Shrimp Ceviche is really easy to make. It’s a delicious as a late summer dinner or casual afternoon lunch. A popular dish in the Pacific coastal regions of Latin America, Ceviche is made with raw fish (or Shrimp, in this case) “cooked” in lemon and lime juices. You can eat it as a salad, roll it up in a low-carb tortilla, or use it to make lettuce wraps.
Regardless of how you serve Shrimp Ceviche, you’ll love it. This is also a great potluck recipe and it works wonderfully for picnics, too! Many regions serve Ceviche with rice as a side dish – so try a Spanish style cauliflower rice for that traditional feel. It’s considered a main dish / entree, but it works equally well as an appetizer or a low-carb side dish. Shrimp Ceviche is a great side dish for a grilled steak. Also try it as a side with Carne Asada tacos (I think that qualifies as Mexican surf & turf meal)!
Nearly every other shrimp ceviche recipe will tell you that it’s important to use fresh shrimp because you don’t cook the shrimp with heat. However, I know that’s not an option for many of us. So I’ve included a modification for using frozen shrimp in a bag (cooked or raw).
A variation that I haven’t tried it yet, but I’ve toyed with, is the idea of chopping everything in to small pieces (almost diced, including the shrimp) and using it as a party dip. The marinade-cooking time can be reduced if the shrimp is super small. Shrimp Ceviche made this way should be served with thick cucumber slices for low carbers and tortilla chips for the others. If anyone tries this approach, please post in the comments to let the rest of us know how it worked out and share any tips you learned along the way.
Enjoy!
We use so much garlic in my home that pre-minced is a must! Check for it at your local grocery (usually in the Produce section) or buy online. The generic or store brands are probably fine, but this is the brand I buy:
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Low Carb Shrimp Ceviche with Avocado
Ingredients
- 1 lbs shrimp peeled and deveined
Marinade
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 large lemons)
- 1/3 cup fresh lime juice about 4 limes
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice about 1/2 orange
- 1/3 cup red onion chopped
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp sea salt
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
Final Prep
- 2 medium avocados
- 1 medium red bell pepper
- 1 cup diced cucumber
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
- 1 small jalapeno pepper
- 1 large tomato
- 1 stock scallions or green onions
Instructions
Shrimp Preparation (Fresh Shrimp)
- Peel and devein the shrimp, then place in a colander and rinse under cold water for several minutes.
Shrimp Preparation (Frozen Shrimp)
- Thaw frozen shrimp in a bowl of cold water for 15 minutes.
- If using frozen cooked shrimp, just peel and devein the shrimp, then rinse under cold water and continue to the Marinade instructions.
- If using frozen raw shrimp, peel and devein then cook according to directions. When cooked, immediately transfer cooked shrimp to a bowl of ice water for several minutes (to stop the cooking process). Leave in the ice water for several minutes, drain the water and ice, then continue to the Marinade instructions.
Marinade
- Place prepared shrimp in a large, sealable bowl or a 1 gallon Ziploc bag. If you want bite sized pieces are desired, first cut the prepared shrimp in half (or as needed to make the pieces about 1 inch long) and then place in the bowl or bag.
- Remove the first layer from the red onion and then dice enough to make about 1/3 cup. Add onion to the bowl/bag of shrimp.
- Add the juices and seasonings to the bowl/bag - lemon juice, lime juice, garlic, salt, and chili powder.
- Seal the bowl/bag and place in the refrigerator. Let sit for 2 hours for raw shrimp or 15 min for cooked shrimp. The raw shrimp is ‘cooked’ and safe to eat when it is completely firm and has the appearance of traditionally heat-cooked shrimp.
Final Assembly
- Continue the final assembly only after the shrimp has marinated and is cooked.
- If you marinated the shrimp in a bag, pour everything (including the juices) to a large bowl for the final assembly and serving.
- Rinse and pat dry the remaining vegetables.
- Remove peel and seed from the avocados and chop into 1/2 inch pieces. Add it to the shrimp bowl and toss gently to ensure the avocado pieces are coated in lemon and lime juices – they keep the avocado from turning brown.
- Remove the stem and seeds from the red bell pepper, then chop into pieces about 1 inch x 1/2 inch or smaller and add it to the shrimp bowl.
- Remove the cucumber peel, then chop into pieces about 1 inch or smaller and add it to the shrimp bowl.
- Remove and discard the cilantro stems, then dice into small pieces and add it to the shrimp bowl.
- Remove the stem and seeds from the jalapeno (rinse the inside to remove more of the spice), then dice into small pieces and add it to the shrimp bowl.
- Slice the tomato into half, remove most of the juice and seeds with spoon or fork, then dice into 1/2 inch pieces and add it to the shrimp bowl.
- Remove and discard root end of the green onion, then cut into 1/4 inch slices and add it to the shrimp bowl.
- Using a large spoon, gently stir the shrimp bowl to thoroughly mix all of the ingredients and juices.
- Add more salt, chili pepper, or black pepper to suit your taste.
- Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Shrimp Ceviche will keep in the fridge overnight with no issues, but I recommend eating it within 24 hours of making it.