Ceviche de Camarones- Shrimp Ceviche

Before we begin, there is something I need to get out of the way. Please indulge me in my geekiness and pronounce “ceviche” correctly.

“seh-vee-chay”

Not “suh-vee-chee”

Call me a perfectionist, call me a Spanish-nerd, but mispronunciation is a pet peeve of mine. To be clear, I’m not talking about the kind of mispronunciation that comes from someone honestly not being able to say a given word. That’s understandable. I can relate to that…I’ve attempted French. The kind of mispronunciation I’m referring to is the kind where a person is perfectly capable of pronouncing a word correctly and just doesn’t want to bother to take the time to say it correctly.

Like I said, it’s geeky and perhaps annoying in itself, but it’s something that bothers me. Just like the sound of people chewing, but that’s a topic for another day.

Anyway, Shrimp Ceviche was made for the summer. The lightness of the shrimp, coupled with the bright, fresh vegetables, all marinated in a trio of citrus juices is so refreshing on a hot, humid day. Toss it in a bowl and serve it with tortilla chips and you’ve got a great lunch.

To begin, chop up two bell peppers, a bunch of cilantro, one jalapeño, and half a red onion.

I just discovered how to do this picture effect and I’m feeling very proud of myself.

Toss it all together in a bowl with a bit of salt.

I love how colorful this dish is!

Once that’s all mixed together, it’s time to add the shrimp.

Depending on the size of the shrimp, you may want to cut it up into bite-size pieces.

Add the shrimp and stir it all together.

This picture looks so magnificently warped. It kinda makes my head spin.

Now it’s time for ceviche’s most critical component– the citrus juices!

What’s so important about the citrus is the fact that it’s the lemon, lime, and orange juice that does the cooking. The initially raw shrimp gets cooked by marinating in the juices for the better part of a day. That being said, the photos you’re seeing are of pre-cooked shrimp, upon the insistence of my sushi-loving mother. For you germaphobes out there, this recipe tastes just as good using cooked shrimp.

Are you ready to have biceps of steel? Because you’re going to be doing a lot of juicing, unless you have one of those electric citrus reamers, in which case I am extremely jealous of you.

First comes the orange juice.

This is just the beginning.

Now it’s time for the lovely limes.

I don’t care how hard they are to juice, they’re so pretty!

After the limes come the lemons…lots of lemons.

It’s perfectly normal to have broken a sweat by this stage.

Using a strainer so there’s no seeds, pour all the juices into the bowl and give it a good stir. Before you pour in the juices, make sure that everything’s in the container you want it to be, something nonreactive and sealable, like a glass jar.

Glass bowls work well, too.

Give it 12-24 hours in the fridge and you’ve got delicious Shrimp Ceviche for days to come. My only advice is to be careful when you’ve taken it out of the fridge to serve, as anyone in the vicinity will start diving towards it, chips in hand.

My sister was clever enough to strike a pose before I took this picture. She was totally going in for a munchie.

Ceviche de Camarones- Shrimp Ceviche

Recipe adapted from “Daisy Cooks!” by Daisy Martinez

Printable Recipe

1 ½ pounds large Shrimp, shelled and deveined

1 Yellow Bell Pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped

1 Red Bell Pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped

½ small Red Onion, finely chopped

1 small bunch Cilantro, thick stems removed, leaves chopped coarsely

1 Jalapeño, minced

1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon salt

12 Lemons, juiced

8 Limes, juiced

4 Oranges, juiced

Mix the shrimp, bell peppers, onion, cilantro, jalapeño, and salt in a large bowl. Place in a nonreactive container, such as a large glass jar or bowl. Straining out the seeds, pour all the citrus juices over the shrimp mixture. There should be enough to cover it completely; if not, add more. Seal the container and refrigerate until the shrimp is opaque, about 12 -24 hours.

Once “cooked”, drain the ceviche, discarding most of the liquid, and place in a large serving bowl. Serve with tortilla chips.