Ceviche is such an underrated recipe. It is so easy to make, easy to take to the office or to the beach and you can eat it with tortilla chips, rice or even just a fork! It is fresh, light and perfect for everything from an appetizer to the main course, lunch or dinner, as a side or the main attraction. Ceviche can do it all and you need to make yourself some soon!
If you are not familiar with ceviche, it is a simple combination of a seafood (shrimp, scallops or white fish), vegetables (typically onions, cucumber, tomato, avocado), cilantro and fresh citrus juice. Sounds amazing, right?
Let’s get it started…
To make your ceviche, you will need 1 pound of peeled and cleaned shrimp, half of a red onion, 1 medium cucumber, 1 small jalapeño, 6 ounces of cherry tomatoes (I used the colorful heirloom ones), a small bunch of cilantro, 1 large avocado, salt and pepper, 1 large lemon, 2 large limes and an orange. If you are using a regular naval orange, 1 will do, but I love using mandarins or clementines for ceviche and you will need 2-3 of these smaller, sweeter versions.
The first step is to prepare your shrimp. Traditionally, ceviche is prepared by allowing the acids in citrus juice to cook very fresh seafood. If you cannot find very fresh shrimp, I would suggest quickly poaching them to be sure that they are cooked through prior to proceeding.
To poach shrimp, bring a medium pot of water up to a boil. As soon as it is boiling, turn the heat off, but leave the pot of water over the burner. Add the shrimp into the hot water and let it sit for 3 minutes. The shrimp it ready when it turns pink. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the poached shrimp onto a cutting board and chop the shrimp into small chunks.
Place the shrimp into a large glass bowl.
Next, dice up half of a red onion and a medium cucumber, mince 1 small jalapeño, quarter 6 ounces of cherry tomatoes and finely chop a handful of cilantro. Add everything in with the shrimp and mix to combine.
Lime juice is traditional in ceviche, but I love using a variety of citrus in this dish (and many others, for that matter!). The addition of lemon juice brings brightness and the orange juice adds a little sweetness. If you want a little more sweetness, use mandarins or clementines, which is what I am using today.
In total, you should have 1 large lemon, 2 large limes and either 1 naval orange or 2-3 mandarins or clementines totaling about 3/4 cup of juice. If you don’t have a lemon or the oranges, just substitute with the citrus that you do have!
Add the citrus juice and a big pinch of salt and black pepper and mix everything well.
Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving. Ceviche can stay in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours, but it is at its best served within 4 hours of making.
Prior to serving, dice 1 avocado and add it to the ceviche…
Toss everything together and take one final taste test to see if you need to add more salt or pepper.
I like to serve ceviche over tostadas. They look so beautiful that way, but there are plenty of others ways to serve this fresh Latin classic. It can be served alongside a big pile of tortilla chips, over a beautiful piece of fish, with rice or a piece of freshly baked flatbread.
This ceviche is just perfect for a fresh, easy lunch or a light summer dinner. It pairs so well with so many things that it is the ultimate appetizer to start any dinner party out right.
Ceviche
Ingredients
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled and cleaned
- 1/2 medium red onion, diced
- 1 medium cucumber, diced
- 1 small jalapeño, minced
- 6 ounces cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 large avocado, diced
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- salt and black pepper
Instructions
- If you want to poach your shrimp, bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil
- As soon as the water comes to a boil, turn off the heat and carefully add the shrimp into the hot water
- Let the shrimp poach in the hot water for 3 minutes and then transfer them onto a cutting board using a slotted spoon
- Cut the fresh or poached shrimp into small chunks and place them into a large glass bowl
- Add the diced red onion, diced cucumber, minced jalapeño, quartered cherry tomatoes and finely chopped cilantro and mix to combine
- Add 1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice, 1/4 cup of fresh lime juice ,1/4 cup of fresh orange juice and a big pinch of salt and pepper into the bowl and mix until everything is fully combined
- Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving
- Immediately before serving, add diced avocado and mix to combine
- Serve chilled with tortillas
- Store in an airtight container for no longer than 24 hours
