Mexican Shrimp Ceviche with Avocado

This Mexican Shrimp Ceviche recipe is so quick and easy to make at home.  It’s full of cooked shrimp, avocado, tomatoes, cucumber, cilantro, lemon and lime juices, and then marinaded in the refrigerator to create a medley of delicious flavors.  You can serve this dip recipe with tortilla chips for a Cinco de Mayo celebration, on top of your favorite chicken dish for a low-carb option, or eat it by the spoonful for lunch or dinner! 

Mexican Shrimp Ceviche Recipe

For some reason, every time we eat out at a fancier Mexican restaurant and ceviche is on the menu, it is a MUST-ORDER!

Whether it’s fish or shrimp ceviche… it doesn’t really matter.  Because all ceviche recipes are an absolutely perfect and refreshing low-carb dish.

While nothing can beat the authentic and incredibly fresh ceviche we had while visiting Costa Rica this past summer, this homemade version is a really close second!

You can serve it as an appetizer or dip for a Cinco de Mayo party, or meal prep it for the week and eat it for a few days.

It also would taste great served on top of a grilled chicken breast or as a surf and turf with a Filet Mignon.

Ingredients

It does take a little bit of time to finely dice all of the ingredients, but trust me!  It’s SO worth the effort.

Just pop on your favorite music or TV show, and you’ll be done chopping before you know it.

Here are the ingredients you will need:

• • Shrimp – White or pink shrimp can be used in this recipe.  Read more below about fresh vs. frozen, and wild versus farm-raised shrimp.
  • Citrus – A blend of lime, lemon, and orange juice is mixed together to make the ceviche sauce.  Definitely use FRESH citrus juice for the best taste and flavor in this recipe.
  • Onion – A red onion is used for color, but you can also use a sweet or white onion instead.
  • Tomato – Any type of tomato will work in this recipe.  You can use vine-ripened tomatoes, seeds removed, cherry tomatoes, or grape tomatoes.
  • Cucumber – An English seedless cucumber is the best kind to use when making ceviche.  You can choose to leave the skin on or peel it before dicing.
  • Avocado – Mixed in at the very end, this creamy addition helps to balance the crunch of the cucumbers and onion.  Don’t leave this out!
  • Cilantro – Fresh cilantro is finely chopped and adds a wonderfully fresh herbal flavor which is typical in authentic Mexican ceviche recipes.
  • Jalapeno – Completely optional if you do not like your ceviche to be spicy.  You can also substitute it with a serrano pepper or use two jalapenos to bump up the spice level.

Type of Shrimp

Fresh shrimp, not previously frozen, will definitely taste the best.

Wild, and not farm-raised, are healthier for you and are in season in the Spring and Fall.

If you can’t find WILD and FRESH shrimp, you can always use previously frozen and/or farm-raised instead.

Any size shrimp will work, but just note the boiling time you’ll find below is for medium-sized shrimp, about 20/24 count per pound.  If you have larger or smaller shrimp you will want to adjust the cook time accordingly.

Is the Shrimp Raw?

While most ceviche recipes start with raw fish and then the citrus juices “cook” the seafood, this recipe actually instructs you to boil the shrimp for 1-2 minutes before making the ceviche.

I take this extra step of cooking the shrimp first to ensure the shrimp are cooked all of the way through and any potentially bad bacteria has been killed.

If you do not live in a coastal town or have easy access to fresh and high-quality seafood, I would encourage you to cook your shrimp, too.

Doing this also speeds up the preparation time for this recipe since you do not need to wait for the shrimp to marinade.

Boiling Shrimp

We’ll be cooking the shrimp for this recipe by boiling it in a large pot.

Before you do this step, make sure your shrimp have been peeled, deveined, and the tails removed.

To boil the shrimp:

• Bring a medium to large pot of water to a boil.
• Add shrimp carefully to the pot and boil for 1-2 minutes.
• Remove the shrimp immediately once they turn pink and begin to curl.
• Cut shrimp into bite-sized pieces once they are cool enough to touch.

Cook’s Tip: Make sure you do not over cook the shrimp.  They can become rubbery instead of soft and delicate if cooked too long.

How to Make

While your shrimp are cooked and cooled to room temperature, it’s time to start assembling the ceviche.

Here are the step-by-step instructions you will want to follow:

1. Juice the limes, lemons, and oranges.
2. Combine lime juice, lemon juice, orange juice, olive oil, and salt in a large bowl.
3. Add shrimp and marinade in refrigerator for 10 minutes.
4. While the shrimp are marinading, finely dice the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, and jalapeno.
5. Mix vegetables in with the shrimp.
6. Marinade in refrigerator for another 10 minutes.
7. Stir in avocado and cilantro just before serving.

Serving

While shrimp ceviche is classically served as a dish with baked corn tortilla chips, there are a few other ways you can enjoy this low-carb recipe.

Keep it Paleo by grabbing a bag of Siete grain-free chips.

Turn it into a surf ‘n turf and serve it on top of a filet mignon or grilled chicken breast.

Or just grab a spoon and dig in.  Eating it by itself is probably my favorite way to enjoy this dish!

Meal Prep and Storage

To Prep-Ahead: Since this shrimp ceviche is made with diced avocado, it does have a relatively short shelf-life.  It’s best if you prepare the ceviche within a few hours before serving.  However, you could prepare it up to a day or two in advance and save mixing in the avocado and cilantro until just before serving.

To Store:  Place leftovers in an airtight container, cover the surface with a piece of plastic wrap, and then store it in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.  The plastic wrap helps the avocado to not contact air, thus keeping it from turning brown.

FAQs

Is shrimp raw in ceviche?

Since the citrus juices will cook the shrimp by a process called denaturation, you can technically use raw shrimp and other seafood in ceviche.  However, this recipe calls for using boiled shrimp that are completely cooked through so it will be ready in less time.

How do you know when shrimp are done cooking?

Shrimp will turn from translucent and grey-brown to opaque and white-pinkish once cooked through.  They will also be firm to the touch and no longer squishy.

How long should ceviche be marinated?

If using raw seafood in your ceviche recipe, you’ll want to make sure and marinade it for at least 30 minutes or up to an hour.  The length of time you marinade the ceviche depends primarily on how small or large the seafood pieces are.

Is ceviche healthy for you?

Besides being gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, and low-carb, this Shrimp Ceviche with Avocado is also low in calories!

Coming in at only 133 calories/serving, this simple appetizer or main dish is loaded with veggies and seafood, making it an awesome low-calorie recipe.

Pro Tips and Tricks

• Finely dice the ingredients.  It’s important you make all of the ingredients roughly the same size so you get a bit of everything in one bite.
• Boil the shrimp first.  While this is a little unconventional, boiling the shrimp before adding it in ensures it is fully cooked through and you can have your ceviche ready to enjoy in less time!
• Use a mixture of citrus.  Lime, lemon, and orange juice are used to give the ceviche a uniquely refreshing flavor.  All lime juice will result in a ceviche that is too acidic.
• Mix in some avocado.  Many of the ingredients are crunchy in ceviche, so a little bit of avocado adds a wonderful creaminess to the dip.
• Serve it with homemade chips.  Baked tortilla chips are not only healthier for you, but are also extremely firm so they can grab a large scoop of ceviche!

Want more healthy dip recipes?

Easy Homemade Guacamole Recipe

Pineapple Pico de Gallo

Easy Homemade Salsa Recipe

Black Bean & Corn Salsa Dip

3.66 from 32 votes

Mexican Shrimp Ceviche Recipe

This Mexican Shrimp Ceviche recipe is so quick and easy to make at home.  It's full of cooked shrimp, avocado, tomatoes, cucumber, cilantro, lemon and lime juices, and then marinaded in the refrigerator to create a medley of delicious flavors.

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Course Appetizer, Main Course, Snack

Cuisine Mexican, Seafood

Keyword mexican shrimp ceviche, shrimp ceviche with avocado

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 8 servings

Calories 133 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 lb. shrimp* 20/24 count, peeled, deveined,
• ½ cup lime juice fresh
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice fresh
• ¼ cup orange juice fresh
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• ½ cup red onion finely diced
• 1 jalapeno* seeded, finely diced
• 1 cup tomatoes finely diced
• 1 cup seedless cucumber finely diced
• 1 cup avocado finely diced
• ½ cup cilantro finely chopped
• ½ tsp. salt to taste

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

2. Add shrimp to boiling water and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until shrimp turn a light pink color and are cooked through.
3. Immediately remove shrimp so they stop cooking. Once shrimp are cool enough to touch, cut shrimp into bite-sized pieces.

4. Combine lime juice, lemon juice, orange juice, olive oil, shrimp and salt in a large bowl. Marinade in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.

5. While the shrimp are marinading, finely dice the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, and jalapeno.

6. Mix vegetables in with the shrimp. Marinade in refrigerator for at least another 10 minutes.

7. Just before serving, stir in avocado and cilantro. Serve with baked tortilla chips or over chicken and enjoy!

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

• You can also use smaller or larger shrimp as long as you adjust the boil time accordingly.
• You can use 2 jalapenos if you would like a spicier ceviche recipe.

• To Prep-Ahead: Since this shrimp ceviche is made with diced avocado, it does have a relatively short shelf-life.  It's best if you prepare the ceviche within a few hours before serving.  However, you could prepare it up to a day or two in advance and save mixing in the avocado and cilantro until just before serving.

• To Store:  Place leftovers in an airtight container, cover the surface with a piece of plastic wrap, and then store it in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.  The plastic wrap helps the avocado to not contact air, thus keeping it from turning brown.

Pro Tips and Tricks

• Finely dice the ingredients.  It's important you make all of the ingredients roughly the same size so you get a bit of everything in one bite.
• Boil the shrimp first.  While this is a little unconventional, boiling the shrimp before adding it in ensures it is fully cooked through and you can have your ceviche ready to enjoy in less time!
• Use a mixture of citrus.  Lime, lemon, and orange juice are used to give the ceviche a uniquely refreshing flavor.  All lime juice will result in a ceviche that is too acidic.
• Mix in some avocado.  Many of the ingredients are crunchy in ceviche, so a little bit of avocado adds a wonderful creaminess to the dip.
• Serve it with homemade chips.  Baked tortilla chips are not only healthier for you, but are also extremely firm so they can grab a large scoop of ceviche!

Nutrition Facts

Mexican Shrimp Ceviche Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 133 Calories from Fat 63

% Daily Value*

Fat 7g11%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Cholesterol 142mg47%

Sodium 563mg24%

Potassium 241mg7%

Carbohydrates 5g2%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 12g24%

Vitamin A 305IU6%

Vitamin C 19.5mg24%

Calcium 91mg9%

Iron 1.4mg8%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.