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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Helpful Reader Review
“AWESOME Recipe ! I have made Ceviche hundreds of times and Never Once used Clamato ! I Definitely WILL from now on! Thank You Natasha” – Patrick ★★★★★
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.
Natasha’s Speedy Tip:
The fastest way to make Ceviche is to dice everything up using a food chopper. My husband uses it to get everything chopped up in less than 5 minutes. After many years of making ceviche, it’s all about efficiency!
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.
Helpful Reader Review
I love this recipe. A helpful tip I’ve learned is to mash avocado and spread on the tostada shell and then spoon on the ceviche. It helps to hold it on when you are eating.” – Glenda ★★★★★
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?
Ceviche Recipe
Ceviche is loaded with shrimp, avocado, tomatoes, cucumber, and cilantro; all marinated in fresh lime juice. You can use raw shrimp or cooked shrimp meat for this Mexican shrimp cocktail. Using cooked shrimp meat cuts down the marinating time significantly which is why we prefer it. P.S. This also keeps really well in the refrigerator and you’ll be happy if you have leftovers!
Servings: 8 people
- 1 lb medium shrimp, (raw or cooked*), thawed, peeled, deveined, and diced
- 1 cup lime juice, from 6 limes
- 1 cucumber, peeled and diced
- 2 avocados
- 3 roma tomatoes, diced
- 1 red onion, diced
- 1/4 bunch cilantro, chopped
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
- 1 cup Clamato juice, (use “picante” version for spicier salsa)
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Prep the Shrimp: Rinse the thawed 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.
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Marinate Shrimp: Dice shrimp if large and place it into a large glass (non-reactive) bowl. Use a citrus squeezer to get 1 to 1 1/4 cups lime juice from 6 limes over shrimp. Stir to combine then cover and marinate in the refrigerator (marinate 1 1/2 to 2 hours for raw shrimp or until no longer translucent and marinate 15 minutes for cooked shrimp), stirring halfway through.
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Chop the vegetables: cucumber, avocado, tomatoes, red onion, jalapeno, and cilantro. A food chopper will make this process much faster.
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Combine: When shrimp are done marinating, add vegetables to the bowl along with clamato juice and stir to combine. Serve with hot sauce if desired along with tortilla chips or over tostadas.
*I prefer using 1 lb of pre-cooked shrimp salad meat. You don’t have to soak it as long in the lime juice, and you don’t have to chop it, so it saves me some steps. And if it’s frozen, it thaws quickly in cold water.
*Nutrition label only calculates the ceviche and not tostadas or tortilla chips for serving.
156kcal Calories11g Carbs13g Protein8g Fat
Nutrition Facts
Ceviche Recipe
Amount per Serving
% Daily Value*
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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:
