Ceviche Recipe (with VIDEO)

Ceviche is so fresh and loaded with shrimp, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, cilantro, and avocados, all marinated in fresh lime juice. For this Mexican Shrimp Cocktail, you can use raw shrimp or cooked shrimp meat (if you want to cut the prep time way down). Watch the video, and you’ll see why I love this authentic ceviche so much!

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What is Ceviche?

Ceviche is an appetizer my husband and I have probably made a hundred times, and it’s among my favorite appetizers, right up there with Cowboy Caviar and the wildly popular Guacamole.

We got this authentic Mexican ceviche recipe from one of our readers, Blanca Villasenor. The secret ingredient for the best ceviche is Clamato juice, which melds the flavors together and makes it one of the freshest and most satisfying appetizers you will try. Thank you so much, Blanca, for generously sharing your traditional family recipe with us!

Ceviche has many names including cebiche, seviche, or sebiche. The origin is debated, but it is thought to have its roots in Peru. Ceviche is a seafood cocktail and traditionally uses fresh fish that is marinated or “cooked” in a large amount of citrus juice.

Ceviche Video Tutorial

Watch me make this easy and classic Restaurant-style Ceviche. I have loved this recipe for years and have been fine-tuning it over the years. Also, it’s a true story that my husband and I can polish off the entire batch in one evening in lieu of dinner!

Ingredients for Shrimp Ceviche

• Shrimp – you can chop up raw shrimp and let it cook in the lime juice or use cooked shrimp meat, which I do all the time because it’s easier and faster (more on that below).
• Limes – get the larger limes since they produce more juice. You need about 6 limes or enough lime juice to cover the shrimp, especially if you are using raw shrimp.
• Veggies – We like to bulk up the ceviche with tomatoes, cucumber, and Avocado. I love the slight creaminess that that avocado adds to the sauce. It’s so satisfying!
• Aromatics – Onions and fresh cilantro add a crisp freshness to the ceviche.
• To Make it Spicy– We add seeded and minced jalapeno peppers and serve it with hot sauce – my favorite hot sauce brands for Ceviche are Tapatio, Cholula and Tabasco. Also if you’re adding hot sauce, there’s no need for salt.
• Clamato – this tomato cocktail juice is Blanca’s recommendation to make the marinade a little richer in texture and flavor. Lately we’ve been using the spicy variety for even more depth of flavor.

Can I Use Cooked Shrimp?

Traditionally, ceviche is made using raw shrimp, which is cooked in lime juice. I don’t like to wait for that process to happen, and I don’t like to wonder if it’s really done, so I use cooked shrimp meat. It’s so much easier! If you are starting with raw shrimp and you want to pre-cook it before adding it to Ceviche, see our Boiled Shrimp Recipe.

How to Make Ceviche

• Rinse the shrimp under cold running water and thoroughly squeeze or pat dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture so your cocktail isn’t watered down. Do this with raw or cooked shrimp.
• Marinate Shrimp – Put chopped shrimp in a large bowl and stir in 1 cup of fresh lime juice (this citrus squeezer is my favorite). Refrigerate and marinate (1 1/2 to 2 hours for raw shrimp and 15 minutes for cooked shrimp). If using raw shrimp, I like to stir a couple of times while marinating to make sure it’s well coated and it’s ready when it’s opaque and no longer transparent.
• Dice remaining vegetables– cucumber, avocado, tomato, onion, jalapeno, and cilantro.
• Combine and Serve – Once the shrimp are done marinating, toss in the diced vegetables and Clamato juice and gently stir to combine.

Variations for Ceviche

There are so many ways to make this, and it varies by region (i.e., Peruvian versus Mexican Ceviche). The biggest differences are in the types of seafood used.

• Fish Ceviche – instead of shrimp, you can try fresh white fish diced into small pieces. Some options include halibut, sea bass, snapper, or mahi mahi. Scallops are also a popular option. Always use the freshest fish, keep it on ice in the refrigerator, and make ceviche the day you purchase it.
• Raw Shrimp – If using raw shrimp, it should be super fresh and purchased from a trusted source and enjoy the ceviche the first day it is made.
• Cooked Shrimp – I’ll be the first to admit that I love using cooked shrimp meat for ceviche. With a 15-minute marinating time, it’s a no-brainer for me. I also love that shrimp meat is often wild-caught and typically comes at a lower price tag than whole shrimp, plus there is zero peeling or deveining required. Sign me up!

How to Serve Ceviche?

Ceviche is meant to be served as an appetizer with either tortilla chips or over tostadas. You can also serve it over mini lettuce cups for a low-carb version, or for a fancy presentation, spoon it over avocado halves.

Is Ceviche Safe to Eat?

If you’re new to ceviche, you may be wondering – is ceviche still raw? Marinating shrimp in fresh lime juice essentially cooks the shrimp due to the high acidity of lime juice. Here’s more info on how ceviche works.

Personally, I prefer to use cooked shrimp salad meat, which you don’t have to dice; it saves marinating time, and it’s in line with USDA guidelines (plus, it will taste just as good).

Make Ahead and Storage

We usually polish off our ceviche the day it’s made, but on the rare chance we have leftovers, they do keep really well.

Refrigerate leftovers right away. Refrigerate for up to 1 day if you used raw seafood and refrigerate for up to 2 days if you used cooked shrimp.

I am always so giddy when my husband surprises me with a fresh batch of shrimp Ceviche – it’s just mouthwatering good I hope this becomes a new favorite for you! Let me know if you make your salsa differently. Do you use cooked or fresh shrimp or another type of seafood?

More Shrimp Appetizers

Can you tell we love Shrimp Recipes by now? These are some of our top-rated Shrimp Appetizers that we make on repeat:

• Shrimp Cocktail with the Best Sauce
• Shrimp Spring Rolls
• Coconut Shrimp
• Shrimp Cakes with Lemon Aioli
• Avocado Shrimp Cucumber Bites
• Stuffed Shrimp
• Hot Shrimp Dip