Shrimp Ceviche

Mexican Appetizers: Shrimp Ceviche (Ceviche de Camarones)

By Carlos Lima | 

 

Ceviche is one of the most popular Mexican appetizers you will come across in the coastal regions of Mexico.  It’s a refreshing, spicy dish that can be made with many different types of seafood, but shrimp ceviche is one of the most popular: raw shrimp cooked by lime juice and marinated with onion, tomato, chile, and then topped off with cilantro and a few other ingredients.  When made properly, shrimp ceviche is to die for!

Ceviche is rather unique among Mexican appetizers in how it is cooked: as I mentioned, it’s the lime juice in the dish that does the job, giving it a refreshing taste that is perfect for hot summer day, or when you feel like eating a Mexican dish with some extra zest, that brings your mouth alive! Throw in some spicy serrano peppers and garlic when the shrimp is cooking and you infuse a little spiciness into the dish to give it that authentic Mexican accent.  So with that, off we go!

Ingredients
(serves two)
shrimp – 200g raw shrimp, medium size work best, otherwise small
limes – 10 medium size ones
white onion – a small one
chile serrano – 1 whole one (or 1/2 if you’re not big on spicy Mexican appetizers)
cilantro – 10 branches (just the leaves)
salt – 1.5 table spoons
black pepper
olive oil – 1 table spoon
avocado – *optional* for finishing the dish off at the end–works great!
roman tomatoes – 3 firm, ripe, medium size ones
worcestershire sauce (I used a brand called “Jugo Maggie”, but any brand will do.  In the US, I believe “Lea & Perrins” is a popular brand.)

Preparation
Clean and devein the shrimp, then dice them into small cubes, about 1/2 cm ideally (for Americans readers, that’s just a bit less than 1/4″).   Then place these cubes into a large and tall/deep bowl.
Dice up the three tomatoes.  Add them to the tall bowl.
Add a table spoon of salt to the bowl and mix it in with the fish.
Add the juice of 10 limes to the bowl.
Chop up a chile serrano into very thin bits and add to bowl.
Chop your onion into small pieces and add to bowl.
Chop the cilantro into fine pieces–into an almost ‘cilantro dust’–and add to bowl.
Add 1 table spoon of olive oil.
Add a few shakes of black pepper.
Add 10 drops of worcestershire sauce.
Thoroughly mix everything together in the bowl with a spoon.

Now let this mixture sit for at least 30 minutes. The longer you let Mexican appetizers like this sit–these ones that need to marinate–the better they will taste.  So if you can, let the ceviche mix sit for a few hours or even half a day: your taste buds will thank you!  Also, let it sit in a refrigerator if possible, because this dish tastes best when served chilled.
When it’s time to eat, serve the shrimp ceviche on tostadas, and garnish with a few slices of avocado if you have one, to make one of the best Mexican appetizers even better.  If serving many guests, simply multiply the ingredient amounts proportionally for this authentic Mexican recipe, and enjoy!  Provecho!