Shrimp Ceviche
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Truly the best taste of the tropics.
by Erin Henderson
I spent the month of February in Nicaragua and ate ceviche every day.
We rented a house on the beach just outside San Juan del Sur and would drive 20 mkinutes into town just to get the ceviche from the local fish markets. It wasn’t available until just after lunch; the fisherman would come in with their catch late morning, and the store owners needed a bit of time to prepare the tangy, zesty mix.
A bright blend of shrimp, white fish, onion, red pepper and jalapeño, the fish monger sold it in plastic pint cups, like what you might be served a beer at a ball game, for $4. Four dollars.
I tried to get the recipe, but either the language barrier, or the fact he simply didn't want to share it, meant I walked away empty handed. Well, ceviche in hand, but no recipe.
I’ve recreated it here to the best of my ability. It’s not identical to what he made, but darn close. Piled on a chip, I top it with a few dashes of hot sauce, and a bit of avocado, and I can almost feel the tropical ocean breezes blowing through my hair.
Related: Vegan Coconut Ceviche
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Shrimp Ceviche
In Nicaragua, they serve ceviche with saltine crackers, but we preferred the local yuca chips to scoop up all the juicy, meaty mix. Here in Ontario, it’s easier to find tortilla chips so that’s what I use, but if you can find yuca chips, it's worth the effort.
Makes: About a litre
Chef level: Easy
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups fresh lime juice, divided
- 3 Tbsp fresh orange juice
- 1 ½ salt, divided (and more if necessary)
- 1 lb shrimp, peeled, deveined, and chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 jalapeños, seeded and finely diced
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
- ½ cup white onion, finely diced
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped (use those stems, too!)
- 1 tsp Tajin or Old Bay seasoning (optional)
- 1 avocado chopped
- Yuca chips (ideally), or tortilla chips for serving
- Hot sauce, for serving.
How to Make It:
- In a large glass bowl, add the shrimp, 1 tsp of salt and 1 cup of lime juice. Stir all to combine. There should be enough juice to allow the fish to be fully covered with room between pieces to allow for even “cooking.”
- Cover and refrigerate about 60 minutes, until the shrimp no longer looks raw on the inside. (Cooking time will depend on the size of the dice.)
- Meanwhile, in another bowl mix the remaining lime juice, orange juice, onion, jalapeños, red bell pepper, cilantro, salt, Tajin, and olive oil. Stir to combine.
- When ready, add the “cooked” shrimp, adjust for seasoning with salt and optional Tajin.
- Serve with yuca or tortilla chips, avocado and hot sauce.
Wine Pairing
When we were in Nicaragua, the local cerveza, often served with a squirt of lime juice, was our go-to to beat the tropical heat. It went well with the cooling and tangy ceviche.
A fruity Chilean Sauvignon Blanc is what I would recommend for wine. You need something brightly acidic to stand up to the citrus juice in the ceviche, as well as something that has an herbal note to match with the cilantro, bell and jalepeño peppers.