Ceviche Recipe

Trim and butterfly

Rinse the raw shrimp under cold water, pat dry with paper towels. If shrimp are larger than medium, halve or butterfly them so pieces are roughly 1–1.5 inches thick to ensure even 'cooking' in the citrus.

Place the shrimp in a nonreactive bowl (glass or stainless steel). Pour the lime juice and optional lemon juice over the shrimp, making sure the liquid covers the shrimp. Stir to combine.

Cover the bowl and refrigerate until the shrimp turn opaque and firm. This typically takes 20–30 minutes for medium shrimp. Test one piece: the center should be opaque (no translucent raw center). If still translucent, continue marinating and check every 5 minutes. Do not exceed 2 hours, as acidity will over-firm the shrimp.

While the shrimp is marinating, finely dice the red onion and place it in a small bowl of cold water for 5 minutes, then drain and pat dry to reduce sharpness (optional).

Seed and dice the roma tomatoes, then place them in a sieve and let excess juice drain for 5 minutes to avoid a watery ceviche.

Chop the cilantro leaves (discard thick stems), mince the jalapeño (remove seeds for less heat), and dice the avocado. Keep the avocado separate until final assembly to prevent excessive browning.

When shrimp are opaque and fully 'cooked' by the citrus, drain about half of the citrus liquid from the bowl, leaving enough to flavor and slightly poach the other ingredients (about 1/4–1/3 cup should remain). Reserve the drained liquid if you want to adjust acidity later.

Add the drained red onion, diced tomatoes, chopped cilantro, and minced jalapeño to the shrimp. Gently fold to combine so shrimp pieces remain intact.

Season with kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and optional ground cumin. Drizzle the optional extra-virgin olive oil and gently fold again. Taste and adjust salt, pepper, or a splash of reserved lime/lemon juice if needed.

Fold in the diced avocado gently just before serving to prevent it from mashing. If making ahead, add avocado only 10–15 minutes before serving.

Transfer the ceviche to a serving bowl or individual cups. Serve chilled with tortilla chips or on tostadas. Garnish with a few cilantro leaves or thin slices of jalapeño if desired.

Leftovers: keep refrigerated in an airtight container and consume within 24 hours; texture will degrade and avocado will brown.