Easy Shrimp Ceviche Recipe with raw or cooked shrimp that is cool, zesty, and refreshing. Dip into shrimp ceviche with tortilla chips, spread on a tostada shell or add to tacos.
Our other family shrimp favorites include these shrimp tacos, bang bang shrimp and grilled shrimp skewers.
Table of Contents
Shrimp ceviche is one of those high end healthy appetizers I never order in a restaurant because it is so expensive. Truth be told we barely even go to restaurants except for sushi!
I used to wait all year round for our yearly all-inclusive vacation to eat my fair share of a ceviche. No more! This cool, zesty and refreshing shrimp ceviche recipe is so easy to make at home. Once you get over a fear of “eating raw seafood”, you will keep making ceviche with shrimp all year round.
And to clarify, you will not eat raw shrimp as lime juice will “cook” it. You can also use cooked shrimp, no problem.
What Is Shrimp Ceviche?
I will explain in my own words. Ceviche is raw seafood “cooked” in lime juice for a few hours. Then mixed with traditional flavors like jalapeno, cilantro, red onion, avocado, tomato etc.
I can guarantee you there are a million variations of this shrimp salsa recipe. Ceviche cocktail with clamato juice, hot sauce and ketchup. With addition of cucumber or mango. And so on.
Ingredients for Shrimp Ceviche
- Shrimp: Use the most affordable shrimp as you will dice it anyways. It can be fresh or frozen. The smaller shrimp size, the cheaper it is. Best shrimp is to buy fresh, firm and with a pleasant smell, from your local fishmonger. But reality is we all shop at supermarkets and often buy frozen shrimp. I used raw peeled and deveined shrimp with tail on, 31-40 count per pound. Wild caught is better, of course. You can also make ceviche recipe with cooked shrimp. Please see FAQs below.
- Limes: Use fresh limes and not bottled lime juice, it’s huge difference in taste. You can also use freshly squeezed lemon or orange juice for a different flavor.
- Red onion: Adds sweetness and a zest. White onion is great too. Yellow onion would be too sharp.
- Tomato: I like to use tomato on the vine because it’s quite fragrant for a greenhouse grown tomato. Roma tomatoes or beefsteak tomatoes would be great too!
- Avocado: It adds creaminess to the dish. Use avocado that’s not too soft so it can withstand a gentle stirring.
- Cilantro: It adds freshness. If you are not a fan, use fresh parsley.
- Jalapeno: For a heat kick. If you love spicy food, keep more seeds. For less spice, de-seed it before mincing.
- Salt and pepper.
How to Make Shrimp Ceviche
Here is how to make shrimp ceviche recipe with raw shrimp in step-by-step in photos. You can find full recipe card below.
- Place 1 pound of shrimp in a large bowl and cover with warm tap water. Let shrimp thaw for 10 minutes.
- Drain and give shrimps a gentle squeeze.
- Cut small shrimp in half lengthwise and large shrimp into 4 long stripes.
- Then dice the shrimp. You want small pieces of shrimp with each bite.
- Pour fresh lime juice over diced shrimp in a bowl and stir.
- Refrigerate shrimp mixture in acidic marinade for 1.5-2 hours or until pink and opaque.
- Your shrimp is now “cooked” and ready to be combined with other ingredients to make homemade ceviche.
- Add red onion, tomato, cilantro, avocado and jalapeno. Stir gently and enjoy!
How to Juice Limes Properly
OK, friends. You can use a shortcut with cooked shrimp but don’t even think about bottled lime juice. It is not the same taste plus a ton of preservatives. Yikes!
You need 3/4 cup fresh lime juice. That’s about 6-8 large limes depending how fresh, juicy and big your limes are.
- Roll limes on a cutting board pressing with your hand. Helps to release juice from the flesh.
- Cut limes in halves.
- Squeeze juice using this squeezer. Limes are not lemons. I find lemon rimmer doesn’t work as well.
- You should end up with 3/4 cup lime juice. Discard the skins.
Variations
The beauty of any ceviche recipe is that you can make it your own by adding seafood, vegetables and even fruit up to your tastes. Of course, it would not be an authentic ceviche but I am sure it will taste good either way.
- Other seafood: Replace some of the shrimp with small pieces of firm white fish, scallops, crab or octopus.
- Lemon juice: Use half fresh lemon juice and half fresh lime juice for more refreshing flavor.
- Add fresh vegetables or fruit: Like diced cucumber, red bell pepper, green onion, serrano chile pepper, mango or pineapple.
- Make Mexican shrimp ceviche: By adding traditional Mexican spice, Tajin.
- Clamato: Add a bit of clamato to taste to cooked ceviche.
Is It Safe to Eat Ceviche?
Citrus juice is an acid and an agent of denaturation. It breaks down proteins in shrimp making it opaque in color and of firm texture. This method to cook shrimp for ceviche has been used for centuries.
However, from my research experts do not always agree and I recommend to consume it at your own risk. If you are not convinced, just use cooked shrimp or quickly poach the shrimp.
How Long Does It Last?
While I think it’s best to consume ceviche the same day and it never lasts longer than 24 hours in our house, homemade shrimp ceviche will keep fresh in airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
I recommend to use glass container for storage as it is non-reactive with the acidic lime juice.
What to Serve It With?
After you stir cooked shrimp and vegetables together, let shrimp ceviche marinate for 15 minutes. There are several salads that taste so much better with a bit of marinating time like this healthy shrimp salad, Kani salad and more!
I adjust salt and pepper to taste after taste testing the ceviche with a chip. You have to take into consideration that all tortilla chips have different levels of sodium.
- With tortilla chips. Our favorite are organic Kirkland tortilla chips. They are lower in sodium and seem to be not as oily. Set out for your guests or family as a dip.
- Spread on a tostada. You can even make your own healthy tostada shells at home that can be used with any Mexican dish. So much better than store bought. Essentially tostada is a giant tortilla chip.
- In tacos. If you are making fish tacos recipe or any veggie tacos, top with ceviche. Or just make shrimp ceviche tacos!
FAQs
If you are not “brave” enough to make raw shrimp ceviche, make cooked shrimp ceviche. No worries, no judgement here. I was the same until a few weeks ago. Until I saw how perfectly lime juice cooks the shrimp. It was pink after sitting in acid for 1.5 hours!
Many will say ceviche with cooked shrimp is not authentic ceviche but that’s OK. Marinate cooked shrimp in lime juice for only 15 minutes. That’s the only difference.
I don’t recommend to freeze it. It has vegetables and fruit which will become soggy and discolored when thawed.
No, I don’t recommend to make any ceviche the night before because lime juice will overcook the shrimp. Instead, chop the shrimp and vegetables (except avocado), and juice the limes the night before. Store in separate containers and then start “cooking” shrimp about 1.5 hours before serving.
More Shrimp Recipes to Try
- Healthy shrimp salad
- Shrimp stir fry
- Air fryer shrimp
- Shrimp spaghetti
- Bang bang shrimp tacos
- Shrimp egg roll in a bowl
You might also want to peruse through all of my shrimp recipes and Mexican inspired dishes!
Best Ever Shrimp Ceviche Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb raw or cooked shrimp peeled, deveined & tails off
- 3/4 cup fresh lime juice 6 large limes
- 1 large tomato diced
- 1 large avocado diced
- 1/2 cup red onion minced
- 1/2 cup cilantro minced
- 1 jalapeno seeded & diced
- Salt and pepper to taste (I added about 1/2 tsp salt)
Instructions
- If using frozen shrimp, add it to a medium bowl and cover with warm tap water. Let thaw for 10 minutes.
- In the meanwhile, squeeze juice from limes and add to a large bowl. Please do not use bottled juice.
- Drain shrimp and give it a gentle squeeze. Dice it and add to the bowl with lime juice.
- Marinate cooked shrimp for 15 minutes; raw shrimp for 1.5 hours or until opaque and pink. Acid will "cook" the shrimp.
- While shrimp is marinating, dice tomato, avocado, red onion, cilantro and jalapeno and add to another bowl. Refrigerate if making ceviche with raw shrimp. I also recommend to dice avocado right before combining shrimp with veggies to avoid brown avocado.
- Add vegetables to the bowl with shrimp, stir and add salt and pepper to taste. Remember tortilla chips are salty. So I would salt after the taste test with a chip.
- Serve cold with chips, on a tostada and even in tacos.
Video
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate covered for up to 2 days. Do not freeze.
Love this recipe! Perfection!!
I have made this several times now. It’s amazing!
I serve it with Tostada shells,
It’s always a hit!
Delicious!!!👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Awesome!😊
Looking forward to trying this recipe. One question, do you drain off the lime juice before adding the vegetables; or add vegetable to shrimp in the lime juice?
No need to drain. Just add veggies to it. Enjoy!
Hi Daphne. I combine lime juice with a half cup of fresh orange juice and reserve half of the mixture. I submerge the shrimp in the first half for about 30 minutes and then drain that. Then, I add the vegetables and add the remaining juice. I just feel like it’s cleaner that way. But that’s just my little idiosyncrasies.
I made this and brought it to a potluck and it lasted an hour! Super easy and delicious, thank you.
Awesome! Super glad to hear this shrimp ceviche was a hit!
Tried this recipe for the first time for a small bbq I had at the house with a dozen close friends. It lasted about 7 minutes!! No joke. This is my go to. Easy to make and packed with amazing flavors and textures. I make it with raw Argentinian red shrimp. It’s amazing. Enjoy!! You won’t regret this one
OMG!! This was divine! My husband and I are eating Raw for 21 days and I was looking for more recipes when I came across your ceviche recipe. I already had frozen shrimp, so I was eager to try this. I made it last night and it was so delicious. My husband doesn’t eat shrimp so he did not eat any, but this was the best ceviche I’ve ever tasted. I added cucumbers and followed the recipe for the other items. I wanted tortilla chips so bad, but I resisted. Will be making again!
We absolutely love this recipe! Didn’t change a single thing. So good!!
So nice of you to say, so happy you loved it!
Great and easy recipe! I made it for dinner and put it over rice. Will be making again!