Inside: Learn how to make this popular, Mexican-Style Shrimp Ceviche with shrimp, lime juice, avocado, jalapeño, cilantro and finish it off with some hot sauce if that is your style.
Shrimp ceviche is one of my favorite recipes from my hometown of Veracruz, Mexico. Veracruz is a port city located on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. As a result, there is plenty of fresh seafood for anyone who likes it.
For me, there is just about nothing better than a making a delicious shrimp ceviche with fresh ingredients during the summer. I always remember getting together on Sunday afternoons with my extended family and sharing fresh ceviche with freshly made tostadas.
My siblings and I always went out to get the fresh shrimp and avocados from the market and those were some of my favorite memories. I love entertaining family and friends with this recipe now too!
How Do You Prepare The Shrimp When Making Ceviche?
One unique thing about making ceviche is that you don’t actually cook the shrimp (or fish if you are making fish ceviche) in the traditional sense.
Instead, you soak the shrimp in lemon juice for about an hour until they turn pink and are ready to eat.
This is the traditional way of preparing the shrimp for most ceviche recipes, and the result is a fresh, delicious flavor that is irresistible.
For a traditional Mexican ceviche made with shrimp, you have to use a good hot sauce. There are many different options to choose from, so you should definitely try out a few different types.
Now that summer is arriving here in Colorado, I am going to be sure to make this ceviche recipe as much as possible. I love to make a nice fresh batch and serve it with tostadas so that everyone can come and grab as much or as little as they want. It is really a perfect option for family gatherings and more.
One bite and I know that you will agree that this is the best shrimp ceviche recipe around!
Check out these other delicious Mexican recipes:
- Baked Cod Recipe for Seafood Lovers
- Charro Beans
- Tacos al Pastor
- Traditional Mexican Tostadas
- Horchata
- Barbacoa Tacos
Products you may need for this recipe:
- Set of Bowls. You will want a nice set of mixing/serving bowls to combine all of the ingredients and serve this shrimp ceviche. This is a great option that I got for Christmas and I recommend it!
- Knife Set. You will be chopping up a lot of vegetables and the shrimp for this recipe, so you will want a good set of knives like this one.
- Cutting Boards. You will also need a good cutting board to use those new knives on. This set comes with three different sizes and they are quite durable.
Shrimp Ceviche – Mexican Style Ceviche Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Bag 16 Ounces of Raw, deveined shrimp
- 1/2 Red Onion diced
- 1 Cucumber diced
- 3 Tomatoes diced
- 1 Jalapeño diced
- 1/2 bunch of cilantro finely chopped
- 1 1/4 Cup of Real Lime Juice
- Juice from one lemon
- 1/4 cup of Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
- Frank's RedHot Buffalo Sauce or other hot sauce quantity depends on how spicy you want it
- 1 Avocado
- Tostadas
Instructions
- Combine all of the shrimp with 1 cup of lime juice in a large bowl. Cover and let rest in the refrigerator for at least one hour until the shrimp are mostly pink.
- In a separate bowl, combine the onion, cucumber, tomatoes, jalapeño, and cilantro.
- Add the shrimp and mix well.
- Add the Worcestershire sauce, and season with salt and pepper and additional lime and lemon juice.
- Mix well and serve on the tostadas adding hot sauce to taste and avocados.
Yum! I could eat that everyday all day.
Thanks, Maggie! Glad you enjoyed it.
I am new to making this and didn’t know that I should’ve cut the shrimp up before I soaked in lime juice. They were not “cooked” through after an hour. So I took them all out and cut them, put them back in, but all of the other veggies are mixed in with them. I added more lime juice to help, but do you think it’s still ok to eat as long as the shrimp pieces look opaque?
If it has been sitting for a few hours or even better over night it is fine. I did the same kind of thing the 1st time i made ceviche lol i did cut the shrimp just not small enough . I had to take them out like you did and make the shrimp peices smaller and in a few hours it was fine to eat .
I boil them till they turn a little pink, then put in ice bath, then soak in the lemon.
I am making a double batch of this for a potluck at work. Should I be fine letting the shrimp soak in the lime juice for about 9 hours? Or should I let the shrimp cook, then add it and let the whole mixture in the fridge overnight?
Hi Tara – as long as the shrimp soaks in the lime juice for at least 1 hour, you should be fine. Just make sure that after you add it to the rest of the ingredients, you keep it refrigerated until you are ready to serve. I hope it turns out great! Let me know if you have any other questions.
Hi is your dad’s name George Mahaffey former Ex. Chef from the Hotel Bel Air in Cal.?
Can’t wait to make this!
Bit of a dumb question, but do we dispose of the lime juice used to ‘cook’ the shrimp or do we add the entire marinade plus the addtl lime and lemon juices?
Hi Brian, not a dumb question at all! I never dispose of the lime juice used in the first step. You could, technically, but it isn’t necessary. If you do, you might just want to add a bit more lime and lemon juice in the final step. Good luck!
Glad you asked. I was thinking the same question.
Can’t wait to try this recipe this weekend. How many days will it keep in the refrigerator?
Hi Rayetta – I recommend eating it as soon as possible, but you could probably keep it in the refrigerator about 3-4 days maximum. Otherwise, it will probably start to get a bit mushy. Good luck!
Thank you! It turned out great!
I printed the recipe. Then, reading over the list of ingredients, I wonder – is 1/2 cup of Worcestershire sauce a misprint? Ceviche isn’t new to me, I’ve been making fish ceviche for many years….but Worcestershire sauce?
Just wondering.
I thought the same thing? I added the first time making this recipe in a double batch and probably could have just done 1/4 of a cup of winchosvhister sauce…lol…this time I added precooked imitation cradb and I always put my OWN shit in it and waited to see him him watching me make it to give me the ok to make it
Can I use frozen pre-cooked shrimp?
Hi Evette, that should be fine, but I would thaw them out first. You will also not need to let it marinate for as long because the shrimp is already cooked. Good luck!
It was fantastic! Didn’t use the jalapeno.
Just would like to add the way allot of Mexican friends I know in Arizona make it.
It seems like most people will use the shrimp, in addition to squid, scallops or octopus chopped up into the mix. I’m actually NOT a big sea food person, but I love ceviche.
The shrimp is all good, love shrimp. Usually just use whatever deal can find on some frozen precooked packaged shrimp, little to medium sized chopped up. What was actually REALLY good was ALSO adding some of the fake/artificial (or REAL, at cost) crab meat. So it has crab and shrimp, thaw um out and chop them up.
Let those sit in lime and lemon juice for abit.
The chopped up cucumber, tomatoes, onion, cilantro, jalapeno if you like the spice to it.
This is then ALL added into a Spicy/Hot Clamato juice base, I guess this is what some people use to add the spicy or just to keep moist and/or eat it like some kind of shrimp ceviche cocktail idk. But was really good, not quite as dry. An end up scooping most of it out of the liquid anyways, but will get mushy if kept a few days because it’s in the liquid. An then you can dice up avocados and throw that in it as well, or slice them up and throw them on top when served.
The final difference other then (me personally liking the artificial crab in it), an the Spicy/Hot Clamato cocktail juice. Is when served on the crunchy corn tortillas, we spread mayo on the tortilla before adding the rest on top.
Which from what I’ve seen I thought allot of people did, an makes it so darn good lol.
I really like your idea with the Clamato juice instead of the Worcestershire sauce. Sure will try it.
Amazing recipe!! So easy and so dang delicious
I bought frozen raw small shrimp and have had them in 5 limes and 2 lemons worth of juice for over six hours and they still are grayish and raw on the inside. Any suggestions?
I live in Northern Australia and we call our shrimps ‘Prawns’. They come in several versions, the most common ones are Banana Prawns, they will weigh about 50-65 gm each peeled and deveined. The next ones are Tiger Prawn, these are almost all farmed and are usually 10-15 gm smaller but have a more intense flavour.
Prawns are very versatile, Cooked in seawater and snap frozen on board the trawlers, they are usually packed in boxes and shipped all over the world.
When they are snap frozen ‘Green’ or uncooked their uses are almost endless. When shelled, deveined they can be used to make ceviche by curing them in lime juice, or short steamed so that they retain their glassy appearance and we serve them with all sorts of rice dishes as ‘Glass Prawns. In an Indian Curry they transform a meal into a feast, best eaten on day two. In fancy 3 star restaurants the Chef will serve ‘one King-Prawn on a bed of spiced rice for up to 80 dollars.
Tonight I have enjoyed 6 Tiger Prawns in a Ceviche with Cucumber, Cherry Tomato, Blue onion rings, Chilli and diced Avocado. The Prawns were marinated in Lime Juice for 6 hours, and still slightly glassy in the centre.
I am old and retired and live alone in my apartment but I cook evening meals for every other occupant in our block of 6 units.
I am close to 90 year of age and it keeps me busy, occupied and happy.
I love all food and grew up in a Three Star Kitchen back in the 1930’s. We always had a bunch of first class chefs and they enjoyed talking to the owner son who spent every waking hour in the kitchen after he had done his home work from school.
In my adult life I never became a Chef, because I did not fancy the idea of a 24/7 occupation. I suffered all the ups and downs of life but my love of food and food preparation always lifted me out of any depression.
I loved your story. Keep on cooking!
I accidentally put my cucumber and onion in with my crab and shrimp with the juice to marinate!
The ceviche was delicious! Great recipe!!
I remember living in Cholula and taking a bus to Acapulco, and Zihuat and the amazing seafood back in the 70s. I travelled to Tulum and Isla Mujeres in the 80s, then Cabo in the 90s, always eating ceviche at every chance. I live in an area where gloppy Tex Mex comes from a #10 can-ugh. So mi suegra sends supplies of mole and chipotles, and my pick de gallo and soap de ajo are family favorites. I live on the Gulf Coast so we buy shrimp right at the docks-cant wait to make your ceviche!! Thanks for the memories and recipe. We like Cholula hot sauce or Crystal-Extra Hot.
This is how Mexican chefs in Los Angeles explained to me how to make a proper ceviche. Thank you so much for the recipe!