This ceviche recipe is so flavorful from shrimp, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, avocado, cilantro and fresh lime juice. Serve for a light summer meal or as an easy appetizer with tortilla chips!
This appetizer recipe is always a crowd-pleaser along with cowboy caviar, guacamole and my shrimp cocktail recipe!
Table of Contents
Easy Ceviche Recipe
Refreshing and flavorful ceviche recipe combines marinated shrimp with zesty citrus juices, colorful vegetables and fresh herbs for an easy, vibrant appetizer that captures the essence of summer! It’s the perfect balance of tanginess, tenderness, and texture!
This vibrant Latin American shrimp recipe doesn’t even require the stove or oven! Fresh shrimp are ‘cooked’ in lemon and lime juices along with red onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and diced jalapenos. It’s then topped off with some fresh cucumber and avocado for a cool and creamy finish!
What is Ceviche?
Ceviche (pronounced ‘seh-vee-chay’) is traditionally a dish originating in South America, either Peru or Ecuador (no one is quite sure!) and eventually making its way to Mexico and other Central American countries, spreading throughout Latin America. For this reason you may hear ceviche called cebiche, seviche, sebiche or even ceviche de camarón.
It is a dish where fresh raw fish or seafood is ‘cooked’ by marinating it in citrus juices – typically lemon and lime. Chopped fresh veggies are then added to the marinade and everything gets tossed together to create a light and refreshing snack that’s bursting with fresh flavors.
Ceviche Ingredients
You only need a few fresh shrimp ceviche ingredients to make this amazing dish!
- Shrimp: I use raw shrimp in this recipe, but if you’re more comfortable using cooked shrimp, then that’s ok too. Make sure that the shrimp are peeled, deveined, the tails are removed and then diced small.
- Citrus: I use both lemon and lime in this recipe. Use freshly squeezed juice (not bottled). I’ve never tried orange juice, but I hear it’s great too!
- Veggies: This recipe has Roma tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, creamy avocado, and jalapeno. Use the freshest ingredients you can find.
- Herbs and seasoning: I keep it simple with just salt, pepper, and chopped cilantro.
Variations
You can easily add or swap out the ceviche ingredients to your tastes. Switch up the seafood, add more spice, or even make it fruity – get creative!
- Seafood: If you prefer fish to shrimp or shellfish, you can swap for lean white fresh fish (mahi-mahi, cod, tilapia, snapper, sea bass, salmon, halibut). Use only sashimi-grade fish that is safe for raw consumption or cook through and cut into chunks.
- Raw shrimp: Traditional ceviche calls for raw shrimp. It’s important to start with fresh-caught shrimp. The citrus juice works to ‘denature’ the shrimp protein which is similar to what happens when it is cooked with heat. Once the shrimp has sat in the marinade for an hour, it will turn firm and opaque.
- Cooked shrimp: If you are using pre-cooked shrimp meat, you can cut the marinating time down to 15 minutes.
How to Make Ceviche
Follow these four simple steps to make your own Latin-inspired shrimp ceviche recipe!
- Marinate shrimp: Chop the shrimp into ½-inch pieces and place them into a bowl. Squeeze the lime and lemon juices over the top of the shrimp and let it sit in the acidic marinade in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Add veggies: Chop the tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, and cilantro and add to the bowl with the shrimp. Sprinkle over salt and pepper and stir everything together. Chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
- Add cucumber and avocado: Chop the cucumber and avocado and stir it into the bowl before serving. You can strain off some of the juice if you prefer.
- Serve ceviche: I like to serve my Mexican ceviche with Clamato juice, hot sauce, homemade tortilla chips, or tostada.
Expert Tips
Here are a few tips I’ve learned along the way about making the most delicious ceviche.
- Even, bite-sized pieces. Chop your shrimp into bite-sized pieces that are roughly the same size. This helps it to marinate evenly. Also, do the same with your veggies.
- Add avocado and cucumber right before serving. You can prepare the rest of the ceviche a couple of hours in advance, but make sure you only add the avocado and cucumber right before serving. This prevents the cucumber from getting mushy and the avocado from browning.
- Reduce spiciness. If you aren’t into spice, make sure to remove the seeds and ribs from inside the jalapeno pepper before adding it to the ceviche. The seeds and ribs are where most of the heat is. You can also leave the jalapeno out altogether.
Shrimp Ceviche Serving Suggestions
This ceviche can be served as an appetizer or a light snack. I usually serve it with Clamato juice, salsa, hot sauce, and crostini or homemade tortilla chips. You could also pile it high on top of tostadas and serve it with street corn salad for a light summer meal!
It’s also great when used as a salsa for tacos, chicken taquitos or quesadillas. To round out your fiesta, serve it with a glass of this non-alcoholic sangria!
FAQs
It is neither raw nor cooked. The shrimp is marinated in citrus juice which changes the structure of the protein so that it becomes firm and opaque. Much in the same way that cooking with heat does.
Definitely! Most frozen seafood and fish are frozen within 12 hours of catching it, which means it’s fresh when you go to use it. You want to use the freshest shrimp you can find for this recipe.
The shrimp will no longer be translucent and it will have turned a pink and white color.
You can make it up to 1 day in advance and store it in the fridge in an airtight container. Add the avocado and cucumber right before serving.
I like to serve my ceviche once it’s ready, but it should keep for 1-2 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container although it may lose some of it’s crunch. If you have used raw seafood, store for one day. If you have used cooked shrimp, store up to two days.
Looking for more easy seafood recipes? Try grilled shrimp skewers, bang bang shrimp, shrimp fajitas or this baked tilapia fish taco recipe!
More Easy Appetizer Ideas
Browse all
HUNGRY FOR MORE? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all the newest recipes!
Ceviche
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound medium (raw or cooked) shrimp , peeled, deveined and tails removed
- ½ cup lime juice (4 limes)
- ¼ cup lemon juice (1-2 lemons)
- 1 cup roma tomatoes , diced (2 medium roma tomatoes)
- ½ cup chopped red onion
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- 1 medium jalapeno , seeded for less heat, diced
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt , plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper , plus more to taste
- 1 ½ cups cucumber , peeled and diced (about 1 medium cucumber)
- 1 medium avocado , diced
Serve with: Calamata juice, Salsa, Hot sauce, Tortilla chips or Tostadas
Instructions
- Chop shrimp into 1/2-inch pieces and transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in the lime juice and lemon juice. Marinate in the refrigerator 1 hour.
- Stir in the tomatoes, onion, cilantro, jalapeno, salt, and pepper. Cover and chill 15 minutes.
- Stir in cucumber and avocado just before serving. Strain off some of the juice, if desired. Serve with calamata juice, hot sauce, tortilla chips, or tostadas.
Notes
- Seafood: If you prefer fish to shrimp or shellfish, you can swap for lean white fresh fish (mahi-mahi, cod, tilapia, snapper, sea bass, salmon, halibut). Use only sashimi-grade fish that is safe for raw consumption or cook through and cut into chunks.
- Feeling adventurous? Some people enjoy ceviche with scallops, squid, or octopus! I don’t know if I’m some people yet. Let me know how it goes if you try that!
- Vegetables: Try adding chopped radishes, corn, green onions, or chopped bell peppers for added crunch.
- Flavor boost: Try adding olives, coriander, or chilli, for a salty, savory, and spicy element.
- Fruit: To add a tropical flair to the ceviche, leave out the tomato and add some chopped mango or pineapple.
- Spice level: Want more spice? Use a serrano pepper in place of the jalapeno.
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Categorized as: 4th of July, Appetizers, Cinco De Mayo, Dairy-Free, Dips, Gluten-Free, Mexican, Nut-Free, Super Bowl, Whole 30
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
Great recipe but your pronunciation of ceviche is incorrect. Not “see” but “seh.”
I made this to bring to a friend’s MDW party and everyone LOVED it! I will be making this all summer long! :)
We always order this when we eat out so I was so happy to make this at home. It’s even better than I thought, and surprisingly easy to make!
Thanks for sharing this yummy recipe! I made it for a party the other day and it was a huge hit!!
Yum! I’ve been on the lookout for delicious no cook recipes for the summer. I love that this is so versatile and can be served quite a few different ways. We will definitely be having this many times over the summer.
This is absolutely delicious! I love that it’s such a crowd pleaser for the whole family