The BEST Fresh Mexican-Style Shrimp Ceviche with Avocado

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 one to try if you are looking for a recipe with fresh shrimp. It is the BEST ceviche recipe ever!

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If you’re looking for the best ceviche ever, you have to try this authentic ceviche recipe which is a seafood dish boasting delicious flavours of the sea. Shrimp are the star of the dish, and these go beautifully with tortilla chips.

It’s a colourful and appetizing recipe with fresh shrimp, along with various salad ingredients and other flavours. 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.

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 dish before? The first time 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 was introduced 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 introduced their own flavours and spices and this recipe with fresh shrimp or fish became a local delicacy. Today 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.

You might also like Butter Herbed Shrimp and Juicy Pan Seared Pork Chops, Spicy Gluten Free Shrimp Pasta with Bloody Mary Vodka Sauce, or Citrus Pineapple Energy Smoothie.

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!

While traditional ceviche took three hours to ‘cook’ 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 used to make Peruvian ceviche. Sea bass is the usual fish and it’s left to marinate for several hours.

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

How to Make this Shrimp Ceviche Recipe

I first learned about Mexican ceviche looking for a recipe using 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 would also work well, as long as it’s thawed and drained first.

Tomatoes, cucumber, onion, and avocado are all great in this recipe with fresh shrimp. In addition, I like to add a couple of jalapenos and also fresh cilantro. You can use any citrus to make shrimp ceviche, so I used lime, lemon and orange, 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.

How to Serve the Best Ceviche Recipe

Since ceviche is typically served with chips or tostadas, that’s how I served it. You could also serve it with saltines or your favourite crackers.

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’ (or you can cook the shrimp ahead if you prefer). It will be fine in the refrigerator for a few hours or even overnight.

Shrimp Ceviche with Avocado Recipe

So why not make your own shrimp ceviche? 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 recipe with fresh shrimp. It is the BEST ceviche recipe ever!