What is Ceviche?
Ceviche features raw fish or seafood marinated in freshly squeezed lime juice, which “cooks” the seafood through denaturation. In other words, acid from the lime juice alters the proteins in the shrimp, giving it a cooked texture without applying heat.
The origin of the coastal dish traces its roots to Peru, with culinary influences from Spain, by way of the Moors, who regularly “cooked” a flavorful vinegar marinade called escabeche.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Shrimp: Clean, devein, and chop the fresh shrimp, then transfer them to a mixing bowl with fresh lime juice – careful to submerge the shrimp in the lime juice. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour or until the shrimp turns pink.
- Lime: Use fresh limes and a lot of them to cure the shrimp.
- Tomato: I use Roma tomatoes since they produce less liquid than other varieties, but vine tomatoes work.
- Onions: I use white onions, but you can use red onions instead.
- Chiles: Finely chop jalapeño or serrano peppers for heat.
- Cilantro: Cilantro brightens and flavors the dish.
- Spices: Taste and season the ceviche with salt and pepper.
- Corn Tortillas: Heat corn tortillas in oil or the oven to make homemade corn tostadas. Most grocery stores carry pre-made tostadas if you don’t want to prepare them.
- Toppings: I like to finish my ceviche de camaron tostada with cubes of fresh avocado, thinly sliced radishes, and a drizzle of hot sauce like Cholula, Tapatio, or salsa Valentina.
Additions and Substitutions
My favorite thing about ceviche (apart from how easy it is to make) is that you can make it your own by adding a combination of seafood. Consider including white fish, scallops, crabs, or octopus in the shrimp.
I love the combination of tomatoes, onions, and chiles, but you can add fresh vegetables like cucumber, bell pepper, and green onions. You can even incorporate fruit, such as fresh mango and pineapple.
Depending on the region, some variations of ceviche include tomato-based products like Clamato, V8 Tomato Juice, or ketchup to sweeten and enhance the flavor of the other ingredients. Some recipes call for a thin layer of mayonnaise with spices on the crispy corn tortilla before adding a scoop of ceviche.
How to Make Ceviche de Camaron Tostada
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Clean, devein, and chop the shrimp, then transfer them to a mixing bowl with fresh lime juice – careful to submerge the shrimp in the lime juice. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour or until the shrimp turns pink.
Tip: You only need 15-20 minutes for cooked shrimp.
Step 2: Meanwhile, prepare the tomatoes, onions, chiles, and cilantro.
Step 3: Remove the “cooked” pink shrimp from the refrigerator and stir the chopped vegetables into the shrimp. Season and taste with salt and pepper.
Cover with plastic and refrigerate for 1-2 hours before serving for the best flavor.
Step 4: While the ceviche is marinating, prepare homemade tostada shells. Warm the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is smoking, add the corn tortilla and cook for 30-45 seconds.
Flip and cook the other side for about 10 seconds. Using tongs, set the tortilla to dry on the wire rack or paper towel. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
Tip: Keep the tostadas warm in a tortilla keeper.
Step 5: Once the ceviche is ready, spoon it onto the tostada shells and top them with avocado and hot sauce.
Expert Tips
- Dice the shrimp into bite-sized pieces, allowing the citrus juices to penetrate the seafood.
- Cut the vegetables in the ceviche the same size for a perfectly balanced bite.
- Use freshly squeezed lime juice to “cook” the shrimp. I recommend including one cup of lime juice per pound of shrimp.
How to Thaw Frozen Shrimp
All you have to make ceviche de camaron tostada is frozen shrimp. Great, use one of these methods for thawing shrimp.
- Fridge: The best and safest way to thaw frozen shrimp is in the refrigerator overnight; place the frozen bag of shrimp in a bowl and let them thaw slowly.
- Quick Thaw: Securely seal the frozen shrimp in a plastic bag and submerge it in cold water for about 20-30 minutes.
If you love this recipe, try one of these Mexican favorites!
Serving Suggestions
Ceviche de camaron tostada is a perfect appetizer or light meal, especially on those hot summer days. My family usually eats the tostadas with slices of avocado, pickled onions, hot sauce, avocado lime crema, or salsa. Try it with salsa verde, chunky salsa, pico de gallo, or mango pico de gallo.
Or make it a main dish by pairing the shrimp tostadas with tacos, Mexican rice, and refried beans.
If you don’t feel like eating ceviche with a crunchy tostada, serve it with tortilla chips and saltine crackers like a salsa, or spoon it over a bed of greens like I do.
What to do with the Leftovers
- Refrigerate – Should you have leftovers, transfer them to an airtight container. Because the shrimp will continue to “cook” in the lime juice, I recommend eating the leftovers in 1-2 before it alters the texture of the shrimp.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if I can’t find fresh shrimp?
Of course, fresh, raw shrimp is best in ceviche, but if you don’t live in an area where you can buy fresh seafood, frozen shrimp works perfectly. Be sure to read my tips above for how to thaw shrimp.
Does lime juice cook raw shrimp?
The fresh lime juice doesn’t cook the raw shrimp as you might expect. Instead, the acidity from the fresh limes changes the texture and appearance of the shrimp through a process called denaturation.
The chemical reaction, often called “cooking” or curing” the shrimp, alters the protein in the shrimp and other seafood, causing them to become firm and even change their color.
What shrimp to use for ceviche de camaron tostada?
I believe in using whatever you have, and ceviche is so versatile. So long as you have one pound of shrimp chopped into small pieces, it won’t alter the ceviche recipe. Do you have raw shrimp? Use it. Frozen shrimp is all you have? That’s okay; thaw it first and use it. You can also make this ceviche recipe with cooked shrimp and cut the preparation time in half.
More Shrimp Recipes:
Ceviche de Camaron Tostada
- Wire Rack or Paper Towel
- 1 pound raw shrimp, deveined, peeled, and chopped
- 1 cup fresh lime juice, about 8-9 limes
- 3 Roma tomatoes, diced
- ½ large white onion, diced
- 1-2 jalapeño or serrano chiles, finely chopped (remove seeds for less heat)
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
- 8 tostada shells, pre-made or homemade
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 1 avocado, cut into ½-inch cubes, for garnish
- hot sauce, for garnish
- Clean, devein, and chop the shrimp, then transfer them to a mixing bowl with fresh lime juice – careful to submerge the shrimp in the lime juice. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour or until the shrimp turns pink.Tip: You only need 15-20 minutes for cooked shrimp.
- Meanwhile, prepare the tomatoes, onions, chiles, and cilantro.
- Remove the "cooked" pink shrimp from the refrigerator and stir the chopped vegetables into the shrimp. Season and taste with salt and pepper. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for 1-2 hours before serving for the best flavor.
- While the ceviche is marinating, prepare homemade tostada shells. Warm the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is smoking, add the corn tortilla and cook for 30-45 seconds. Flip and cook the other side for about 10 seconds. Using tongs, set the tortilla to dry on the wire rack or paper towel. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.Tip: Keep the tostadas warm in a tortilla keeper.
- Once the ceviche is ready, spoon it onto the tostada shells and top them with avocado and hot sauce.
- Dice the shrimp into bite-sized pieces, allowing the citrus juices to penetrate the seafood.
- Cut the vegetables in the ceviche the same size for a perfectly balanced bite.
- Use freshly squeezed lime juice to “cook” the shrimp. I recommend including one cup of lime juice per pound of shrimp.
- Fridge: The best and safest way to thaw frozen shrimp is in the refrigerator overnight; place the frozen bag of shrimp in a bowl and let them thaw slowly.
- Quick Thaw: Securely seal the frozen shrimp in a plastic bag and submerge it in cold water for about 20-30 minutes.
- The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for professional advice.