Name: Mango Shrimp Ceviche with Fermented Lemon
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Cuisine: mexican
Ingredients: 1 pound large gulf shrimp; 3/4 cup lime juice; 1 tablespoon fermented lemon, minced*; 1 teaspoon fermented lemon brine*; 1 large mango, cubed; 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half; 1/4 cup green onions, chopped; 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped; 1 avocado, sliced; 6-8 fermented jalapeno slices; Hot sauce; salt to taste; Toastadas; Potato chips

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It’s bright and fresh; full of zesty lime, fragrant fermented lemon, spicy fermented jalapeno, buttery avocado, herbaceous cilantro, and juicy mango. Enjoy this Mexican inspired mango shrimp ceviche with potato chips and cold white wine for a perfect hot summer meal.

What is Ceviche?

Ceviche, also known as cebiche, seviche, or sebiche is a seafood dish originally from South America, specifically the region that is now Peru. Ceviche is made from fresh raw fish or shell fish, cured in fresh citrus juice.

The raw fresh seafood is diced and then marinated in, usually, lemon or lime juice. The raw fish reacts with the citrus juices and becomes opaque and firm while absorbing flavor. This is an acidic curing process that essentially cooks the protein without any heat.

Large gulf shrimp tails with the peel still on on top of brown crinkly butcher paper.

Does Lime Juice Cook Shrimp?

The simple answer is yes! Shrimp can absolutely be “cooked” using lime juice and no heat at all. The highly acidic lime juice, which contains citric acid, breaks down the proteins in the shrimp similar to the way heat breaks down the proteins when you cook it. During this acidic breakdown of proteins, the flesh of the shrimp turns an opaque pink. The acidic lime juice is also potent enough to destroy any potentially harmful bacteria.

I suggest letting the shrimp cure in the lime juice for 2 hours in the fridge before mixing it with the other ceviche ingredients, but it depends on the shrimp you are using. Smaller shrimp cubed in small pieces may become tough if you leave it too long. I used huge, local caught white gulf shrimp, cut in large chunks, so they took about two hours to cure all the way.

If you want to make ceviche with fish, and not shrimp, it is best to use sashimi grade fish.

shrimp ceviche with yellow mangos, green cilantro, red tomatoes, and lime juice served in a clear bourbon glass.

Cooking Shrimp in Lime Juice

In this recipe you will cook the shrimp in lime juice and fermented lemons with the brine. The fermented lemons add more acidity, some salt and a beautiful bright citrus flavor. If you do not have any fermented lemon, just leave it out and use extra lime juice or plain lemon juice.

It doesn’t take much fermented lemon to add a nice flavor, and you done want to over do it. I used one small cured lemon and a teaspoon of the thick salty brine.

shrimp ceviche with yellow mangos, green cilantro, red tomatoes, and lime juice served in a clear bourbon glass with potato chips on the side

Mexican Inspired Shrimp Ceviche Recipe

This easy and delicious ceviche is inspired by Mexican ceviche which usually includes avocado, jalapeno and cilantro. I used my delicious fermented jalapenos, fresh avocado, and fresh cilantro from my garden.

How to Make Shrimp Ceviche

This shrimp ceviche comes together in two main steps. First you marinate the shrimp in the citrus juice and lemon, then you add all the other chopped ingredients. Here are the two fermented ingredients I used to make this recipe special; you can also use fermented onions instead of green onions: