Shrimp Ceviche Recipe

Prepare and 'cook' the shrimp

Rinse shrimp, pat dry, then cut into roughly 1/2" pieces. Place shrimp in a nonreactive bowl (glass or stainless steel). Pour the fresh lime juice over the shrimp, ensuring they are fully submerged. Add the lemon juice, kosher salt, and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 20–30 minutes, stirring once at 15 minutes, until shrimp turn opaque and firm (shrimp are 'cooked' by the citrus).

After the shrimp are opaque and firm, drain off about half of the citrus marinade into a small bowl and reserve (you can spoon some back later if mixture seems dry). Do not discard all the juices — keep some for seasoning if desired.

While shrimp cures, prepare the vegetables. Seed and small-dice the cucumber and tomatoes. Finely mince red onion (so it’s not overpowering). Finely mince serrano (remove seeds for less heat). Finely chop cilantro.

Place the cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, serrano, and cilantro in a medium bowl. Stir to combine. Taste and season with a pinch of salt (about 1/4 tsp) to draw out and balance flavors.

When shrimp are ready, gently fold the drained shrimp into the vegetable mixture. Mix carefully to combine without mashing the shrimp or avocado (if adding immediately). If mixture seems dry, add 1–2 tablespoons of the reserved citrus liquid.

Dice the ripe avocado just before serving to avoid browning. Gently fold the avocado into the ceviche mixture, then drizzle with 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle lemon zest and remaining 1/2 tsp black pepper. Adjust salt to taste (add up to remaining 3/4 tsp kosher salt total across the whole dish if needed).

Let the combined ceviche rest in the refrigerator for 5–10 minutes to marry flavors (do not refrigerate longer than 1 hour after adding avocado to preserve texture).

Assemble tostadas

To serve, spoon approximately 2–3 tablespoons of ceviche onto each tostada shell (depending on shell size), or serve family-style in a chilled bowl with tostadas on the side.

Garnish each tostada or the family bowl with extra cilantro or microgreens and a lime wedge. Serve immediately so tostadas remain crisp.