This Easy Shrimp Ceviche recipe is a cinch to make and very low in carbs, and this might be the best-tasting recipe I’ve made with shrimp! serve for a summer lunch or for an amazing appetizer any time of year!
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We absolutely loved this Easy Shrimp Ceviche Recipe when we tested it, and my version of this classic is also extra low in carbs! And when it’s hot and steamy where you live, Shrimp Ceviche is about the most refreshing and delicious thing you can make, but it’s also perfect to eat as an appetizer any time of year.
If you’re not familiar with Ceviche, you might be suspicious of a recipe where the shrimp is “cooked” with lime and lemon juice, but trust me! Ceviche is a treat that’s eaten all over Mexico and Latin American, and it’s starting to be more widely available in the U.S as well. And the flavor combination with shrimp, lime, lemon, onion, garlic, salt, hot sauce, red bell pepper, cucumber, and cilantro is so refreshing and delicious.
Making Ceviche was a bitter-sweet experience for me because I first tasted this years ago when it was made by my Bolivian friend Mary McBrier. Mary was killed far too young in an auto accident, and since that tragic event I’ve missed her often and thought of the amazing Ceviche that she always made for special occasions.
Then last Christmas when I went to Puerto Vallarta on the way to Oaxaca, there was a restaurant at the resort in Puerto Vallarta that specialized in Ceviche, and of course I remembered how much I liked Shrimp Ceviche when Mary made it. I ordered Ceviche over and over in Puerto Vallarta, trying all the varieties with different types of fish and thinking many times that this couldn’t be too hard to make at home! Please trying it, even if you’ve never had Ceviche before. I promise that if you like these flavors you’re going to love this recipe!
What is Ceviche?
Ceviche is a Latin American dish where raw seafood is “cooked” by marinating in citrus juice, which makes the fish or shrimp firm and also adds flavor. Read here for more about Ceviche. One important thing about making Ceviche safe to consume is to be sure you’re keeping the shrimp well-chilled during the thawing, marinating, and preparation time and when you serve the Shrimp Ceviche. We started with frozen shrimp, thawed it completely in the fridge, refrigerated it for the few hours when the lime and lemon juice was “cooking” the shrimp, and we ate it right away when it was done.
How did I Make Shrimp Ceviche a Low-Carb Dish?
I did a lot of research comparing recipes online to come up with my own version of Shrimp Ceviche, and decided was that there was no reason to add carbs with the orange juice so many recipes used. And when we tested the recipe we loved the more tart citrus flavors. You can add a pinch or two of sweetener to the finished Ceviche if you’d like a tiny bit more sweetness, but we didn’t think it needed it. We also loved the crunch from the cucumber and red bell pepper, which made our Shrimp Ceviche more colorful and a bit more budget-friendly.
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
- frozen peeled and deveined shrimp
- fresh-squeezed lemon juice (I used my fresh-frozen lemon juice)
- fresh-squeezed lime juice (I used my fresh-frozen lime juice)
- finely minced fresh garlic
- Kosher Salt (affiliate link)
- Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link), or other hot sauce of your choice
- finely chopped red onion
- red bell pepper
- small Persian cucumbers
- finely chopped cilantro (or use thinly sliced green onion if you’re not a cilantro fan)
Want more low-carb dinners with shrimp?
Check out Low-Carb and Keto Shrimp Dinners to see lots more tasty ideas with shrimp.
How to make this Easy Shrimp Ceviche Recipe:
(Scroll down for complete printable recipe with nutritional information.)
- Thaw shrimp completely in the refrigerator, then drain quickly and pat dry. Pull the tails off and make sure veins are removed if needed. Quickly cut shrimp into bite-sized pieces.
- While shrimp drains finely chop the red onion and mix fresh-squeezed lime juice, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, garlic puree, salt, and Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link) or your favorite hot sauce. (We used fresh-frozen lime and lemon juice.)
- Mix the chopped shrimp, diced red onion, and the lemon-lime mixture in a container with a snap-tight lid and put it in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours. (Our shrimp was probably done in two hours but we left it 3 hours, which may have even intensified the flavor.)
- When the marinating shrimp is completely firm and has the appearance of cooked shrimp, keep it in the fridge but start chopping the red bell pepper, cucumber, and cilantro (or use thinly sliced green onion if you’re not a cilantro fan.)
- Combine with the chilled shrimp, taste to see if you want a little more salt, more Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link), or a few pinches of sweetener, and serve right away.
- This can be an appetizer or a light meal. In Mexico and South America this is often served with tortilla chips, but I think it would be delicious as a light meal served inside lettuce wraps.
Make Shrimp Ceviche a Low-Carb Meal:
This would be delicious served inside lettuce wraps or on a bed of lettuce for a light meal that’s low in carbs. If you wanted to add something else, it would taste good with Avocado Tomato Salad, Sweet and Sour Cucumber Salad, Spicy Mexican Slaw, Laurel’s Jicama Salad, or Spicy Grilled Eggplant.
More Amazing Low-Carb Shrimp Recipes:
Air Fryer Shrimp
Cauliflower Fried Rice with Shrimp
Grilled Shrimp Skewers
Spicy Green Beans and Shrimp Sheet Pan Meal
Roasted Tomatoes and Shrimp with Feta
Ingredients
- 1 lb. frozen peeled and deveined shrimp, thawed overnight in the fridge (see notes)
- 1/3 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice (see notes)
- 1/3 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice (see notes)
- 1 tsp. garlic puree or finely minced fresh garlic
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. Green Tabasco Sauce (or other hot sauce of your choice)
- 1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
- 1 large red bell pepper, cut into dice about 1/2 inch square
- 4 small Persian cucumbers, cut into pieces slightly larger than the red pepper
- 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro (or use thinly sliced green onion if you’re not a cilantro fan)
Instructions
- Thaw shrimp overnight in the refrigerator.
- Drain shrimp quickly, pull off the tails, and clean any places where some of the veins still show.
- Cut shrimp into small pieces not bigger than one inch long.
- Put shrimp in a container with a snap-right lid and put it back in the fridge while you chop the red onion and mix the lemon juice, lime juice, garlic, salt, and Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link).
- Add the chopped red onion and lemon-lime mixture to the shrimp, stir, and put back in the fridge.
- Let this marinate and “cook” the shrimp for 2-3 hours. Start checking after 2 hours; it is done when the shrimp is completely firm and has the appearance of cooked shrimp.
- Keep the “cooked” shrimp in the fridge while you chop the red bell pepper, cucumber, and cilantro (or green onion). Then remove shrimp from the fridge and add those ingredients. Taste to see if you might want a tiny bit more salt or hot sauce. Add a pinch or two of sweetener if you’d like it to be a little sweeter
- Either serve right away or continue to chill until you’re ready to serve.
- Leftover Ceviche will keep in the fridge overnight and makes a delicious treat the next day! I wouldn’t keep it longer than one day.
Notes
We used 31-40 size shrimp, but larger shrimp would be even better. We used fresh-frozen lime juice and lemon juice for this recipe and it was great. Use or 2-3 medium cucumbers if you don’t have small Persian cucumbers.
Recipe created by Kalyn with inspiration from many recipes online and the amazing Shrimp Ceviche made by my friend Mary, as well as much Shrimp Ceviche eaten in Puerto Vallarta for Christmas 2017.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 126Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 160mgSodium: 1131mgCarbohydrates: 8.8gFiber: 1gSugar: 4gProtein: 19g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This Easy Shrimp Ceviche is a perfect recipe for a low-glycemic or low-carb diet, including Keto, and it’s great for any phase of the original South Beach Diet. The highest-carb thing here is the citrus juice, so if you’re wanting it to be as low-carb as possible, just don’t eat all the juice.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Seafood Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for the Recipe:
This recipe was first posted in 2018. It was last updated with more information in 2022.
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