Shrimp and Avocado Ceviche for #HolidayFoodParty

Name: Shrimp and Avocado Ceviche
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 75 min
Total time: 80 min
Ingredients: 1 pound medium shrimp (peeled and deveined); Salt for cooking water; 1 cup fresh lime juice (from about 8 limes); 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 3 lemons); 1 cup finely chopped red onion; 1 serrano chile (ribs and seeds removed, minced); 1/2 jalapeno pepper (ribs and seeds removed, minced); 1/2 to 1 cup chopped cilantro; 1 tomato (seeded and chopped); 2 avocados (peeled and seed removed, cut into chunks)

April 26, 2013 By Renee 40 Comments

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Cinco de Mayo will be here soon. It’s a fun celebration and the best part is the food and beverages. Mexican cuisine is so popular. I have it in my dinner rotation often (usually burritos, nachos, or tacos). There are more Mexican restaurants near my home than any other ethnic cuisine. There was one that had this amazing shrimp and avocado ceviche. Sadly that restaurant closed. I’ve missed the ceviche very much and finally decided to make it.

Ceviche is basically seafood marinated in citrus juices. Lime juice is the the most commonly used. You can also use lemon and grapefruit. Some information I ran across on ceviche noted the seafood is not technically cooked by the juice. The protein structure is changed in the marinating process and that is why it looks cooked. It’s why most shrimp ceviche recipes call for cooking the shrimp briefly before marinating for food safety purposes. I’m not a food scientist so I cannot verify. I only wanted to be safe so I went with a cooking then marinating method.

How does the shrimp and avocado ceviche taste? Totally hands down exactly what I wanted. I would say it is better than the one I had in the restaurant. The combination of shrimp, citrus juices, avocado, onions, peppers, tomatoes, and cilantro is a fresh burst from the first bite to the last. It is light, refreshing, and can be an appetizer or a main course. Substitute parsley if you are not a cilantro fan. Some folks think cilantro tastes like soap. Not me, I love the fresh herb.

Are you ready to celebrate Cinco de Mayo? I am and I’m celebrating it with some very talented and wonderful food bloggers. We are throwing another Holiday Food Party and our host is Jen of Jen’s Favorite Cookies. There are 15 recipes and it is quite a Mexican fiesta:

Alfajores from Roxana’s Home Baking
Spicy Fish Tacos with Avocado Yogurt Sauce from Crumb Blog
Classic Flan from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
Dulce de Leche Milkshake with Coconut Milk Whipped Cream from Chocolate Moosey
Lime Margarita Bars from Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
Shrimp and Avocado Ceviche from Magnolia Days
Tropical Fiesta Cocktail from Hungry Couple NYC
Paletas – Mexican Popsicles from Pineapple and Coconut
Bizcochitos Cookies from Jen’s Favorite Cookies
Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes from Gotta Get Baked
Vegan Taco Salad from What Smells So Good?
Gluten-Free Tres Leches Cake from Kelly Bakes
Spicy Queso Blanco from The Messy Baker
Gorditas with Picadillo from Juanita’s Cocina
Strawberry Margarita Slurpee from Chocolate Chocolate and More

What a fabulous spread! I’m know I will enjoy these recipes even well past Cinco de Mayo. Any night can be a Mexican night. I need a change up from my usual too. How about you?