Mexican-Style Shrimp Ceviche

A refreshing appetizer or light lunch, shrimp ceviche is one South American dish I can’t get enough of! There are different recipes from different countries in South America, although a Mexican ceviche recipe is perhaps the best known. You will just love this Mexican shrimp ceviche with avocado. This seafood ceviche recipe is definitely one to try if you are looking for a fresh-tasting recipe with fresh shrimp.

You have to try this authentic ceviche recipe which is a seafood dish with delicious flavors of the sea. Shrimp are the star of the dish. Pair this with tortilla chips.

Love seafood? You might also enjoy shrimp scampi foil packs or seafood paella. And sheet pan crab legs make a wonderful dinner.

It’s a colorful and appetizing recipe with fresh shrimp, along with various salad ingredients and other flavors. If you’re looking for a recipe using avocado and seafood, this shrimp ceviche is well worth making.

What is Ceviche Exactly?

Before we look at the actual recipe, you might be wondering what ceviche is. Sometimes spelled cebiche, sebiche or seviche, this is a dish made with fish or seafood. Some kind of acidic ingredient is used in traditional Mexican ceviche, usually lemon or lime, to ‘cook’ the fish without heat.

Other typical ingredients in Mexican ceviche include chillies, tomatoes, onion, cilantro, and avocado. Because no heat is used to prepare the dish, the shrimp avocado ceviche should be made using very fresh ingredients and served soon after it’s made.

Avocado shrimp ceviche is only one variety of this fresh seafood dish. There are many more to choose from and many different types of fish can be used to make it. It is usually served as an appetizer. You can also serve a seafood ceviche recipe as a main dish, pairing it with sides such as corn on the cob, fried plantain or sweet potatoes. Following the keto diet? Use low carb tortilla chips or enjoy it without chips.

Ceviche is the national dish of Peru and this is where it originated. Have you tried this fresh, spicy, tasty simple shrimp ceviche dish before? As soon as I tasted a ceviche recipe I was hooked! It’s amazing how simple ingredients can combine to make this light dinner or other light meal. It’s also a great appetizer.

History of Ceviche

You might be curious about the origin of this authentic shrimp ceviche recipe. The first ceviche was made in Peru but you can find it all over South America. The technique of ‘cooking’ raw shrimp, meat or fish in citrus, vinegar and spices is traditional to the Americas by Spanish conquistadores. Archaeologists have also found 2000-year old records that something similar to ceviche was consumed there.

Lima, Peru, was a hub for European explorers for about four centuries. During that time, all kinds of tasty Spanish foods made their way to nearby Spanish colonies. The locals gave this Peruvian dish their own flavours and spices and this recipe with fresh shrimp or fish became a local delicacy. This quick, easy shrimp ceviche recipe is found all over South America as well as in authentic Latin food restaurants north of the border.

Two thousand years ago, the Moche civilization in South America fermented the juice of banana passion fruit to make the best ceviche recipe of the era. The Incas marinated fish in a fermented drink known as chicha.

How Does Citrus ‘Cook’ Ceviche?

Lemon or lime juice is the citrus of choice in most seafood ceviche recipe instructions. The citrus denatures the proteins in the seafood to give it the texture of cooked seafood. It also adds a tangy flavour. Use fresh citrus juice!

Traditional ceviche took three hours to ‘cook’ but modern ceviche is made much faster. Modern fish, seafood and shrimp ceviche dishes date back to the 1970s. The ingredients are prepared, combined and the fish will ‘cook’ in the time it takes to prepare the dish and carry it to the table.

Different countries have their own take on ceviche. For example, fish, lime, onions, and chillies are ingredients in Peruvian ceviche. Sea bass is the usual fish and it marinates for several hours.

Tomato sauce often features in Ecuadorian recipes, while halibut marinated in grapefruit and lime is popular in Chile.

How to Make Mexican Ceviche with Avocado

The first time I made this Mexican ceviche looking for a recipe using avocado since I had an abundance of soft, creamy avocado. The thought of fish combined with avocado and spices made my mouth water! I love to make my seafood ceviche recipe with plump fresh shrimp. Frozen shrimp also works well, as long as it’s thawed and drained first. Shrimp and avocado ceviche is now my go to recipe!

Tomatoes, cucumber, red onion (or even white onion), and avocado are all great in this recipe with fresh shrimp. In addition to these simple ingredients, for delicious flavors I like to add a couple of jalapeño peppers (or serrano peppers) and also fresh cilantro. You can use any citrus to make shrimp ceviche, so I used lime juice, lemon juice and orange juice, for a well-rounded result.

A dash of homemade unagi sauce or eel sauce and/or some ‘everything but the bagel’ seasoning finishes the dish off. This authentic Mexican shrimp ceviche recipe is a great with this sauce.

How to Serve the Best Ceviche Recipe

Ceviche is typically served with chips, plantain chips or tostadas, that is how I served it. You could also serve it with saltines or your favourite crackers. Although this healthy recipe just has a handful of ingredients you will agree it is the best shrimp ceviche recipe ever!

When making a shrimp recipe using avocado and citrus, it is best served the same day. You can make it after lunch to serve as an appetizer at dinner. It will take about thirty minutes to ‘cook’ the freshest shrimp in the acidic marinade (or you can cook the shrimp ahead if you prefer). It will be fine in the refrigerator for a few hours or even overnight. No matter what time you make it, you will agree that this is the best Mexican ceviche recipe!

Shrimp Ceviche Recipe Mexican Style

So why not make your own Mexican shrimp ceviche recipe with avocado? It’s a very refreshing dish for the spring or summer months, and it couldn’t be easier to prepare!

Let me know if you try out this Mexican shrimp ceviche recipe. This seafood ceviche recipe is one to try if you are looking for a light appetizer recipe with fresh shrimp. It is the BEST ceviche recipe ever!

Other Recipes You Will Love

• Shrimp Spring Rolls with Tasty Spicy Garlic Sauce
• Homemade Eel Sauce – Unagi Sauce
• Homemade Chunky Guacamole
• Spicy Gluten Free Shrimp Pasta with Bloody Mary Vodka Sauce
• Smoked Spiced Shrimp with Homemade Saskatchewan Dry Rub
• Wok Seared Steak and Shrimp – Panda Express Copycat Recipe