Shrimp ceviche is a flavorful rainbow of citrus-cured shrimp swimming with an array of fresh diced fruits and vegetables. It’s perfect for parties and bursting with bright, refreshing flavors!
Why this recipe works
This highly versatile South American dish typically begins with raw fish that’s cured with lime and is accompanied by a plethora of fruits and veggies. Today, we’re taking the extra step to quickly poach the shrimp in a bath of boiling water before tossing it with citrus juice. Then, we’re dicing up some flavorful cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, serrano peppers, avocado, and cilantro and combining it all together to make the most refreshing seafood appetizer.
Ceviche has many different variations from tuna, mahi mahi, halibut, to shrimp and beyond. Depending on where the recipe is rooted, it’s either enjoyed wrapped in a lettuce leaf, served as an appetizer with dippers (similar to a mango salsa with shrimp), or accompanied by sweet potato, maize, or avocado as a complete meal.
Ingredients you will need
Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.
Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions
SHRIMP – Shrimp cooks very quickly. We will first poach the shrimp, then toss it in the citrus juices to continue to cure. Be sure to rinse in cold water as directed. If desired, you can use precooked shrimp for this recipe. You may also enjoy it raw with only the citrus juice (no poaching) – but don’t skip the citrus juice if you’re going this route! Raw, citrus-soaked ceviche is not recommended for those that are immunocompromised or pregnant. Please follow our poaching directions below if you are concerned about consuming raw seafood.
CITRUS – Fresh is much better than bottled when it comes to this recipe. The acid in the juices is what will actually help cure the shrimp. For 1 cup of lemon juice, you will need about 5-6 lemons. For 1 cup of lime juice, you will need 8-9 limes.
ADDITIONS – We’re using cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, serrano peppers, and avocado. Try to dice all your fruits and vegetables the same size. You can substitute the serrano peppers with jalapenos if desired and either add in or substitute mango for avocado.
How to Make Shrimp Ceviche
These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.
- Fill a large saucepan 3/4 full with water and bring to a rolling boil. Add shrimp to pot and stir twice. Immediately drain the shrimp into a colander or remove with a slotted spoon.
- Rinse shrimp in a colander with cold water to stop the cooking process.
- Add lemon and lime juices to a large bowl. Add shrimp to the bowl and allow to sit, submerged, for 10 minutes. Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon to another large bowl. Do not discard citrus juices
- To the shrimp, add the remaining ingredients and using gloved hands, toss well.
- Add about 1/4 of the reserved lemon and lime juice and toss again. You can discard the remaining juices at this point.
- Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at minimum 30 minutes, or up to 8 hours.
Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips
Store any leftovers in an air-tight container kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Yes, using our method, absolutely. I would recommend holding off on the avocado until you are ready to serve to avoid it from browning. You can prepare it 6-8 hours in advance and store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to enjoy.
Serving Suggestions
Serve shrimp ceviche with crispy tortilla chips, plantain chips, sweet potato chips, or tucked inside lettuce bowls. This dish is the perfect party appetizer but can also be enjoyed as a meal alongside rice.
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Shrimp Ceviche
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
- 1 pound raw large shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 cup lemon juice squeezed from 5-6 lemons
- 1 cup lime juice squeezed from 8-9 limes
- 2 cups diced cucumbers skin on
- 2 cups diced roma tomatoes
- 1 ½ cups diced red onion
- 2 serrano peppers diced, about 2 Tablespoons
- 1 avocado chopped
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Things You’ll Need
- Large saucepan or dutch oven
- Slotted spoon or colander
Before You Begin
- Fresh citrus juice is much better than bottled when it comes to this recipe. The acid in the juices is what will actually help cure the shrimp. For 1 cup of lemon juice, you will need about 5-6 lemons. For 1 cup of lime juice, you will need 8-9 limes.
- Shrimp cooks very quickly. The process described above will poach the shrimp and then when placed in the citrus juices, the shrimp will continue to cure. Be sure to rinse in cold water as directed.
- You can prepare this dish 6-8 hours in advance and store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to enjoy. I would recommend holding off on the avocado until you are ready to serve to avoid it from browning.
- Store any leftovers in an air-tight container kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Instructions
- Fill pan 3/4 full with water and bring to a rolling boil. Add shrimp to pot and stir twice. Immediately drain the shrimp into a colander or remove with slotted spoon.
- Rinse shrimp in colander with cold water to stop the cooking process.
- Add lemon and lime juices to a large bowl. Add shrimp to the bowl and allow to sit, submerged, for 10 minutes.
- Remove shrimp with slotted spoon to another large bowl. Do not discard citrus juices.
- To the shrimp, add remaining ingredients and using gloved hands, toss well. Add about 1/4 of the reserved lemon and lime juice and toss again. You can discard the remaining juices at this point.
- Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at minimum 30 minutes, or up to 8 hours.
Nutrition
Chef Antoine Davis
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Lizet says
Sorry but that is not Ceviche, is a shrimp salad….I understand cook is creativity but why don’t create a “name”; Ceviche is a form to preserve seafood basically with citrus and very few ingredients, salt, lime/lemon, onion and hot pepper (habanero works)
Amanda Formaro says
Thank you for your feedback. If you read the post and the instructions you will see that we do use citrus to cure the shrimp. have a great day.