Island Bites: Tasting Aguachile, Mexico’s Version of Ceviche

By Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon
CJ Travel Editor

I’ve never met a ceviche I didn’t like. Fish, shrimp, mixto ¬¬¬– I’ve devoured them all with gusto, and for me, no trip to Mexico’s Caribbean Coast is complete without least a bowl a day.

But on a recent jaunt to Puerto Morelos (a now-sleepy-but-not-for-long village between Cancun and Playa del Carmen) I made a seafood salad discovery that just might replace ceviche in my heart. The newfound object of my affection? Aguachile.

This Mexican specialty is prepared with peeled and halved raw shrimp, which is marinated in lime juice spiked with habanero, serrano or jalapeno peppers, and then tossed with cilantro and red onion.

At El Merkadito, the rustic beachfront restaurant where I made aguachile’s acquaintance, the whole shebang is topped with slices of cucumber and fresh avocado, its creamy mellow flavor tempering the peppery zing of the citrus marinade. Delicioso!

Alas, I haven’t yet found anywhere that serves aguachile here in Miami.

But I’m on the case. And if all else fails, American Airlines offers several daily non-stops to Cancun. My newest food crush awaits, less than two hours away…