Shrimp Ceviche

Fresh, lively, and flavorful, my best shrimp ceviche is jam-packed with tomato, cucumber, avocado, onion, cilantro, and jalapeno—plus, of course, tons of citrusy shrimp!

Does Ceviche Mean Raw Fish?

Maybe you’ve heard that ceviche is raw. That’s sort of true and sort of not. Ceviche—whether it’s made with shrimp, fish, or other shellfish—isn’t cooked with heat. Instead, the seafood is marinated in citrus juice, typically lime, lemon, or a combination. Over time, the acidity of the juice denatures the proteins in the seafood, which is akin to what cooking does, turning the seafood opaque, firming it, and giving it a taste and texture similar to cooked. So it’s essentially cooked, just not in the way we’re most familiar with.

Why not just cook it with heat? Some recipes do recommend a light poaching before marinating, and even I recommend it if your shrimp isn’t really fresh. But I prefer to just let the acidic citrus juices do their thing—it’s simpler, easier, more in line with the fresh and refreshing attitude of ceviche, and better for infusing the seafood with citrus flavor through and through.

BUT I understand that some people just don’t like the idea of uncooked seafood, no matter how denatured its proteins. If that’s you—or you’re not certain about the freshness of your shrimp—simply poach it until it’s barely cooked, about 3 minutes, before proceeding with my recipe below with your cooked shrimp (click here for how to poach shrimp).

There’s plenty of variations in ceviche, so you can also try out this ceviche recipe with white fish instead of shrimp. Still can’t get into ceviche? Try my Mexican Shrimp Cocktail, aka Coctel de Camarones.

Secrets To Great Ceviche

First and foremost, great ceviche starts with great seafood. That means ideally buying it at a good fish market where you know there’s a lot of turnover and their standards are high. But even there I prefer to buy my shrimp frozen—most frozen seafood goes into the freezer right on the boat after its caught, so it can be “fresher” than fresh. (Here’s how to thaw frozen shrimp.)

What size for the shrimp? It doesn’t really matter, because you’re going to chop it up anyway.

Once you have great seafood, don’t water it down with less-than-great add-ins. In other words, make sure your tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, onion, cilantro, and jalapeno are their ripest and most flavorful.

Plus, use fresh citrus juices, not bottled. They, too, have the most flavor.

Serving Shrimp Ceviche

I like my ceviche simple, with just good tortilla chips alongside. But plantain chips and even potato chips are also good. Or go Peruvian style and serve your ceviche with lettuce leaves, slices of sweet potato, and corn on the cob, making it more of a meal.

If you want to be fancy, scoop your ceviche into individual glasses or small bowls. Martini glasses, stemless wine glasses, or ramekins, for example.

I tend to reach for one big family-style bowl so everyone can dig in. It’s more casual, like me. :)

Ceviche Fun Fact

That leftover marinade in the bowl after you’ve enjoyed your ceviche? Drink it up, especially if you’re recovering from, well, a wild night. Those juices are known as leche de tigre, or tiger’s milk, and are thought to be a great hangover cure! ¡Salud! – Christine

This post originally appeared in March 2020 and was revised and republished in June 2023.