Growing up in Alabama, I was never more than a couple of hours away from a beach, and any trip to the beach always included fresh seafood. Dining at the local seafood restaurants is still one of my favorite pastimes when I am at the beach, but these days I’ve learned to prepare a few seafood dishes at home. Shrimp is a really easy first step into the world of preparing seafood, and Shrimp Ceviche looks and tastes more difficult than it really is.
Shrimp Ceviche is a spicy and refreshing dish, and this recipe gives it a Mexican flair. It can be served as a salad or with chips for dipping. For a light dinner, it can be served with tortilla chips and a side of fruit. It is a terrific dinner for the days when you spend the entire day chasing kids at the pool. Just throw it together in the morning before you leave, and let it be marinating in the fridge all day. It is also a wonderful dish to serve when you have friends gathered in your home. Since it is simple to prepare, but full of delicious flavor, it is the perfect dish to share with your guests. And since all of the prep work is done ahead of time, you can enjoy talking with your friends instead of being stuck in the kitchen.
Shrimp Ceviche is super simple to make, but it requires time for the flavors to meld together. Be sure to prepare it a few hours before you want to serve it.
Ceviche is a dish that is popular in coastal regions because it uses fresh fish or shrimp. The seafood is typically cured in lemon and/or lime juice and spiced up with onion or peppers. Because of the fact that the seafood is not cooked over heat, it is essential that when using raw ingredients, you use only very fresh seafood. I opted to use cooked shrimp, since I didn’t have any freshly caught shrimp on hand. Here’s what I used…
2 lbs cooked shrimp, peeled
A 14 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
A 5.5oz can V8 vegetable juice
Juice of 4 limes
3/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 chopped small white or red onion
1/2 jalapeno chopped
1 clove chopped garlic
1 teaspoon cumin
Salt & Pepper to taste
An Avocado, peeled and chopped
3 oz Cotija Mexican cheese
In a large plastic Zip-lock bag, combine all ingredients except avocado and Cotija cheese. Toss in bag so that all ingredients are mixed together. Store in fridge for several hours. When ready to serve, pour into bowl and top with chopped avocado and Cotija cheese. Serve with tortilla chips, crackers, or toasted bread rounds.
Have you ever eaten ceviche? Have you served it to friends gathered around your table?
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