During the heat of summer, it’s nice to have a handful of menu items that require no cooking and little prep.  This shrimp ceviche is full of fresh flavor and can be used as an appetizer or a light dinner.  Shrimp are “cooked” in citrus and combined with jalapenos, tomato, avocado, and onion.  Tortilla chips compliment the ceviche so well, and make putting together this meal a cinch.

Ceviche originated in South America.  It is a dish where fresh seafood is diced and marinated in lemon and lime juice.  The marination process “cooks” the seafood by curing the fish proteins.  The seafood is safe to eat after “cooking” in the lime juice.  For this shrimp ceviche recipe, you can use either pre-cooked or uncooked shrimp. 

Using already cooked shrimp is quick and easy, but it is also a fun experience to make the ceviche in the traditional way by using uncooked shrimp and soaking them in the lemon/lime juice mixture.

How to Make Ceviche with Uncooked Shrimp

To do it this way, simply devein and dice the uncooked shrimp. Mix together the lemon and lime juice and place the diced shrimp in the mixture.  Allow them to marinate for 45 minutes – until the shrimp turn opaque and pink – and then go ahead and proceed with the recipe by dicing and mixing in the remaining ingredients.

Shrimp Ceviche Ingredients

• 1 lb. medium sized shrimp (cooked or uncooked are fine)
• 1 large tomato (1 cup diced tomatoes)
• 1 jalapeno or other hot pepper of your choice
• 1/2 cup finely diced red onion
• 1/2 cup freshly chopped cilantro
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1 tablespoon cocktail sauce or ketchup
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice (about 5 limes)

How to Make the Recipe with Cooked Shrimp

This recipe is so simple to throw together. The first step is to juice all the lemons and limes and combine the juice in a medium sized bowl. Remove the tails and dice the shrimp into large bite-size pieces. If uncooked, place the shrimp into the bowl of juice to marinate for 45 minutes and then proceed. Dice all the remaining ingredients. Add everything to the bowl, along with the cocktail sauce or ketchup, and stir.

The ceviche is ready to eat! You can dive in immediately or leave it to soak for a while before serving. Either way, it’s delicious!

Eat with tortilla chips or just a fork if you want to skip the carbs and calories! The ceviche will keep fresh and delicious for 2-3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.