Shrimp Ceviche is inherently healthy, which makes it so much more amazing considering how delicious the dish is. Traditionally the dish is made with raw fish that gets “cooked” in lime juice. The lime marinate causes the shrimp (or fish) to firm up and achieve the appearance of having been cooked. However due to different risks associated with this method, we prefer to poach the shrimp prior to making the ceviche.
How to Poach Shrimp
Poaching shrimp is one of the most simple ways to prepare shrimp for any cold dishes, such as ceviche, shrimp cocktails, or salads. Poaching is a delicate cooking method where the shrimp cooks in liquid that’s just below a simmer. It cooks the shrimp perfectly while imparting a tremendous amount of flavor. You can use any liquid you like while poaching, however for this recipe we just use some spruced up water.
Begin by filling a small sauce-pot with water and place it over medium heat. Juice a lime into a bowl and put the peels into the pot of water (reserve the lime juice for later). Bring the water to just under a simmer then add some salt and all of the shrimp.
This process is rather quick, the shrimp will be done in about 3-5 minutes. You want to make sure to not overcook them at all as that will leave you with a dry and undesirable texture. As soon as they get their color they/re basically done, you can test one by cutting it open to make sure it’s cooked through before removing them all. Once you remove the shrimp place them in an ice bath to stop them from overcooking.
And you’re done! Honestly these are delicious to eat all on their own, however ceviche’s even better.
How to Make Shrimp Ceviche
The most important part of creating your ceviche is cutting everything into nice and small bite sized pieces. You want to be able to taste every component in each bite, without any one ingredient overwhelming the other. The ingredients don’t have to be completely uniform but you’ll want to avoid anything being too huge or chunky. Especially the onions and jalapeños! Both onions and jalapeños can be quite unpleasant if someone ends up with a huge chunk.
Step 1: Begin by cutting the shrimp into 3-4 bite sized pieces each then add to a medium container.
Step 2: Next finely dice your onions, tomatoes, avocados, and jalapeños. Add them all to the shrimp, then add the reserved lime juice along with the juice of 1/2 an orange.
Step 3: Add the chopped cilantro, season with salt and pepper, and you’re done!
You can eat it immediately or you can let it sit in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour to really let the flavors come out. Serve with some tortilla chips or eat it just like that!
Ceviche Variations
The easiest customizations are the heat and citrus levels. Do a little less or a little more with the chili, lime, and orange to suit your preferences! Everybody’s different, so use this recipe as a guide to create your perfect balance of flavors.
Shrimp: If you don’t like shrimp or want to add even more seafood you can add scallops, octopus, or any white fish are some great options for ceviche.
Vegetables: This recipe features the most basic ceviche recipe, however you can add any vegetables you like to add some crunch and extra nutrients! We like cucumbers, celery, bell peppers, or anything really! It’s a great way to use up some produce.
Fruit: Ceviche actually pairs quite nicely with various fruits, try adding some diced watermelon, mango, or pineapple!
Shrimp Ceviche
Ingredients
Poached Shrimp
- Water
- ½ lb Medium Shrimp peeled and deveiend
- 1 Lime
- ¼ tsp Salt
Ceviche
- ¼ Small Red Onion
- 1 Medium Tomato diced
- 1 Avocado diced
- 1 Hot Chili Pepper diced and seeded
- ¼ cup Cilantro finely chopped
- ½ Orange
Instructions
- Fill a small saucepot with water and place over medium heat.
- Prepare a medium bowl full of ice and water for after the shrimp are done cooking.
- Squeeze the juice of 1 lime into a small bowl then add the peel of the lime into the saucepot with water. Save the juice for later.
- Bring the water to a simmer then add the whole peppercorns and salt, then add the shrimp. Poach just long enough so that the shrimp is cooked and firm, about 3-4 minutes. You can test the shrimp by cutting one open to make sure it's cooked through.
- Once cooked add the shrimp to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.
- Cut the shrimp into bite sized pieces, about 3-4 pieces per shrimp then add to a bowl. Add the diced avocados and tomatoes to the same bowl.
- Finely dice your onions and chili pepper, make sure there are no huge chunks as both of these ingredients can be unpleasent for some people in large bites. Add to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients.
- Add the chopped cilantro, the reserved juice from the lime, and the juice of ½ an orange. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy!
