Cuban Style Shrimp Ceviche

Have you been searching for ceviche recipes? I’m sure you’ve encountered a wide array of shrimp and fish ceviche recipes with all sorts of different ingredients and methods.

The recipe below reminds me of my childhood.  My family, especially my father, loved shrimp ceviche (aka: Ceviche de Camarón). In the area that I grew up in Miami there was one restaurant where we always bought it from, Don Fernando on Bird Road. And actually, he started his business out of a fish truck on the side of the road.  I’ll probably never forget that fish truck on the side of Bird Road!  My mom would stop there on her way home, ask them what fish he had caught that day, and always added a couple of orders of the shrimp Ceviche.  Every time I get to Miami I always try to stop by, but until then… I’m making my own. Don’t tell Fernando’s wife I believe to have mastered  her recipe…

About the recipe, traditionally, the fish or shrimp is “cooked” by marinated it in lime for 24-48 hours, but I discovered this quick and safe way to make it. It taste just the same!  Also take note about frozen shrimp.  It’s best to defrost shrimp overnight in the refrigerator  but if your in a pinch, running them under cold water for about 30 minutes also works.

Cuban Style Shrimp Ceviche

Print Recipe

Easy dish, full of flavor.

Course Appetizer

Keyword ceviche, cuban, shrimp

Ingredients

• 4 or 5 limes
• 1 lbs shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed
• 3 cloves garlic peeled
• 1/2 tbsp kosher salt
• 1 small red onion diced
• 3 tbsp cilantro chopped
• 1 serrano or jalapeno pepper diced and seeds removed
• 1 small red pepper diced
• 1/2 cup cocktail sauce
• saltine crackers for serving optional

Instructions

• Squeeze limes, add juice to a large bowl. Reserve the rind of one of the limes. Note you should have about a cup of juice.
  
• Bring about 4 – 6 cups of water, garlic, salt and reserved lime rind, to a rolling boil. Add shrimp, cover and turn off heat.  Leave Shrimp in water 2-3 minutes or until shrimp are pink.
• Remove from pot and place in ice cold water. This helps stop the cooking process; you don’t want to overcook the shrimp.  Once cooled enough to handle, chop into 1 inch pieces and add into the bowl with the lime juice.
• Add to the bowl the diced onion, peppers and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for a least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
  
• Serve Shrimp Ceviche in a small bowl or pretty martini glass with a side of saltine crackers and a dollop of the cocktail sauce.

Notes

You can make your own cocktail sauce or spice it up with additional horseradish. To make your own use about 1/2 cup of ketchup, squeeze 1/2 lemon and about 2 tsp (more / less to taste) of horseradish.