Ceviche

Published Jan. 26, 2024

Ceviche
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
About 1 hour
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
50 minutes
Rating
4(78)
Notes
Read community notes

Light and bright, vibrant and punchy, ceviche involves marinating raw seafood in citrus juice until it becomes opaque and toothsome. You’ll find many variations of the dish in coastal Latin America made with ingredients like coconut milk, ketchup and green olives. This colorful rendition is one style popular in Mexico, but if you leave out the tomatoes, cucumber and avocado, you’ll get a dish that’s common in Peru, the birthplace of ceviche. Whatever version you make, start with fish that’s as fresh as possible; ask your fishmonger what’s best for ceviche that day, and to make shrimp ceviche, see Tip.

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: give recipes to anyone
    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.
  • Print Options


Advertisement


Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • 1pound very fresh, firm fish, such as bass, snapper or fluke, skin removed, cut into ½-inch pieces
  • Salt
  • ½cup fresh lime juice (from 4 juicy limes)
  • 2medium tomatoes, cut into ½-inch pieces
  • 2Persian or mini seedless cucumbers, cut into ¼-inch pieces
  • ¼medium red onion, coarsely chopped and rinsed under cold water
  • 2jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped
  • 1large avocado
  • ¼cup chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems
  • Tortilla, plantain or sweet potato chips; tostadas; or Saltines, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

185 calories; 10 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 11 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 15 grams protein; 511 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a wide, shallow bowl, toss the fish with 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt or a heaping ½ teaspoon fine sea salt until dissolved. Add the lime juice and stir to coat. Add the tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, jalapeños and a pinch of salt; stir to combine.

  2. Step 2

    Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 10 to 45 minutes, stirring about every 5 minutes. This timing is dependent on preference; the longer you leave the fish in the citrus, the more “cooked” and opaque it will be (longer than 45 minutes could end up dry and chewy, like a well-done steak), whereas a shorter marinade will result in fish that is opaque and firm on the outside and soft and juicy inside, like a medium-rare steak.

  3. Step 3

    When ready to serve, remove the pit from the avocado and dice into ½-inch pieces. Add the avocado to the ceviche and gently stir to coat in the lime juice, then drain off the liquid from the bowl. Stir in the cilantro and season to taste with salt. Serve spooned onto tortilla, plantain or sweet potato chips, tostadas, or Saltines.

Tip
  • For shrimp ceviche, it’s advisable to par-cook the shrimp before marinating it in lime juice. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil, then turn off the heat. Add 1 pound large, peeled and deveined shrimp, and cook in the hot water until just opaque, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board until cool enough to handle, then coarsely chop and proceed with the recipe.

Ratings

4 out of 5
78 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.

Cooking Notes

There aren’t any notes yet. Be the first to leave one.

This was my first time making ceviche and I was so impressed with how it turned out! I used shrimp instead of fish, as it’s what I had on hand and I figured it would be more forgiving than fish as well. Per someone else’s note, I omitted the parboil step and just let the mixture “cook” for a couple of hours instead. Once it was time to serve I adjusted seasoning with salt of course, but also added a touch of cayenne to make up for the weak jalapeños I had. Will make again and again!

I omit the tomatoes and add mango.

I have often made a shrimp ceviche following the above fish recipe. I leave out the parboil and just extend the "cooking" time to a couple of hours, with a change of lime juice around the mid point. Either fish or shrimp, ceviche is always a hit.

Question. Say my eyes are larger than my stomach, and I want to save the leftovers (I've already picked out all of the avocado) would I drain it before putting it in the fridge or should I simply power though the bowl?

I usually leave the lime in as a semi preservative when I have leftover ceviche. Def recommend trying to eat it within a day or 2 tho if you’re not gonna eat it fresh

Private notes are only visible to you.

Advertisement

or to save this recipe.