Authentic Mexican Shrimp Ceviche Recipe

Okay, first things first, because you probably have the same question a lot of people ask, and we're not going to send you off to Google (or Bing or Yahoo) on this one, so ... what is ceviche, anyway? Well, let's let chef and recipe developer Christina Musgrave of Tasting with Tina answer that one. As it turns out, the answer is pretty clear cut: "Ceviche is a dish made by marinating fish in acid to 'cook' it," she explains. 

And don't worry if that sounds complex or daunting, because Musgrave adds, "This seems hard, but it's actually really easy. You just need to make sure you keep the shrimp in the lime juice until it's pink." That will make sense soon, seriously!

Plus, once you have mastered this seafood-centric dish, it will be seriously delicious on all sorts of stuff. Musgrave says, "[Ceviche] would be great on a salad, on a tostada, or in tacos." And of course it's divine as a sort of fancy salsa with chips. Before we get to making it, though, let's answer one more question you might have: How do you pronounce the word "ceviche?" Like this: Seh-vee-chay, with the "chay" rhyming with "say." Got it? Great, now let's make it.

To prepare a four-serving batch of this ceviche (which can be served as two servings for an entree, by the way — it's no mere side or topping or dip), you'll need 16 ounces (one pound) of raw shrimp, peeled and deveined. Don't go with extra large prawns or even simply larger shrimp, as they won't work properly here. You can even use shears to trim the shrimp into smaller pieces if you want, by the way.

You'll also need a cup or more of lime juice, half a diced red onion, a diced tomato, a diced jalapeño, about a half cup of chopped cilantro, a decent pinch of salt and pepper, and, based on your serving plan and preferences, some tortilla chips and hot sauce.

Remember how we talked about how we'd essentially be cooking the shrimp in acid? Well the lime juice is that acid, so make sure you have enough of it to fully submerge the shrimp. 

If you haven't yet, peel and devein the shrimp, rinse them, and place them in a bowl. Then start juicing limes (or measuring out ready-made lime juice) and pour the juice over the shrimp until all of the pieces are fully submerged. Now give a stir and ensure the shrimp is still covered in liquid, then pop the juice-covered shrimp into the fridge and let them rest for one hour, checking to make sure the shrimp has all turned pink before you proceed.

So the shrimp has all "acid-cooked" to pink? Excellent, that means it has also been drinking in flavor! Now Add that half diced red onion, the diced tomato, diced jalapeño, the half cup of chopped cilantro, and those pinches of salt and pepper to the bowl and stir everything about to mix the ceviche well. 

Now serve the ceviche with tortilla chips and hot sauce, in a taco, over rice, or however sounds great. Just don't plan on saving any. "I would recommending eating the day-of and not saving any leftovers," says Musgrave.