How to make shrimp ceviche: delicious shrimp ceviche, ceviche tips, and wild caught shrimp.

Learn how to make shrimp ceviche for a refreshing dinner or lunch for yourself and that special someone.  Get some ceviche tips, so that you can be successful!

A great tasting shrimp ceviche is made by first starting with nutrient dense shrimp that is raw and combining that shrimp with other really fresh ingredients. 

Did you know ceviche is a popular dish throughout Latin America and is served as tapas in Spain?

Shrimp ceviche is a very popular dish in Latin America.

Learning how to make a shrimp ceviche for a refreshing change will help you to get the most health benefits from shrimp because there really isn't any "cooking" involved.

Did you know that cooking with heat can destroy the fragile nutrients found in seafood like shrimp?

There are a few types of shrimp that you can choose from when learning how to make a shrimp ceviche, but the best tasting shrimp will always be fresh and wild caught.

Delicious shrimp ceviche recipe: how to make shrimp ceviche for 2.

This delicious and refreshing shrimp ceviche will serve 2 people.  You can also double this recipe for more servings.

A refreshing and delicious shrimp ceviche.

Ingredients for a shrimp ceviche:

  • 1 lb. wild caught shrimp (white, brown, or pink shrimp)
  • Juice of approximately 6 to 7 organic lemons
  • 1 organic Hass avocado (slice into cubes)
  • 12 to 15 organic cherry tomatoes (deseed and chop)
  • 2 tbsp. fresh organic cilantro (coarsely chop)

Deseed the tomatoes to make tomato juice for the ceviche "special" sauce.

*Cut tomatoes in half, scoop seeds out, and place seeds in a small fine colander placed over a glass bowl. 

Press seeds into the colander with your fingers to create the juice. 

Use tomato juice in ceviche "special" sauce.

Making tomato juice from the seeds of tomatoes.

Ingredients for the ceviche "special" sauce:

  • 3 to 4 tbsp. of juice from the deseeded tomatoes
  • Juice from 1/2 a small organic lime
  • 1/2 tsp. of organic fish sauce
  • 2 tsp. of raw unheated honey
  • 1 chopped organic green onion
  • 1 to 2 tsp. organic raw apple cider vinegar
  • Optional:  Pinch of cayenne powder

Instructions for the ceviche "special" sauce:

  1. In a small glass bowl add the lime juice, fish sauce, strained tomato juice, and raw honey.
  2. Mix together until the honey is dissolved.
  3. Next, add the green onions, apple cider vinegar, and cayenne.
  4. Let the flavors marry at least 20 minutes before adding the "special" sauce to your marinated shrimp.

Instructions for a delicious shrimp ceviche:

  1. Peel and devein your shrimp before cutting them into bite-sized pieces.  
  2. Place the chopped shrimp into a glass bowl along with freshly squeezed lemon juice - enough to cover shrimp.
  3. Stir and let sit in your refrigerator for about 50 minutes or until the shrimp are opaque in color.
  4. When satisfied with marinating time, drain the lemon juice from the shrimp.
  5. Also, gently squeeze excess lemon juice from the shrimp and put shrimp into another bowl.
  6. Add in the chopped tomatoes, sliced avocado, and cilantro with your marinated shrimp.
  7. Next, add in the ceviche "special" sauce and gently stir to coat all of the ingredients.  
  8. Divide into 2 individual fancy looking glass bowls and serve!

Ceviche tips: how to make shrimp ceviche successfully!

Buy shrimp that still have their shells and their shells should be firm.  Shrimp should also smell fresh and there should be no discoloration of their heads or shells. 

Fresh shrimp are very perishable and will need to be used in your shrimp ceviche recipe as soon as possible!

How to process your wild caught shrimp.

First, you'll want to peel the shrimp shells off of your wild caught shrimp.  Don't worry, the shrimp shells come off easily with the right technique.

Wild caught white shrimp from Alabama with shells still on.White shrimp with shells on.
Shelled wild caught white shrimp.Shrimp with shells removed.

Just slip your thumb under the thin shell by the "head end" of your shrimp and gently peel the shell off.

Next, squish the bottom of the tail with your thumb and forefinger and gently pull off the shrimp tail.

The shrimp intestines.Do you see the shrimp's intestine?
Deveining the shrimp's intestine.Deveining the shrimp.

You'll probably want to devein or remove the shrimp intestines which is found on the backside of your shrimp.

Some people don't bother with this step, so it depends on how grossed out eating this makes you feel and sometimes there won't be much of anything inside.

Blue vein on underside of shrimp.Shrimp's circulatory vein.

On the underside, there may be a bluer looking vein which I believe is part of the shrimp's circulatory system.  This is the vein that bothers me the most and we remove this vein too.

Most people use a paring knife to create a thin slit to access and then remove the veins.

There's also a toothpick technique where you can poke under the vein on the second joint from the tail end and then it's easy to just pull out the intestines.

Soaking or marinating tips for your shrimp ceviche.

We don't like to soak our shrimp for too long or they have a tendency to get too rubbery.  We marinate our shrimp anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour at the most.

However, you can marinate your shrimp up to 24 hours if you so desire.

Juicing lemons for shrimp ceviche.

Use room temperature lemons to get the most juice from your lemons before juicing them. 

Right now we are using this bamboo reamer to juice our lemons, but that's only because we don't have our old fashioned glass lemon juicer on hand right now. 

Wild caught shrimp soaking in lemon juice.

Using a glass bowl is probably the safest way to soak or marinate your shrimp and one of the worst ways would be using a metallic container. 

Remember, citrus juice is very acidic and could leach heavy metals into your shrimp ceviche if you use a metal bowl and that includes stainless steel.

It's better to squeeze some of the lemon juice out after marinating.

Squeeze some of the lemon juice out of your shrimp after marinating them.
Marinated shrimp that was gently squeezed mixed with other fresh ingredients.

Be sure to squeeze enough lemon juice out of your marinated shrimp.  That's how to make shrimp ceviche that's not too acidic.  Be sure to squeeze gently.

Then you can add in the rest of your shrimp ceviche ingredients.

Try many variations and presentations is how to make shrimp ceviche fun!

Did you know there are many ways to change the presentation and flavor of your shrimp ceviche?

For example:  you could use jalapenos and limes to make a more Latin shrimp ceviche.

Or you could add fresh coconut milk at the end and make a Tahitian shrimp ceviche like my dad did when I was young. 

ceviche with pineapple bright

Fresh pineapple will make a Tropical shrimp ceviche that is very refreshing.  This is my latest favorite way of how to make shrimp ceviche taste delicious.

You could use different colored cherry tomatoes to make your shrimp ceviche more colorful.

Instead of lemon juice or lime juice which is more traditional.  You could use a mixture of citrus juices. 

How about lemon with a touch of orange?

Did you know that traditionally ceviche was made with fish?

I found the following from an article, "Ceviche: The National Dish of Peru" at Peru for Less.

"The origin of ceviche is debated throughout South and Central America all the way to the Polynesian islands. 

However, it is widely accepted that ceviche originated on the Pacific coasts of Peru nearly 2000 years ago. 

The Moche civilization who inhabited the area, prepared fish with the juice of a local passionfruit known as tumbo".

Choose fresh ingredients for shrimp ceviche recipes!

Different colors of cherry tomatoes that are ripe.Did you know there is such a thing as ripe green tomatoes?
  • Cherry or Heirloom Tomatoes
  • Avocado
  • Cucumber
  • Sweet Peppers
  • Basil
  • Hot Peppers
  • Corn
  • Raw apple cider vinegar
  • Fermented Ketchup
  • Cilantro
  • Lemons or Limes
  • Oranges
  • Mint or Dill
  • Garlic
  • Red Onion or Sweet Onion
  • Olives
  • Raw Coconut Milk or Cream
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil

There are many different taste sensations that you can stumble upon when learning how to make shrimp ceviche.  Just let your imagination run wild.

Here's a great new business idea for someone.  Instead of poke bowls how about shrimp ceviche bowls?

Shrimp ceviche will taste better with a great tasting sauce!

A saucy shrimp ceviche with lots of avocado.

How to make shrimp ceviche taste better? 

A great tasting sauce will usually make a big difference on how much you will enjoy your shrimp ceviche.

You could just keep it really simple and add homemade ketchup with really good hot sauce.

Or use the sauce my boyfriend created with the shrimp ceviche recipe I shared.  Or better yet, come up with a ceviche "special" sauce of your own!

Wild caught shrimp: the most common in the United States are white, pink, and brown.

Hands down, wild caught shrimp is the safer and more nutrient dense choice.  Wild caught shrimp will have a better flavor and offer you more nutrition.

Shockingly, domestic wild caught shrimp accounts for less than 10 percent of all the shrimp that we consume in the United States.

Wild caught shrimp harvested in the United States most likely will come from waters off of the Pacific, Atlantic, or Gulf of Mexico.  

Pink and white wild caught shrimp.Wild caught pink and white shrimp.

Pink Shrimp - also called grooved shrimp, pink night shrimp, spotted shrimp, and Hopper

Originates from the West Coast of Florida.  Found in the Gulf of Mexico and in South Atlantic Waters. 

Differs from the pink shrimp found in the Pacific.

Have a firm flesh and are in the middle of the flavor spectrum.

White Shrimp - also called common shrimp, southern shrimp, gray shrimp, and northern white shrimp.

Found along the Atlantic coast from New York to Florida and also in the Gulf of Mexico.

Considered a classic shrimp with a tender texture.

White shrimp have a mild tasting sweet flesh.

Brown Shrimp - also called brownies, golden shrimp, redtail shrimp, and summer shrimp.

Found off the Atlantic coast and all the way down to Mexico.   One of the most common wild caught shrimp.

Have a firm and mineral tasting flesh similar to iodine.

These shrimp have a stronger and more robust flavor.

Nutrition of wild caught shrimp: protein, antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins.

Once you learn how to make shrimp ceviche, it's important to look for wild and sustainably caught shrimp to be a good steward of the planet.

Even though wild caught shrimp are on the small side compared to a steak, they are also a good source of complete proteins.

Wild caught shrimp may be great brain food!  These shrimp are a great source of the antioxidant astaxanthin which is an orange-reddish pigment produced from microalgae that wild caught shrimp eat. 

Raw wild caught white shrimp from Alabama.Wild caught white shrimp from Alabama.

Wild caught shrimp contain important minerals like "real" sodium, magnesium, copper, and zinc.  Wild caught shrimp are an especially good source of selenium. 

Did you know that wild caught shrimp can be a great source of iodine especially brown shrimp?

Wild caught shrimp will contain B vitamins, vitamin E, and omega 3 fatty acids.  And wild caught shrimp are considered a low mercury seafood!

Choline is another important brain nutrient found in wild caught shrimp.

Is there a big difference between wild caught and farmed shrimp?  You Bet!!

Most of us know that consuming farmed raised salmon isn't the best idea, but most of us are in the dark when it comes to farm raised shrimp.

Wild caught shrimp are harvested in their natural habitats and farm raised shrimp are grown in aquaculture facilities which doesn't always have the best practices.

Very Important: buy your shrimp from a reputable source!

Be very careful when purchasing shrimp and always buy your shrimp from a reputable source. 

According to the following article, you do not want to purchase shrimp that came from a shrimp farm especially found overseas.

According to an article found on Dr. Axe's website, "Shrimp nutrition: Is shrimp healthy or harmful to your health" written by Christine Ruggeri..............

"Most shrimp we eat is imported (but we don't know).  Most of the shrimp we eat is imported, coming from Thailand, Ecuador, Indonesia, China, Mexico, and Vietnam."

"Shrimp farms run under very poor conditions.  In order to export large quantities of shrimp, shrimp farm operators stock their ponds to produce as much as 89,000 pounds of shrimp per acre. 

Per comparison, traditional shrimp farms yielded up to 445 pounds per acre.

Because the water is overcrowded with shrimp, it's quickly polluted with waste, which can infect the shrimp with disease and parasites.

In order to solve this problem, shrimp farmers in Asia and South or Central America use large quantities of antibiotics, disinfectants, and pesticides that are illegal for use in U.S. shrimp farms. 

The conditions have become so poor that reports show failure rates in shrimp farming as high as 70 percent to 80 percent."

Shrimp may be mislabeled or not labeled at all: always ask questions!

Another big problem is that a good percentage of the shrimp we consume is mislabeled or has no label which means you could be eating farmed shrimp when you thought it was wild caught.

I think this writer made a few solid points, but went a little too far with some of her recommendations - like just giving up all shrimp. 

Are there a few decent shrimp farms out there? 

Probably a few, but you'll have to do your own research to find them.  Always buy your shrimp from a reputable source and I'd always ask questions.