This shrimp ceviche recipe is huge on flavor with succulent shrimp marinated in citrus juice with chilies, beans, tomatoes, red onion and lots of zesty seasonings. It's the perfect appetizer!
The Best Shrimp Ceviche
We're making seriously awesome Shrimp Ceviche in the Chili Pepper Madness kitchen today, my friends. This is going to be your new favorite appetizer. It is seriously delicious anytime you want to serve it.
What is Shrimp Ceviche?
Shrimp Ceviche is essentially shrimp that is marinated in seasoned citrus juices. The acidic marinade "cooks" the shrimp through, and coupled with all of the wonderful seasonings we're using, leaves you with an outstanding palate pleaser.
The base of the marinade includes pureed tomatoes with lemon juice, lime juice and orange juice, along with a number of other ingredients that will leave you begging for more.
You'll find different versions of shrimp ceviche all over the world, with a mix of local ingredients that will vary from region to region and cook to cook, though the concept remains the same to cook raw fish or raw seafood.
This is more of a South American version, popular in Peru and Ecuador, which is different from something like Aguachile, a Mexican ceviche.
I make a slightly spicier version with serrano peppers and habanero peppers, though you can very easily adjust it to your heat level preference.
I hope you enjoy it! Definitely one of my favorite recipes.
Let's talk about how to make shrimp ceviche, shall we?
Shrimp Ceviche Ingredients
- FOR THE MARINADE
- Tomatoes. You can use any tomatoes for this dish, but I love Roma tomatoes here.
- Citrus. Use a combination - Lemon, lime, and orange juice.
- Extras/Flavor Builders. Olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, salt, fresh ground black pepper, Pinch of honey (or sugar, optional), hot sauce.
- FOR THE SHRIMP CEVICHE
- Water. For poaching the shrimp.
- Scallions.
- Shrimp. You can use any shrimp, but note that larger shrimp may need more marinating time to fully cook them through.
- Beans. Lima beans are my favorite, but you can use butter beans or lupini beans.
- Peppers. I use serrano peppers and habanero peppers, chopped, though these are optional. Use jalapeno peppers for a milder heat, or bell peppers for no heat.
- Herbs. Chopped parsley (cilantro is good, too).
- TO SERVE: Fresh chopped herbs, spicy chili flakes, chopped salted peanuts, pickled red onions, toasted French bread.
How to Make Shrimp Ceviche - the Recipe Method
FOR THE SHRIMP CEVICHE MARINADE
Loosen the Tomato Skins. Slice a small “X” into the bottom of the tomato skins. Add the tomatoes to a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes to loosen the skins. Remove from heat and cool.
Peel the Tomatoes and Process Them. Remove the tomatoes and set them aside. Peel off the skins and discard them. Set the peeled tomatoes into a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Strain out the seeds, if desired.
Finish the Marinade. Add the pureed tomatoes to a large bowl with the lemon juice, lime juice, orange juice, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, olive oil, salt, pepper, sugar or honey, and hot sauce or pepper puree. Taste and adjust with salt, sugar and hot sauce.
Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
FOR THE SHRIMP CEVICHE
Poach the Shrimp. Add the water and scallions to a large pot or saucepan. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the raw shrimp (peeled and deveined) and remove from heat. Let stand until the shrimp turn pink, only a few seconds.
Cool the Shrimp. Drain the shrimp and set them into cold water. This will stop them from cooking and will keep a softer texture. Discard the scallions.
Marinate the Shrimp. Chop the shrimp (if desired, you can prepare them whole or slice them in half, though it will increase your marinating time) and add the the shrimp to the reserved marinade along with the lima beans, chopped peppers and fresh chopped parsley or cilantro.
Cover and refrigerate. Marinate for 2-3 hours, or until the shrimp is cooked through.
Serve the Shrimp Ceviche. When ready to serve, adjust for salt, pepper, sugar or honey and hot sauce. Top with fresh chopped herbs, red pepper flakes, pickled red onions, cilantro, and serve with salted peanuts and toasted French bread.
Boom! Done! Easy Shrimp Ceviche is ready to serve! You will love this for sure. Absolutely delicious. Who needs boring shrimp cocktail when you have awesome shrimp ceviche?
Recipe Tips & Notes
The Chili Peppers
I love this recipe with habaneros and serrano chile, but you can adjust to your own preference. Try it with milder peppers, or you can use hotter, like scorpions or reapers, my crazy spicy food loving friends, though they may take away from the delicate nature of the shrimp.
Raw Shrimp Vs. Cooked Shrimp for Ceviche
Raw shrimp is best for this recipe, though you can use cooked shrimp. Raw, uncooked fresh shrimp is ideal so it "cooks" through in the marinade. If you do use pre-cooked shrimp, you only need to marinate 15 minutes to 30 minutes to let the flavors develop.
The Marinade
You can make the shrimp marinade a day ahead of time. Just keep it covered in the refrigerator. You can also vary your fresh citrus juice ratios to preference, such as 1/2 cup lime and lemon juice to 1/4 cup orange juice.
Serving Shrimp Ceviche
I enjoy serving mine with crusty bread so you can soak up that wonderful marinade, but it is also great with tortilla chips or arepas.
It's great for parties, or for romantic evenings.
Storing Ceviche
Ceviche is best when eaten right away. If you need to store it, keep in the refrigerator in a sealed container for 2 days maximum.
I do not recommend freezing ceviche, as it will ruin the texture.
That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy my easy shrimp ceviche recipe. Let me know if you make it. It's super addictive. Beware! Once you try this, you will crave it forevermore. Off to make another batch!
Cookbook Recommendation
Do you love South American cooking? Check out the cookbook “The South American Table” by Maria Baez Kijac (affiliate link, my friends). It adapted this recipe from hers. It's just outstanding. Highly recommended!
Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes
- Aguachile (Mexican Shrimp Ceviche)
- Tiradito
- Shrimp Marinade
- Shrimp Po' Boy Sandwich
- Grilled Buffalo Shrimp
- Firecracker Shrimp
- Bang Bang Shrimp
- Blackened Shrimp
- Shrimp Etouffee
- Mexican Shrimp Cocktail (Coctel de Camarones)
- Check out all of my Spicy Seafood Recipes
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Shrimp Ceviche Recipe
Ingredients
FOR THE MARINADE
- 1 pound firm ripe tomatoes
- Water to cover
- Juice from 1 lemon about ¼ cup
- Juice from 2 limes about ¼ cup
- Juice from 1 large orange about ½ cup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- Pinch of honey or sugar, optional
- Hot sauce to taste or use pureed hot peppers
FOR THE SHRIMP CEVICHE
- 1 cup water
- 2 scallions white part and 1 inch of the green part
- 2 pounds shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 cup large lima beans butter beans, or use lupini beans
- 1-2 jalapeno peppers chopped (or use serrano peppers for hotter)
- 1 habanero pepper chopped (optional, for nice level of heat)
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley cilantro is good, too
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Hot sauce to taste
- TO SERVE: Fresh chopped herbs spicy chili flakes, chopped salted peanuts, pickled red onions, toasted French bread.
Instructions
FOR THE MARINADE
- Slice a small “X” into the bottom of the tomato skins. Add the tomatoes to a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes to loosen the skins. Remove from heat and cool.
- Remove the tomatoes and set them aside. Peel off the skins and discard them.
- Set the peeled tomatoes into a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Strain out the seeds, if desired.
- Add the pureed tomatoes to a large bowl with the lemon juice, lime juice, orange juice, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, olive oil, salt, pepper, sugar or honey, and hot sauce or pepper puree. Taste and adjust with salt, sugar and hot sauce.
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
FOR THE SHRIMP CEVICHE
- Add the water and scallions to a large pot or saucepan. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the raw shrimp and remove from heat. Let stand until the shrimp turn pink, only a few seconds.
- Drain the shrimp and set them into cold water. This will stop them from cooking and will keep a softer texture. Discard the scallions.
- Chop the shrimp (if desired, you can prepare them whole or slice them in half, though it will increase your marinating time) and add them to the reserved marinade along with the lima beans, chopped peppers and fresh chopped parsley or cilantro. Cover and refrigerate. Marinate for 2-3 hours, or until the shrimp is cooked through.
- When read to serve, adjust for salt, pepper, sugar or honey and hot sauce. Top with fresh chopped herbs, red pepper flakes, pickled red onions and serve with salted peanuts and toasted French bread.
Notes
Nutrition Information
NOTE: This recipe was updated on 5/30/22 to include new information. It was originally published on 8/3/20.
Faye Harris says
Your ceviche recipe is awesome. But this is what I crave:
I was fortunate enough to spend time in Panama where I had shrimp ceviche for the first time and I fell in love with the simple yet difficult to duplicate mix of flavors. Is there any way you can weave your kitchen magic and capture this recipe?
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Faye. I'll have to acquire some cookbooks from Panama! I do have a number of South American ceviche recipes in cookbooks, and will have to review.
Herbert Bass says
Mike , I’m mad at you. Love cooking my entire life .Cook cajun , Italian … all of it. Ended up an Ironworker , forty years , 20 contacting. Now 73 yrs old . Always wanted be a chef. So, not really angry, just jealous . Thank you for the knowledge and recipe.
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Herbert. I hear you. Glad you're still cooking, though! Cheers, sir.
Andy says
Hi Mike. You’re recipes look awesome. Quick question. Just 1 cup of water for 2 pounds of shrimp?
I plan on making your civeche and just want to make sure I’m doing it right. Thanks,
Andy
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, Andy. Use enough water to cover the shrimp enough to very lightly poach them. Let me know how it turns out for you. Enjoy!