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This Easy Shrimp Ceviche with Plantain Chips is a delicious appetizer that feeds a crowd and can be made in advance. Plenty of fresh Florida Citrus, some gentle spice and fresh cilantro make this ceviche bright, refreshing and full of flavor. Try it with freshly fried plantain chips for an irresistible crunch.
What You Need for Easy Shrimp Ceviche
- Shrimp: As is typical in ceviche, I use raw shrimp because I like the texture. If you are at all concerned about the shrimp still being “raw” after they marinate in the acid from the lime juice, you should feel free to poach them in a pot of boiling water for a couple of minutes.
Because the shrimp will be chopped into small pieces, you can use any size you like. Typically, smaller sized shrimp are more affordable than larger ones so that may be a determining factor. I most often purchase shrimp that have been deveined but still have the tail and shell. These can be reserved to flavour a homemade seafood or shrimp stock after. - Fresh Florida Citrus: Using high-quality shrimp and the freshest citrus will make a world of difference in your ceviche, and this is the perfect opportunity to incorporate lots of different fresh Florida Citrus! I love to use a combination of tangerine, orange and grapefruit to balance the sourness of the limes. For an extra punch of flavor, I add some of the zest from each citrus fruit to the ceviche.
- Red Onion: For a pop of color, try red onion in your ceviche. It can be thinly sliced or chopped. As the ceviche marinades, the acid will slightly pickle the onion and make it sweeter.
- Fresh Cilantro: I can’t imagine ceviche without fresh cilantro, but if you don’t like it, you can substitute parsley for color and flavor.
- Tomato: I like to use Roma tomatoes because they are often firmer in texture and tend to have more flesh with less seeds, which I scoop out anyways.
- Fresh Chile Pepper: I used jalapeño here but feel free to substitute with serrano, habanero, aji amarillo, Thai bird chiles, banana peppers, or any other variety of spicy chile peppers you like. Regardless of which variety you use, you can control the level of spice to a certain degree by adding or removing the seeds.
- Avocado: Avocado is optional in my opinion, but it does add an irresistible, creamy and buttery texture to your ceviche.
- Unripened Green Plantains: To make the crispy plantain chips, you must absolutely use hard, unripened, green plantains. Yellow, brown or in-between colors will be too soft and will not get crispy.
What is Ceviche?
Ceviche is a seafood dish commonly found throughout South America – most popularly found along coastal regions. It most likely originated in what is now Peru and is often prepared with a wide variety of fish, seafood and shellfish. Rather than heating the seafood (in this case shrimp), it is “cooked” in an acidic marinade.
Depending on the country and region, Ceviche ingredients can vary. The usual suspects include onion, fresh chile peppers, tomatoes, fresh herbs like cilantro, salt, and pepper. In Peru, corn, maize, and a aji amarillo paste are often added to the mix.
Why Florida Citrus?
Did you know the state of Florida is the second largest producer of fresh citrus in the world and the largest producer of 100% orange juice in the United States?
Florida’s unique peninsular geography, climate, soil and rainfalls help produce some of the world’s most delicious and naturally sweet and juicy citrus fruits, including grapefruit, tangerines and oranges. That same climate that may cause blemishes on the exterior of the fruit but don’t let that deter you because they are still amazing inside. They are picked at their peak ripeness by generational growers and typically available from November through May
Fresh Florida Citrus fruits are the perfect addition to this ceviche and a healthy lifestyle in general. Grapefruits, tangerines and oranges are excellent sources of vitamin C and may help support overall health. For more information, and to purchase farm-fresh citrus, please visit the Fresh Florida Citrus website.
This recipe was created in partnership with Florida Department of Citrus. All opinions expressed here are the author’s alone.
Easy Shrimp Ceviche with Plantain Chips
Ingredients
- 1 pound shrimp, peeled, deveined and finely chopped
- Zest and juice of 1 Florida Tangerine
- Zest and juice of 1 medium Florida Orange
- Zest and juice of ½ large Florida Grapefruit
- Zest of 1 lime
- Juice of 3 limes
- 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and finely diced
- 2 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
- Kosher salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
- 1 avocado, diced
- 4 green plantains
- 1/2 cup avocado oil
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the shrimp, lime zest, lime juice, tangerine zest, tangerine juice, orange zest, orange juice, grapefruit zest, grapefruit juice, and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Stir to combine, cover and let marinade at room temperature for 30 minutes or until the shrimp are firm and opaque.
- Add the tomatoes, jalapeños and cilantro. Toss to combine, taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper as desired. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes or until chilled to desired temperature.
- Trim the ends of the plantains and use your knife to score along each of the ridges. Carefully peel the plantains and cut them in half, widthwise, then use a Japanese mandoline to carefully slice them into long, thin strips approximately 1/8” thick.
- Add the avocado oil to a 10” skillet and heat over medium-high until the oil reaches 350F. Working in batches, fry the plantains, flipping often, until golden brown and crispy, around 4 minutes per batch. Transfer the plantains to a plate lined with paper towel and season with a pinch of salt.
- When ready to serve, stir through the avocado to the ceviche and toss to combine. Transfer the ceviche to a serving bowl and serve alongside the plantain chips.
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About the Author
Hi, i’m Ronny! In 2013, after a lifetime of struggling with my weight and body issues, I rehabilitated my relationship with food, lost over 40 pounds and completely changed my life.
