Ceviche tastes incredibly fresh and healthy, which must be why South Americans swear by it for curing hangovers.
This shrimp ceviche is easy to make. The shrimp is cooked briefly (you can even use thawed pre-cooked frozen shrimp for convenience), and marinated with the traditional ceviche flavors: tart lime, sweet red onion, cilantro, and aji amarillo peppers. Mango and avocado add even more bright flavor. If you can find fresh key limes, their extra tart flavor is most similar to the South American limes used for ceviche.
Serve this ceviche as an appetizer (it looks great in martini glasses), or as a light lunch.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1/2 red onion
- 2-3 cups small to medium size shrimp
- Juice of 2-3 limes (or 8-10 small key limes)
- 1 aji amarillo chile pepper
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves, washed and dried
- 3 large ripe avocados
- 1 mango
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
- Cut the onion into the thinnest possible slices, slicing it with the cut side facing down so that the slices are semicircular in shape.
- Place the onion slices in a bowl of cold salted water, and let them soak for 20 minutes.
- If the shrimp is not cooked, bring a pot of salted water to a boil, and add the juice of one lime to the pot. Boil the shrimp for one to two minutes, until just cooked. Drain shrimp and rinse with cold water.
- De-vein the shrimp and trim off the tails, and place in a bowl. Finely mince the aji pepper (removing seeds and veins) and place in the bowl with the shrimp. Add the juice of 2 limes and toss.
- Cut one avocado and the mango into bite size cubes, and add to the shrimp.
- Drain and rinse onions, then add to the shrimp. Toss mixture briefly with the cilantro, reserving a few leaves for garnish.
- Chill for about 15 minutes or until ready to serve. Serve ceviche in avocado halves. This ceviche is best eaten within an hour of it's preparation.
Serves 4.
