Step 1

In a large non-reactive shallow bowl such as glass or ceramic, add scallops and season on both sides with 1 teaspoon salt. Leave at room temperature while you prepare the aguachile.

Step 2

In a small bowl, cover onions with ice water, this step mellows them out and helps them get extra crunchy.

Step 3

Season cucumbers with ½ teaspoon salt. Set aside.

Step 4

In a blender, combine lime juice, serranos, cilantro, 2 tablespoons water, olive oil, and 1 teaspoon salt; blend on high until smooth.

Step 5

Pour aguachile over scallops and season scallops with lots of freshly ground black pepper. Drain onions and scatter them all over along with cucumbers and avocado. Let sit for 5 minutes or up to 20 minutes if you prefer the scallops to be firmer.

Step 6

Serve the aguachile with a stack of tostadas or totopos, spooning the sauce on each bite or tipping the bowl to drink the most electric jugo verde of your life.

Recipe Variation

Substitute scallops for 1 pound of large shrimp, shelled, deveined, and butterflied. For a plant-based version, I love using sliced young coconut to mimic the tender texture and sweet flavor of raw scallops.

Note

When buying scallops, make sure to ask the fishmonger for fresh (not thawed or previously frozen) and dry scallops. Unlike wet scallops, dry scallops are not treated with sodium tripolyphosphate. This additive is used to preserve scallops when they are harvested and plump them up before freezing. When wet scallops are thawed, they are well, wet with that soapy metallic-like chemical flavor that will ruin any raw preparation. When cooked, wet scallops are nearly impossible to sear and develop a nice crust because they are, you guessed it, wet! I trust no one so I always ask to see the label on the box or bag where they’re pulled from to be sure before I shell out my hard-earned scallop money. So extra and so smart! Dry scallops always.