Mexican-style Shrimp Ceviche is a refreshing appetizer that’s ideal for all kinds of festive occasions. Succulent shrimp, jalapeño, cilantro and buttery avocado along with a medley of cold, crunchy vegetables are tossed in vibrant, tangy fresh lime juice and piled onto tostadas or served with tortilla chips for dipping. It’s a crowd-pleasing recipe that’s easy enough to make any time.
Many countries have their own version of ceviche, so the ingredients included in this dish vary based on the region it’s made in. This Mexican-style Shrimp Ceviche includes jalapenos, cilantro, and tomatoes that are typical to Mexican dishes. The original, Peruvian version was simpler, just raw fish, red onion, aji pepper, and the occasional addition of corn. Another key difference in style is the type of fish used. In Peru, sea bass is usually the central ingredient, but raw shrimp is a favorite in Mexico.
Ceviche is best served chilled or at room temperature. Note that while heat is an effective method for killing the bacteria that cause food poisoning, marinating it in citrus juice is not. So it’s important to use the freshest seafood you can, from a source you trust.
Ingredients You Need to Make Shrimp Ceviche
- Medium Fresh Shrimp: peeled and deveined (you can also thaw frozen shrimp or use pre-cooked shrimp for an even easier version of the recipe)
- Fine Sea Salt
- Lime: fresh lime wedges
- Peppercorns: whole black peppercorns
- Fresh Cilantro: just the raw stems to add flavor to the poaching liquid
- Roma Tomatoes: or other firm, ripe tomatoes
- Cucumber: standard cucumbers or English cucumbers that don’t require peeling
- Radishes: red radishes
- Jalapeño: or serrano chile
- Limes: fresh lime wedges (you can also use other citrus juice like fresh lemon juice or fresh orange juice)
- Fine Sea Salt
- Avocado: ripe avocado that’s firm enough for dicing small
- Tortilla Chips: or plantain chips for serving
Though this shrimp ceviche recipe is a Mexican iteration, ceviche is traditionally a Peruvian dish. It traditionally includes some kind of fresh, raw fish, lime juice, red onion and chili peppers, seasoned simply with salt and pepper. It’s thought to have been consumed in South America for thousands of years, spreading across the continent and eventually up into North America where it was adapted to resemble this recipe. It remains a favorite today in coastal countries from South America to Europe and beyond.
Ceviche is often made with no heat at all, as the acidic marinade causes a chemical reaction that denatures the raw fish, but does not technically “cook” it. This recipe pre-cooks the shrimp before adding it to the other ingredients to avoid any raw seafood concerns. It also infuses the shrimp with the flavors of the dish in a 3-minute steep in vibrantly flavorful boiling hot water.
Ceviche is assembled and chilled, then traditionally served cold. For added flavor and crunch, it’s typically served with tortilla chips for dipping or atop tostadas. You can also enjoy it on its own with a few lime wedges for squeezing over the top.
That’s because it can often contain anasakis worm larvae, also known as seal worm. Everything in the cod family is especially prone to infestation, too, which is why you never see cod sushi.
Bad idea. Under no circumstances should you eat freshwater fish raw or in ceviche that has not been properly frozen first. Remember the only way to get rid of a tapeworm, which can grow longer than 20 feet in your guts (nasty!) — is to take medicine that will kill it. You then need to eject the thing. Ew.
(If you want to learn more on this topic, we did an entire podcast episode on parasites in fish.)
Marinating times make a difference when you are making ceviche. Depending on the size of the fish pieces, you will need at least 30 minutes and normally an hour for the citrus to “cook” the fish. Two hours is fine, but beyond that the ceviche, while still good, becomes more of a pickled fish thing. It’s a subtle difference, but you can taste it.
The reason is because ceviche (sev-ee-chay) is still, for the most part, a raw fish dish.
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FAQ
How is ceviche traditionally eaten?
What is the proper way to eat ceviche?
How long should ceviche sit before eating?
Is it better to let ceviche sit overnight?
How to eat ceviche?
Ice the fish and use chopped red onion. Serve with a pisco sour to get the digestive juices flowing! As this is a raw food dish the ‘shelf life’ of ceviche is quite short. Don’t store the dish for any length of time. An hour after adding lime and the texture of the fish will have changed quite a lot.
What is ceviche made of?
Ceviche (pronounced “seh-VEE-chay”) is a Latin American recipe for raw fish and seafood marinated in citrus juice, mainly lime and lemon. The acid in the citrus denatures the proteins in the fish, causing it to become opaque and producing a firm texture.
Can you eat ceviche in Mexico?
While no heat is applied to the fish, the citric acid denatures the flesh, transforming the transparent, raw pieces of fish into tender chunks of opaque seafood with a citrus kick. Ceviche is a common dish eaten in Mexico and Central and South America. Most countries have their own traditions with how it’s prepared and eaten.
Is ceviche raw?
and there was a zesty new darling in town. Is ceviche actually raw, though? At its core, ceviche is basically fresh seafood steeped in an acidic marinade, most commonly lime or lemon juice. The acid in the citrus forms an extremely low pH condition to denature the fish protein networks, much the same as heating would.