Have you tried aguachile? Similar to ceviche, this stellar dish used to only be known on the west coast of Mexico (and once in a blue moon, you’d come across it in Mexico City), but now it’s quite popular.

Chef Rick Bayless, a Top Chef Master and host of Mexico–One Plate at a Time, put this dish in the spotlight by preparing it at Aspen FOOD & WINE Classic this year!

“It’s all the rage because it’s a dish that has Mexican flavor,“ he said, “but is served like what we would call a crudo dish in the U.S.”

This dynamic plate of spicy, limey, sliced raw seafood is one of the signatures at Chef Bayless’ restaurant, Leña Brava. If you order it there, you’ll enjoy it with scallops, but at Aspen, he made it with Verlasso Salmon.

For the perfect summer entree full of flavor (especially with its spicy lime broth featuring raicilla – a rustic, fire-roasted agave spirit), try making it at home using his delicious recipe below!

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(Serves 6)

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 and ¼ pound (20 ounces) boneless, skinless Verlasso Salmon fillet, cut on the bias in ¼” pieces

  • 3 large fresh serrano chiles, thinly sliced, seeds and all

  • ½ small red onion, very thinly sliced

  • 1 large cucumber (for this preparation, an English/hothouse cucumber or a couple of the pickling cucumbers from the farmer’s market), thinly sliced, then slices cut into half moons

  • 1 large avocado, pitted, flesh scooped from the skin and cut into medium cubes

For the Spicy Lime Broth:

  • ½ large large cucumber, peeled and roughly chopped

  • 2 fresh serrano chiles, stemmed and roughly chopped

  • 1 cup lime juice

  • 1/3 to ½ cup raicilla or tequila

  • A generous teaspoon salt

  • ½ teaspoon sugar

DIRECTIONS 

Scoop equal amounts of the cut salmon onto 6 serving plates. Strew each plate with serrano slices, red onion slices, cucumber half-moons, diced avocado and cilantro leaves.

In a blender jar, combine the cucumber, serrano chiles, lime juice, raicilla or tequila, salt and sugar. Blend until smooth, then strain.

Pour a portion of the spicy lime “broth” over each plate of salmon and serve right away.

Is there a seafood dish that is relatively unknown, but you think deserves attention? Share it with us on Twitter!