This California Citrus Seafood Ceviche is divine! Made with Fresh lemon, lime and California orange for that little sweet hit on the citrus marinade. Ripe tomato, onion and jalapeño and all the tasty fixings. Together this combo packs some serious flavor! A twist on tradition that will be a hit at your dinner table.
Ceviche is a delicious refreshing dish for a hot summer day. Scared of eating something that is not “cooked”? Fear not my friends as the lemon/lime citrus magically breaks down the enzymes of the proteins over time. The fancy scientific term for this process is called denaturation. I prefer to let mine sit in the fridge overnight but I have seen other recipes that soak for 4-6 hours. Just like when you bake or BBQ fish look for that opaque white to know it is done. This is a dish you will want to completely consume within 24-48 hours after making.
I’ll put this together on a Saturday and have a special ceviche Sunday out on the patio! It’s also a GREAT party appetizer on a hot day, who want’s to cook? Bring em’ something cool and refreshing. I serve it all up family style corn chips or tostada shells. Best to eat with your hands, it’s a delicious mess so grab some napkins!
Recipe;
2 large navel oranges
8 medium lemon
10 medium lime
1 lg white onion
1 lg tomato
1 b cilantro
1 lg jalapeño
2 lb bag frozen shrimp (41/50 size) 4 cups needed for this recipe
1 t pink salt
Fixings;
Gluten Free Tostada Shells (Whole 30 Omit)
Radish (Whole30’ers use watermelon radish or zucchini coins for “tostada shells”)
Avocado
Lime
Cabbage
Jalapeno
Tapatio
Prepare;
- Take the shrimp out of the freezer, use a large bowl to submerge them in room temp water. They thaw fairly quick so after you are done juicing and chopping the veggies they should be ready to tackle.
- Keep 2 limes for later. Juice the oranges, remaining lemons and limes all into a liquid measuring container or something with a pour spout. This should render about 3-4 cups juice, if you need more to achieve this use the other lemons you have for later. Watch the seeds or use a strainer when finished to get any out you may not see.
- Dice the onion and tomato, mince jalapeno and cilantro. Use the leaves only not too much stem. You’re are looking for small chip and dip size pieces of everything in the mix.
- Drain the shrimp from the soaking water and pat dry with paper towels to get most of the moisture off. Remove shell and tails, then butterfly and get rid of the “sand vein” along their top side if it is not appealing or dirty. Cut them up in to 3-4 pieces each.
Marinade;
- Once all items are ready to assemble you will need a large jar or glass bowl that you can cover air tight. Layer the veggies and the shrimp then pour the citrus over the top and add the salt last. Smoosh the ingredients down in the container so the liquid completely covers every little piece. This is where you may need a little more citrus to cover, if so you have a small space to fill in use 2 of the extra limes set aside. Shake it around or stir it up pending on your container, then smoosh down again, cover and refrigerate for at least 5 hours or overnight.
Serve;
- Shred the cabbage and carrot, dice the avocado, slice the last 2 limes, grab your favorite hot sauce too. I put these all in individual small bowls on a large platter. The ceviche can be served in a bowl with a slotted spoon or you can drain most of the liquid off leaving just a small amount for flavor. Pour out all the corn chips around the outer part of the platter.
- Have a serving bowl handy for each person and serve family style. Have fun with it and make your own unique ceviche mix!
Serves 3-4
Tips;
- To get the most juice out of your citrus choose super ripe and ready fruit. Roll the fruit on the counter a bit beforehand. Use a manual juice tool or a juicer, I use my thumb to press along the fruit pieces that are stuck to the rind.
- It can be difficult to really get an accurate read on how much citrus you need to purchase to get 2 cups of juice, I always have extra around because you must submerge the fish completely. Do not use water at all, it will dilute the acid too much for the “cooking” process.
- I like to use shell on with tails frozen shrimp. It may take a little longer to prepare but it is usually more reasonably priced. I get the 41/50 size because I am chopping them up anyways, why spend more for the biggies when you don’t need too?!