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Avocado Shrimp Ceviche is light, refreshing, and so delicious. Stuff the avocados with the ceviche for an elegant presentation, or combine everything together for a light meal or appetizer. No matter what you do, it will be a hit with family and friends.
This recipe was featured in Stillwater Living Magazine
Shrimp has always been one of my favorite types of seafood. It’s light, quick-cooking and versatile, and there are endless ways to prepare it.
Most of the time I eat shrimp in hot dishes, like in my Easy Shrimp Scampi. And I always save the shells and tails, as they make a fabulous shrimp stock for my Spicy Garlic Shrimp Pasta.
While I love cold shrimp recipes, I rarely ever make them at home. So as we’re heading into summertime, it’s the perfect opportunity to change that, so I made Avocado Shrimp Ceviche
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
- It’s an easy dish to make for a crowd
- You can customize it to your preference
- It’s perfect as a snack or light meal
IMPORTANT SHRIMP TIPS
Authentic Shrimp Ceviche uses fresh shrimp that is “cooked” in lime juice until the shrimp is translucent.
If you go that route, use the absolute freshest shrimp possible. Go to a fishmonger you trust or, if you are lucky enough to live near a seafood dock, go get it there!
TEST FAIL AND FOOLPROOF SOLUTION
Failure: I tested the raw cooking method with frozen shrimp that was thawed. After TWELVE HOURS it still wasn’t translucent. That’s a big thumbs down for me.
Solution: Poach the raw shrimp for 2-3 minutes and then finish cooking in lime juice. This ensures that the shrimp cooks through, and it’s ready to go in about 20 minutes.
Immediately after poaching, pour the shrimp into a strainer and run it under cold water for 5 seconds to stop the cooking.
Another solution is to buy pre-cooked shrimp. But since I always have frozen raw shrimp on hand, I just use that.
You can use any size shrimp you want, since the shrimp gets cut up for serving. The only thing the shrimp size affects is how long it takes to poach. The smaller the shrimp, the faster it cooks.
INGREDIENT TIPS FOR AVOCADO SHRIMP CEVICHE
Use fresh lime juice! Limes are plentiful and inexpensive, and plump limes will have tons of juice.
You will need about 1 cup of lime juice for 1 pound of shrimp. That will be about 6 limes, depending on size. I always get more limes than I think I’ll need, just in case.
Juicing the limes:
- Roll the limes on the counter back and forth under the palm of your hand a few times to help release the juices
- If the lime is a little bit hard, heat it in the microwave for about 10 seconds and then roll
- A citrus juicer is your friend here, and makes your life much easier. But if you don’t have one, cut the limes into quarters and squeeze them by hand
I keep the skin on the cucumber, but that is a personal preference. If you don’t want the skin, then just peel the cucumber before dicing.
I use grape or cherry tomatoes because I always have them on hand, but you can use your favorite variety.
The ribs and seeds of the jalapeno pack all the heat, so make sure to remove both before dicing. Of course if you’re a heat lover, you can leave both and the lime juice will help tone it down some.
You need to let the Shrimp Ceviche rest for an hour before serving. This allows the flavors to develop, and it makes a huge difference.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS
Peel and devein shrimp, if necessary. Save the shells and tails to make stock later!
Bring a pot of water to a boil, and add cold shrimp. Poach the shrimp for 2-3 minutes, until the shrimp just turns pink. Pour the shrimp into a strainer, and rinse under cold, running water for 5-10 seconds to stop cooking.
Cut the shrimp into 1/2″ pieces and transfer to a bowl. Add lime juice and rest in the fridge for 15 minutes.
Add the cucumber, red onion, tomato, jalapeno, and cilantro to the bowl. Add salt and pepper, stir to combine, and rest in the fridge for one hour.
SERVING AVOCADO SHRIMP CEVICHE
STUFFED AVOCADO
When I originally made the recipe I made it as stuffed avocados. This makes for a beautiful presentation, but you kinda get cheated on the amount of ceviche.
I plan 2 Shrimp Ceviche Stuffed Avocados per person as a light meal, or 1 per person as an appetizer.
ALL MIXED TOGETHER
When I’m making Avocado Shrimp Ceviche for a crowd, I dice the avocado and mix it into the ceviche.
Prepared this way, you can enjoy Avocado Shrimp Ceviche as a salsa with my Baked Tortilla Chips or your favorite variety.
MAKE-AHEAD & LEFTOVER OPTIONS
You can make the Shrimp Ceviche up to 8 hours ahead, but don’t stuff or add the avocado until 2 hours before serving. The lime juice will help prevent the avocado from turning brown too quickly.
Shrimp Ceviche is best on the day it’s made. And believe me, it won’t last long with a crowd!
MORE SHRIMP RECIPES
- Chimichurri Shrimp Vegetable Bowl
- Shrimp Fried Rice
- Honey Lime Shrimp & Vegetables
- Blackened Shrimp Pesto Pasta Salad
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Avocado Shrimp Ceviche
Avocado Shrimp Ceviche is light, refreshing, and so delicious. Stuff the avocados with the ceviche for an elegant presentation, or combine everything together for a light meal or appetizer. No matter what you do, it will be a hit with family and friends.
Ingredients
- 1 pound raw shrimp (size of shrimp is your preference)
- 1 cup fresh lime juice (about 6 medium/large limes)
- 1/2 cup red onion, diced
- 3/4 cup cucumber, diced
- 1/2 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced very small
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 6 medium avocados
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil, and add cold shrimp. Poach the shrimp for 1-2 minutes, until the shrimp just turns pink
- Pour the shrimp into a strainer, and rinse under cold, running water for 5 seconds to stop the cooking
- Cut the shrimp into 1/2″ pieces and transfer to a bowl. Add lime juice and rest in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- Add the cucumber, red onion, tomato, jalapeno, and cilantro to the bowl. Add salt and pepper, stir to combine, and rest in the fridge for one hour.
- Cut avocados in half lengthwise, and remove the seed
- ALL-IN-ONE OPTION (only uses 3 avocados)
- Dice avocados into bite-sized pieces
- Add avocado to ceviche. Stir to combine, and add a pinch of salt and pepper
- STUFFED AVOCADO OPTION
- Place the avocados face-up on a serving platter
- Using a slotted spoon, scoop the shrimp ceviche into the avocado halves. Depending on the size of the avocados, you'll use about 2 Tablespoons of ceviche per avocado half
Notes
The ribs and seeds of the jalapeno pack all the heat, so make sure to remove both before dicing. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and hot water immediately afterwards!
SHRIMP TIPS
You can use any size shrimp you want since the shrimp gets cut up for serving. If you use very small shrimp you can leave them whole
The shrimp cooks very quickly. Even with very large shrimp, they are done in under 2 minutes. Watch carefully, so the shrimp doesn't overcook.
LIME JUICE
Use fresh lime juice! Limes are plentiful and inexpensive, and plump limes will have tons of juice.
Depending on the lime size, 1 cup will be about 6 limes. I always get extra, just in case.
Juicing the limes:
- Roll the limes on the counter back and forth under the palm of your hand a few times to help release the juices
- A citrus juicer is your friend here and makes your life much easier. But if you don’t have one, cut the limes into quarters and squeeze them by hand
- If the lime is a little bit hard, heat it in the microwave for about 10 seconds and then roll
MAKE-AHEAD & LEFTOVER OPTIONS
You can make the Shrimp Ceviche up to 8 hours ahead, but don’t stuff or add the avocado until 2 hours before serving. The lime juice will help prevent the avocado from turning brown too quickly.
Shrimp Ceviche is best on the day it’s made.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 415Total Fat: 30gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 24gCholesterol: 95mgSodium: 621mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 14gSugar: 7gProtein: 15g
Nutrient values are estimates only. Variations may occur due to product availability and food preparation. Nutrition may vary based on methods of preparation, origin and freshness of ingredients, etc