Shrimp Ceviche

Food always gets bonus points for me if it is pretty! And my dinner last night might have been the prettiest meal I have made in a while. It was also quick, healthy and quite conducive to a kitchen that faces west and gets quite toasty as the sun is going down without adding additional heat from the stove!

It is called Shrimp Ceviche. I had seen recipes with "ceviche" in the title before and I always figured it was a Mexican food dish that included beer. That just shows how rusty my Spanish is! Ceviche, (not cerveza) has nothing to do with beer, but rather it is a method of cooking seafood by using the acid in citrus juice instead of heat. A true ceviche recipe will marinate fish or shrimp or scallops in citrus juice for several hours and then proceed. That made me feel a tiny bit creepy and so I liked that this recipe included cooking the shrimp first and then adding in the flavors from a traditional ceviche recipe.

This has some great summer flavors and I hope you enjoy it!!

Shrimp Ceviche

1 lb. raw shrimp (shells and veins removed)
juice of 2 limes, 2 lemons & 2 oranges
1 c. diced cucumber
1/2 c. finely chopped red onion
2 serrano chiles, seeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced (optional)
1 c. diced, seeded tomato
1 avocado
1 T. chopped cilantro
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt

- Bring 2 quarts of water and 1/4 c. salt to a boil. Add shrimp and immediately remove from heat and cover. Let sit for 3 minutes and then remove shrimp. You could also buy cooked shrimp and skip this step all-together if you want!
- Chop shrimp into 1 inch pieces and combine with juices, cucumber, onion & chiles. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Add remaining ingredients & toss to combine.
- Serve plain, with crackers, over rice or even rice noodles.