Shrimp Ceviche is an easy-to-make Mexican ceviche recipe that makes a great appetizer.
What is Ceviche?
Ceviche is a Latin American recipe for raw fish (or shrimp) marinated in lime (and sometimes lemon) juice. The acid in the lime juice breaks down the proteins in the fish, causing it to become opaque and producing a firm texture.
In this recipe for shrimp ceviche, the shrimp is not prepared raw as in classic ceviche recipes. Instead, the shrimp is lightly boiled and steamed before marinating it in lime juice. So if you have any reservations about eating ceviche because of the raw fish, this recipe does not use raw fish.
Ingredients needed:
- lime juice and lime wedges
- shrimp
- onion
- fresh cilantro
- ketchup
- hot sauce
- extra virgin olive oil
- jicama
- cucumber
- avocado
- sea salt
- tortilla chips, for serving
How to make Shrimp Ceviche:
The full, printable recipe is at the end of this post. The first step is lightly cooking/steaming and marinating the shrimp.
Bring 1 quart of salted water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of the lime juice. Add the shrimp, cover and return to a boil. Immediately remove from heat, set the lid askew and pour off all of the liquid. Replace the cover and let the shrimp steam off the heat for 10 minutes. Spread out the shrimp in a large bowl to cool completely. Toss the shrimp with the remaining 1/2 cup lime juice, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Next, prepare the flavors that you’ll be adding to the shrimp. In a small strainer, rinse the onion under cold water, then shake off the excess liquid. Add the onion to the shrimp along with cilantro, ketchup, hot sauce, olive oil, jicama, cucumber and avocado. Taste and season with salt (about 1/2 teaspoon). Cover and refrigerate if not serving immediately.
Serve with plenty of tortilla chips for dunking. This appetizer is so delicious that you may enjoy having more than one serving!
I love the crunch of the cucumber and jicama in this shrimp ceviche. And the avocado adds a nice, delicious touch too.
For a fun serving idea, divide this ceviche into six martini glasses. Place a lime wedge on the side of the glass so people can squeeze a little lime juice on top, if they wish. I like to display little forks too, in case there are people who prefer to eat the ceviche without chips. Enjoy!
Mexican appetizer recipes:
If you happen to be following the Weight Watchers WW plan, you’ll find a link to the WW Points on the recipe card below.
Shrimp Ceviche
Ingredients
SHRIMP:
- ½ cup (plus 2 tablespoons) freshly squeezed lime juice (divided)
- 16 ounces peeled and de-veined small-ish shrimp (41/50 count per pound)
FLAVORS:
- ½ medium white onion, finely chopped
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro (plus extra sprigs, for garnish)
- ½ cup ketchup
- 1 to 2 tablespoons hot sauce (like Cholula)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup peeled and diced jicama
- ½ cup diced cucumber
- 1 medium ripe avocado (peeled, pitted and cubed)
- sea salt, to taste
FOR SERVING:
- lime wedges
- tortilla chips
Instructions
PREPARE THE SHRIMP:
- In a medium saucepan, bring 1 quart of salted water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of the lime juice. Add the shrimp, cover and return to a boil. Immediately remove from heat, set the lid askew and pour off all of the liquid. Replace the cover and let the shrimp steam off the heat for 10 minutes. Spread out the shrimp in a large bowl to cool completely. Toss the shrimp with the remaining ½cup lime juice, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
PREPARE THE FLAVORS:
- In a small strainer, rinse the onion under cold water, then shake off the excess liquid. Add the onion to the shrimp along with cilantro, ketchup, hot sauce, olive oil, jicama, cucumber and avocado. Taste and season with salt (about 1/2 teaspoon). Cover and refrigerate if not serving immediately.
SERVE:
- Spoon the ceviche into small bowls or martini glasses, garnish with cilantro sprigs and slices of lime. Serve with tortilla chips.
Notes
- The ceviche is best eaten the day it's made. It can be prepared and combined a few hours ahead of time.
- Nutritional information is for the ceviche only. Tortilla chips should be counted as extra.
- If preparing this recipe as gluten-free, just be sure to use a brand of ketchup that is known to be GF.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
