Cebiche, ceviche, sebiche or seviche (according to the RAE, it can be written in these four ways, depending on the place) is a dish consisting of marinated meat – fish, seafood or both – in citrus dressings. Different versions of the ceviche are part of the culinary culture of various coastal Latin American countries of the Pacific Ocean where it is native, these being Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama and Peru. in the latter it is considered as cultural heritage.2
Among the citrus fruits that are mostly used are lemon and acid lime, although historically sour orange was used. The dressing also includes some local variety of chili or chili, replaced by mustard in some locations in Central America. Some preparations include chopped coriander and in the rest of the countries (except Chile, Panama and Peru) the addition of tomato sauce is common. The meat is usually marinated together with sliced or minced onion, in Mexico it usually also includes tomato and avocado.3
The ceviche accompaniments can also be different, in Ecuador with plantain, canguil or chifles patacones and in Colombia, Panama and Guatemala it is usually accompanied with salty soda crackers. The varieties to the north usually use biscuits or toasts for garnish. In Mexico it is served with corn tostadas or with crackers; In Panama an extra option is the spicy chombo chombo to taste, and in Peru it is served with garnishes of boiled tubers such as sweet potato, cassava or, very rarely, potato, as well as grains such as corn (boiled or toasted), legumes such as the zarandaja, fried plantain (chifles), seaweed and lettuce; Sometimes it can be accompanied by chilcano (a broth made from fish heads).
Learn How To Make A Great Shrimp Ceviche Recipe!
Shrimp Ceviche
2
servings40
minutes3
minutesA traditional ceviche uses raw seafood soaked in an acidic marinade to cook the proteins, but the shrimp muscle fibers are a little bit more tough compared to flaky fish so it’s going to take longer to cook. Therefore, to speed up the process I’m going to poach the shrimp first. Let’s head over to the stove and get started!
Ingredients
2 quarts water
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 pound raw shrimp
1 cup diced tomatoes
1 cup diced cucumber
½ cup minced red onion
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon minced serrano pepper
1 teaspoon lime zest
½ cup lime juice
¼ cup lemon juice
1 cup diced avocado
Directions
- In a medium sauce pan bring two quarts of water and one and a half teaspoons of salt to a boil;
- Turn off the heat and add one pound of peeled and deveined shrimp;
- Allow them to cook until opaque about two to three minutes. The poaching method is going to ensure that we preserve the delicate flavors and textures of the shrimp also the heat is going to destroy any harmful organisms so that it’s safer to eat;
- Immediately transfer the shrimp to a colander and rinse with cold water until cool, about one to two minutes, this helps to stop the cooking process;
- I like to use 16 to 20 count size shrimp because after I chop it it’s going to give some nice bites of seafood but really you could use any size just make sure that when you’re poaching you keep an eye on the cook time so that the shrimp doesn’t get overcooked;
- I like to add a variety of vegetable and fruit mix-ins to the ceviche to add a ton of texture but just make sure that you cut them into small pieces so that they complement the shrimp and not overpower it;
- These ingredients along with the shrimp marinate in a freshly squeezed lime and lemon juice to fuse all the flavors together don’t waste the lime zest it’s loaded with essential oils and aromas to make the marinade even more flavorful in the bowl of;
- To a Shrimp, add 1 cup diced tomatoes, 1 cup diced cucumber, half a cup minced red onion, two tablespoons chopped cilantro, one tablespoon minced serrano pepper, one teaspoon lime zest, half a cup lime juice, quarter cup lemon juice, and a half teaspoon salt;
- Stir to combine;
- Cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes stirring halfway through;
- Cut the avocado into half inch cubes stirring one cup of diced avocado into the ceviche taste and season with more salt as desired;
- Mixing avocado;
- The Shrimp Ceviche is ready!
