Rick Bayless: Shrimp in Aguachilie (recipe)

[Greg Who Cooks]

Recipes from Chef Rick Bayless - Rick Bayless | Frontera

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups fresh lime juice
1 to 2 fresh serrano chiles, stemmed
Salt
1 pound large fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
About 1 cup (loosely packed) cilantro leaves, for garnish

Method

No cook. (See the site for method, cannot quote due to copyright.) More or less just mix it up and serve.


I'm a real ceviche and sashimi fan but I haven't ever seen shrimp that would just eat raw, not because I don't think they'd taste good but because I think they might harbor disease and parasites. Or is that the same reason some people won't eat sashimi?

I "cook" my own ceviche in lime juice for several hours. I eat my tuna sashimi as raw as it gets, but I get my ceviche/sashimi fish from markets that I trust to sell me "sushi grade" raw fish.

Is there sushi grade raw shrimp? All my ebi (shrimp) sushi recipes use quickly/lightly cooked shrimp... Discuss.

 

[Andy M.]

There's no such thing as fresh shrimp around here.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

AFAIK all the shrimp I buy here in Los Angeles is flash frozen, probably on the boat, and freshly thawed at my market (or available still frozen if I want to buy a "brick.")

 

[Andy M.]

I've made shrimp ceviche but used frozen shrimp which I cooked first.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

Yeah that's my issue, not sure if eating raw shrimp is a safe thing.

I think eating raw fish is pretty safe, depending on where you get it and how it's treated. All my raw fish comes frozen, and from reading sushi/sashimi recipe books I understand that a freeze cycle helps kill parasites.

Maybe if the shrimp were subject to a similar freeze cycle?

 

[buckytom]

if there was ever a thread that needed timothy, this is it.

tim taught me that any fish that is served raw, or sushi/sashimi style, needs to be deep frozen (beyond the capabity of a normal fridge's freezer) for 3 days in order for it to be safe to consume.

i've used a lot of live shrimp for bait when fishing, and just the little scratches and cuts that you get from their shell often get sore or actually infected, so i'm not so sure how much i'd like to risk eating shrimp raw or acid cooked.

greg, a search about how amaebi is prepared might shed some light on this. i mean, if even the japanese think most shrimp should be cooked when eating as sushi, ya gotta figure thare's a high risk.

 

[Andy M.]

When I was looking for a shrimp ceviche recipe, a high percentage of them used cooked shrimp.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

tim taught me that any fish that is served raw, or sushi/sashimi style, needs to be deep frozen (beyond the capabity of a normal fridge's freezer) for 3 days in order for it to be safe to consume.

That is my understanding too (from my books). Since I don't catch my own sashimi/sushi fish I've relied on my understanding to select stores that furnish suitable quality fish. When I get my sashimi tuna from the store it's frozen so hard I could almost hammer nails with it.

I have only two markets here in L.A. that satisfy my requirements.

 

[Dawgluver]

if there was ever a thread that needed timothy, this is it.

tim taught me that any fish that is served raw, or sushi/sashimi style, needs to be deep frozen (beyond the capabity of a normal fridge's freezer) for 3 days in order for it to be safe to consume.

Yes indeed.

We go to Cozumel, and a signature dish at many restaurants there is shrimp ceviche. Fresh, locally caught shrimp, prepared, uncooked as far as I know, with lime juice. We have also done snorkel/fishing trips where the captain has cubed up freshly caught fish and made ceviche on the boat. So far, so good, and we have never gotten sick.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

I kind of wish I could try Rick's recipe but I don't trust the healthfulness of my shrimp supply line unless I cook the shrimp.

It probably tastes pretty good, although I'd let the shrimp cook in the lime juice for longer than he states. "Cook" in a chemical way, IOW denaturing the proteins. And particularly, denaturing the proteins of any possible parasites too.

 

[Margi Cintrano]

Fresh Wild Fish, Shellfish & Seafood

Buon Giorno,


Cool subject for a Post ... Thank you for posting.

I have been purchasing wild freshly caught and shipped to the wholesale Fish, Shellfish & Seafood Market, where chefs, hotel chefs and restaurateurs purchase the fresh wild varieties at 6am ...

Restaurateur and Chef Gastón Acuró has told me, In preparing Ceviche, lime is briefly short time employed to marinate the fish of choice or shellfish or seafood selected ... I have followed his classic Peruvian recipe for years ... Mexicans and Chileans also prepare Ceviche, however, the marinade varies slightly.

Sashimi is marinated in Japanese tradition ...

I am accustomed to wild raw fish, and have no issues with it ... I have eaten fresh wild fish in Portugal, Italia, Spain, France and Greece ...

I am not too fond of Farm Raised Fish or Shellfish or Seafood.

Prawns or Shrimp: there are numerous varieties in Spain, most hailing from the southern Atlantic and west coast of Africa and Portugal.

Then, there are the Mediterranean varieties and the Galician NW Spain and Bay of Cantabria Route through Brittany, France Route ... Some are warm weather seasonal and others just November through March.

I love the Spanish "Langostinos" ( large white prawns from southern Atlantic ) and one can see a photo in my recipe: Greek Shrimp Saganaki in the fish section ...

They are wonderful in Ceviche or better yet, Sashimi ...

Have a lovely July 4th,
Ciao, Margi.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

I have never seen sashimi marinated in any way. It's just sliced and served cold, with soy sauce and wasabi.

My issue with the Bayless recipe is that I've never heard of shrimp served raw. When the Japanese serve raw fish precautions have been taken (freezing treatment as described above). I wonder if "store" shrimp are safe to eat raw, although probably much of it or all of it are frozen before selling in most areas.

 

[Margi Cintrano]

Buonasera Greg and Happy 4th,

Prior to Slicing The Wild Fish is Cleaned:

The Chef of Kabuki, a well known Japanese Restaurant located in the Madrid Capital Hotel Wellington, during an interview had told me that:

The wild freshly caught fish used to prepare Sashimi is cleaned with radish root and sake and some Japanese secrets, prior to it being scaled, gutted, sliced and served to people here in Spain and in Japan.

*** Due to my allergy of all soy products, I only eat sashimi with Wasabi, a very light sprinkle of sea salt, and Evoo drizzle very lightly or just Raw Ginger & Wasabi which I love.

Ciao, Have a lovely Wednesday and Holiday.
Margaux Cintrano.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

My research (reading some sushi/sashimi recipe books) indicates that fish must go through a freezing cycle in order to kill parasites. I have forgotten the details regarding time and temperature. It was more or less what BT described in an earlier post.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

Yeah, but how long does his fresh shrimp cook in lime juice? The Bayless recipe is served immediately, before any protein denaturation can occur.

I don't consider traditional ceviche to be raw because of the lime juice cooking. I cook my own ceviche recipe for several hours before serving.

 

[CraigC]

I have never seen sashimi marinated in any way. It's just sliced and served cold, with soy sauce and wasabi.

My issue with the Bayless recipe is that I've never heard of shrimp served raw. When the Japanese serve raw fish precautions have been taken (freezing treatment as described above). I wonder if "store" shrimp are safe to eat raw, although probably much of it or all of it are frozen before selling in most areas.

Commercially harvested, wild shrimp are all pretty much frozen at sea, I believe. How do you know the shrimp used in the recipe haven't been deep frozen first?

I also believe that you cannot peel a fresh shrimp without destroying the flesh. Never tried to do that with shrimp, but I have with fresh spiny lobster, right from the cooler on my boat, still kicking. Doesn't work.

 

[Margi Cintrano]

From well sourced information:

I am aware that they place the shrimp or fish varieties used in Sashimi as well; are placed on Ice on board the ships; and they are cleaned, with radish root and Japanese liquor.

In South America, they utilise Lime to kill bacteria ...

I have also wanted to point out, that many countries in the Mediterranean for example, do not eat fish out of season ... There is an old adage: Months spelt without the letter R; May June, July, August one shall notice there is a limited number of fish varieties and shellfish;

The available in Spain :

fresh white langostinos ( jumbo very light pale pale pink prawns )
fresh sardines
fresh calamari
fresh cod
fresh hake
gambones = jumbo red prawns

Other varieties of wild fish migrate to colder waters in Northern Europe ...

Happy 4th,
Margaux.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

All my Japanese shrimp sushi recipes utilize lightly/quickly cooked then chilled shrimp.

 

[Margi Cintrano]

Greg,

Gaston has his culinary staff prepare, marinate the fish and shellfish or shrimp to be used for Cebiche, for just a few minutes or it would be quite unpleasantly acidic.

*** Fishing Boats - Fish On Ice: this is done in Japan, and EU however, I am uncertain if the fish or shellfish is actually put in a freezer upon delivery ... I know that the wild fish I purchase, is the same as the Chefs and Hotel Restaurateurs are purchasing and if it is frozen, for a few minutes, I am unaware, however, it is tender and lovely when I do buy and not frozen like an iceburg and a corpse !

Have nice day.
Margaux.

 

[Margi Cintrano]

Greg,

I do not care much for Sushi so I have never prepared it at home ... There are so many varieties of Sushi, so there is no one answer.

I prefer Japanese classic Sashimi and Peruvian or Mexican or Chilean Cebiche ...

Happy 4th,
Ciao,
Margaux.