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With just 15 minutes of active time and 30 minutes in fresh lime juice, you can make bright and citrusy Shrimp Ceviche that’s tender and never rubbery.
I’ve ordered my share of disappointing Shrimp Ceviche that was either too soft and acidic mush or rubbery without much flavor. That’s not what you’ll get with this recipe. Instead of entirely relying on lime juice for curing, I like to par-cook the shrimp in a seasoned aromatic bath to control the texture and infuse it with flavor before it even touches the citrus.
Along with the bright citrus, this Mexican-style ceviche has crisp vegetables and buttery avocado for even more flavor and crunch than the simpler Peruvian-style. It’s a reliably delicious way to serve a crowd-pleasing appetizer without worrying about the nuances of cooking raw fish in acid.
Table of Contents
Recipe at a Glance
- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Total time: 48 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings
- Skill level: Easy
Shrimp Ceviche Ingredients
Shrimp Ceviche Ingredients
- Raw Shrimp: I like to use medium shrimp for the best flavor and texture. For convenience look for shrimp that’s already peeled and deveined, but not cooked. If you use frozen shrimp, thaw them completely before poaching.
- Fine Sea Salt: Don’t use iodized table salt or the flavor won’t be the same.
- Whole Black Peppercorns: The same ones you use to fill your pepper grinder.
- Roma Tomatoes: Firm but ripe Roma tomatoes work best for ceviche because they have less moisture, so they hold their diced shape.
- English Cucumber: Look for cucumbers that are firm all the way to the ends. English or diva cucumbers are best because they don’t need to be peeled. If you use a standard cucumber, peel it and scoop out the seeds if they’re large.
- Radishes: Look for firm, bright red radishes to add flavor and crunch.
- Jalapeño: Remove the seeds and membrane (with gloves) if you want a mild version, or swap in a serrano chile for more heat.
- Cilantro: Use the fresh cilantro leaves for the bowl, but save the stems for the poaching liquid. They have a concentrated flavor that’s often wasted.
- Avocado: Look for an avocado that is ripe but still firm enough to hold its shape when diced.
- Tortilla Chips: or plantain chips for serving
Why This Recipe Works
- Aromatic poaching liquid: Boiling the shrimp with lime, salt, and cilantro stems seasons the shrimp from the inside out instead of just on the surface.
- Short steep time: A three minute poach in hot water offers peace of mind that the shrimp are safe to eat and will stay tender instead of over-marinating in citrus juices.
- Radish for texture: Adding thinly sliced radishes gives you a sharp, clean crunch that you don’t get from cucumber alone.
- Late avocado addition: Folding in the avocado just before serving means the diced pieces don’t fall apart or turn brown.
How to Make Shrimp Ceviche
Poach and shock the shrimp: Poach shrimp until just cooked through in boiling water seasoned with salt, lime wedges, peppercorns and cilantro stems. Transfer to ice water to cool. When cool, pat dry and cut into bite size pieces.
Combine the ingredients and chill: Toss the chopped shrimp with the vegetables and lime juice, then cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Add avocado and serve: After the 30 minute chill, fold in the diced avocado and serve right away with tortilla chips for dipping.
Pro Tips
- Carefully pat the shrimp dry after the ice bath: Use a paper towel or clean kitchen towel to soak up any excess water after the ice bath to avoid diluting the ceviche flavor or making it watery.
- Uniform dicing: Try to dice the vegetables to a similar size as the shrimp so you get a little of everything in each bite.
- Use a large bowl: Here’s one I’ve had to learn a few times: give yourself plenty of room to toss the ingredients gently so you don’t damage the avocados or make a big mess on your countertop.
Make-Ahead and Storage
It is best to eat Shrimp Ceviche the day you make it. You can chop the vegetables and poach the shrimp a few hours ahead of time, but wait to combine the shrimp with the lime juice and vegetables until 30 minutes before serving. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator to eat within 24 hours. Note that the longer the shrimp sits in the lime juice, the firmer it will get.
More Must Try Seafood Appetizers
- Mexican Shrimp Cocktail
- Tuna Tartare
- Tuna Ceviche
- Bacon Wrapped Scallops
- Scallop Crudo
- Scallop Ceviche
Shrimp Ceviche
Video
Ingredients
For the Shrimp
- 1 pound medium shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt for seasoning water
- 1 lime cut into wedges plus more for juicing and optional wedges for serving
- 1 teaspoon peppercorns
- 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves reserve stems for shrimp cooking water
Other Ceviche Ingredients
- 4 Roma Tomatoes seeded and diced small
- 1 medium cucumber peeled and diced small
- 3 radishes thinly sliced, slices quartered
- 1/3 cup finely diced red onion
- 1 medium jalapeño finely diced or serrano chile, seeds and membrane removed (recipe note #1)
- 6 tablespoons fresh lime juice juice from about 3 limes
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt plus more to taste
- 1 medium avocado
- microgreens for garnish, optional
- tortilla chips for serving
Instructions
- Prepare ice bath for shrimp.
- Bring 2 quarts water, kosher salt, lime wedges (squeeze juice out into pot as well as adding wedges), peppercorns and reserved cilantro stems to boil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and cover; remove from heat and let stand 3 minutes, until just cooked through. Transfer with slotted spoon to ice bath.
- When shrimp are cool, lift out of ice bath with slotted spoon. Pat dry and chop into 1/2-inch pieces; transfer to a large bowl.
- To shrimp add tomatoes, cucumber, radishes, red onion, jalapeño, cilantro and lime juice; gently stir to combine. Season to taste with kosher salt and gently stir again. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.
- When ready to serve, peel, seed and dice avocado. Add to ceviche and gently stir in to combine. Transfer to serving bowl and garnish with microgreens if desired. Serve with tortilla chips and lime wedges (optional).
Notes
- For a spicier version, leave seeds and membrane or use serrano chiles which tend to be spicier. Wear gloves when preparing raw chiles as their liquid can severely irritate your skin.
- If you prefer a shrimp heavy ceviche: use 1/2 cucumber instead of a whole, 2 tomatoes instead of 4, and, optionally, reduce red onion to 1/4 cup.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I love this, Marissa. It’s my favorite summertime appetizer. Love it on a hot day, late afternoon with a glass of something cold and bubbly. 😀 ~Valentina
I love how you think, Valentina!
Oh this actually looks such a wonderful summer appetizers or salad base – fresh, bright, and happy! I don’t think I’ve ever had Shrimp Ceviche, but j definitely need to make it soon.
Thanks, Ben! I’m excited for you to try it!
This just screams summer to me! This is a great excuse to get some neighbors together and have a fun snack and beers together on the back porch. Thanks for the inspiration!
I love how you think, David!