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This shrimp ceviche is THE recipe of the summer! Refreshing shrimp ceviche with a spicy kick to it spooned into grilled avocado. This grilled avocado shrimp ceviche is easy to make, so refreshing, and the perfect appetizer for a BBQ or summer hang out.
What is ceviche?
Ceviche is a type of food that originated in Peru. Ceviche describes the process of marinating seafood in lime juice. The high amount of acid in the lime juice cooks the seafood without heat while it marinates.
This technique gives you a chilled refreshing way to enjoy seafood without having to turn on the stove or oven. It also typically includes aromatics and some type of hot pepper.
Ceviche tastes tangy and is often spicy and served cold!
What type of seafood to use for ceviche
You can make ceviche with ALL types of seafood. Most people either make it with fish or shrimp. The most popular types of fish to use in ceviche include:
- Bass
- Grouper
- Rockfish
- Sole
For this recipe, I made a shrimp ceviche.
Shrimp tip:
You want to make sure the shrimp is fresh or defrosted safely to prevent any bacteria from growing on it.
Shrimp ceviche ingredients
There are a lot of different ways to make ceviche.
Besides the shrimp I used these ingredients in this specific recipe:
- Thinly sliced shallots
- Fresh cilantro
- Thinly sliced serrano peppers
The best part is the heat from the serrano peppers, so don’t skip it! Remove the seeds to make them less spicy.
Prepping the shrimp
You can buy shrimp already peeled, deveined, and without tails, or you can remove it all yourself.
If you buy shrimp that needs to be prepped, here are the steps you’ll need to take:
- Remove the legs first, then peel the skin.
- Pinch at the very back of the tail to remove the meat from within.
- I used large shrimp and cut them into smaller pieces, but this recipe will also work with small shrimp left whole.
Marinating shrimp ceviche
I have found that shrimp cooks quickly in lime juice. You’ll know when it’s ready because the shrimp will turn pink like they do when you cook them with heat. I only marinated the shrimp in the lime juice for about 30 minutes.
You can certainly let them marinate for longer if you want.
Grilling avocados
Have you ever grilled avocados before? Grilling avocados gives them an extra layer of smokey flavor that is SO good – especially with this shrimp ceviche.
It’s so easy and only takes a few minutes on the grill to get char marks on the avocado halves.
Follow these steps!
- Cut the avocado in half and carefully remove the seed.
- Brush with oil and add salt and pepper.
- Grill over high heat for about 5 minutes until char marks appear.
- Remove and allow to cool.
Assembling grilled avocado ceviche
Once you have grilled your avocados and the ceviche is ready, it’s time to serve!
Take an avocado half and spoon the shrimp ceviche into the avocado and over the top.
How to eat shrimp ceviche
Doesn’t this look incredible? The grilled avocado becomes the perfect bowl for the refreshingly cold ceviche.
To eat, make sure you scoop up some avocado with each bite of shrimp ceviche for the perfect bite! Ceviche is best served right away out of the refrigerator cold.
FAQs
Here are some questions people often ask about how to make this recipe. If you don’t see your question in this list, please leave it in the comments.
Does lime juice really cook shrimp?
As strange as it sounds, shrimp really do cook in lime juice. You see, the acid in the lime juice denatures the proteins in the shrimp. This is the same exact process that happens when shrimp is heated and cooked.
Can you marinate the shrimp overnight?
I don’t recommend letting the shrimp marinate overnight. If you keep them in the lime juice for too long, your shrimp ceviche will become mushy.
Can you grill an unripe avocado?
You do not have to use ripe avocado to grill it. You can grill hard or unripe avocados. They are more difficult to slice, but they will soften as you grill them.
How do you prevent the avocado from turning brown?
The longer an avocado sits out, the faster it will begin to turn brown. You can prevent this by squeezing either lemon or lime juice on it before adding the ceviche on top.
The lemon and lime juice acid protects the avocado from turning brown. Plus, it adds a delicious flavor to it too!
Looking for more shrimp recipes?
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Grilled Avocado Shrimp Ceviche
Ingredients
- 3 avocados (cut in half, seeds removed)
- 3/4 pound peeled and deveined uncooked shrimp (see note)
- 6 limes (juiced (about 1 cup lime juice))
- 1-2 serrano pepper (thinly sliced (see note))
- 1 shallot (thinly sliced (1/4 cup))
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/8 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
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Instructions
- In a bowl, add prepped shrimp, sliced serrano peppers, sliced shallots, lime juice, and chopped cilantro. Stir to combine all the ingredients, ensuring the shrimp is fully submerged in the lime juice. Cover with wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Shrimp will turn pink once fully "cooked".
- Preheat grill to high. Brush the avocado halves with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and black pepper. Place avocados cut side down on the grill grates and grill for about 5 minutes, until grill marks form. Remove and allow to cool.
- Once avocados are grilled and ceviche is ready, spoon the ceviche into the grilled avocado halves. Ceviche is best served right away out of the refrigerator cold. To eat, make sure you scoop up some avocado with each bite of ceviche for the perfect bite!
Notes
Shrimp
- You can buy shrimp already peeled and deveined without tails, or you can remove them yourself. If peeling the shrimp, I find it easiest to remove the legs first, then peel the skin, and finally pinch at the very back of the tail to remove the meat from within.
- I used large shrimp and cut them into smaller pieces, but this recipe will also work with small shrimp left whole.
- You want to make sure the shrimp is fresh or defrosted safely to prevent any bacteria.
Serrano Peppers
- The best part is the heat from the serrano peppers, so don’t skip it! Remove the seeds to make it less spicy.
