This Easy Shrimp Ceviche is bursting with colors and flavors! This recipe uses frozen, cooked shrimp to keep it quick and easy. It is delicious eaten with tortilla chips!
The first time that I tried shrimp ceviche was in September when I was in California, love at first bite. Vanessa and I had the pleasure of traveling to San Diego to visit her sister, Giana. This was the first time that I had met Giana in person and the first time that I had ever visited California. It was a wonderful trip of many firsts!
Throughout the week, Giana welcomed us upon her magic carpet and showed us such an amazing time. We visited Universal Studios (we even got to do the Halloween Horror Nights which was terrifying but oh so fun!), got to visit the Griffith Observatory, and tasted so much great food.
Did I mention that we ate so much good food? Haha, but seriously, Im the type of person that will rate a vacation solely based on my tastebuds. For this vacay, it gets a 10/10.
The second to last day of our trip, Giana took us out for lunch to celebrate hers and Vanessas dads birthday. We landed in a restaurant named Coasterra which provided us absolutely stunning views of the bay. Everything that I tasted from there made my tastebuds dance – including my coconut margarita!
However, the food that stood out to me the most, was the ceviche clasico. As a lover of fish and seafood, I was surprised that I had never tasted anything like this before. But, I will say that Im glad my first experience was at that restaurant! What a fab first impression it made. Everything was so fresh and full of flavor.
Ceviche is an appetizer that is typically made from raw, fresh fish or seafood. The raw fish is not cooke using heat, however it is “cured” by marinating it in lemon or lime juice for about an hour.
If using raw fish or shrimp, I highly recommend sourcing out the freshest meats that you can find.
For this recipe, I decided to keep things simple and oh so easy by sticking with frozen, cooked shrimp. The shrimp still marinates in the lemon and lime juice and soaks up the flavors beautifully!
Yes, you can use frozen shrimp for this recipe (in fact, most “fresh” shrimp you buy at the market is actually defrosted frozen shrimp), but you’ll need to thaw it first.
How to Make Shrimp Ceviche
- Begin by chopping up the shrimp. Add to a large bowl. Squeeze the juice from lemon and limes over the shrimp. Add in the salt, and garlic powder. Cover in cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- While the shrimp is marinating, dice the onions, tomatoes, cucumber and avocado. Chop the celery. Set all aside.
- Add all chopped ingredients to bowl of shrimp and combine with a spoon. Serve with tortilla chips or on tostadas and enjoy!
Easy Shrimp Ceviche Recipe
FAQ
Is frozen shrimp okay for ceviche?
Can you make ceviche with frozen seafood?
Can I use frozen shrimp instead of raw?
Can you make ceviche with shrimp from the grocery store?
Is shrimp ceviche safe?
The safety of traditional shrimp ceviche depends entirely on the shrimp. While citrus juice has antimicrobial properties, it doesn’t fully “cook” the crustacean in the same way as, say, poaching. Like sushi, ceviche is totally safe as long as the shrimp is fresh and free of any harmful bacteria or parasites.
Can I eat raw shrimp?
Eating raw shrimp is not recommended. Raw shrimp can contain bacteria that can cause food poisoning. It is also a good source of purines, which can trigger gout attacks. If you want to eat shrimp, cook it thoroughly to reduce the risk of food poisoning and to help prevent gout attacks. Cook shrimp until it is opaque and pink to ensure that it is safe to eat.
Can you use frozen shrimp for ceviche?
After all, I like plenty of ceviche—all ceviche, really. Using frozen shrimp isn’t ideal—in the perfect world, I would shop for a fresh flaky white fish like yellowtail, grouper, fluke, flounder, hogfish, corvina, or fresh Key West shrimp.
Do you need to defrost shrimp for ceviche?
For measurements, see the recipe card below. Shrimp – You’ll need peeled, deveined shrimp with the tails removed for this shrimp ceviche recipe. If it’s frozen, defrost it first, either in the fridge overnight or in a bowl of cold water the day-of. You can use raw shrimp or cooked shrimp in any size — see the method below.