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Easy Avocado & Shrimp Ceviche
Whether you’re making this as a summer snack or a Christmas Eve (Feast of the Seven Fishes) dish, Avocado Shrimp Ceviche is an easy, elegant and nutritious recipe to always have on hand. Serve with some plantain chips and you have yourself a fresh treat!

This would probably be one of those recipes that I could make all summer long and never get tired of it. Shrimp ceviche is very little work, and super versatile. The reason I am sharing this mid December is because it’s also perfect for Christmas Eve while serving up a table of seafood and fish.
This year (2021) I am excited to pick back up a tradition that my family always shared, and that was gathering with some appetizers and cocktails on Christmas Eve. This year we are going all out with the Italian-American tradition of The Feast of the Seven Fishes serving whole salmon, scallops, crab stuffed mushrooms, mussels, lobster ravioli, stuffed clams and THIS shrimp ceviche!

Here’s the best part! Each serving of this recipe gives you a ton of protein, healthy fats and about half of your necessary daily vitamin C. Not only is this nutritious, it will have you feeling great on so many levels during the holiday season. In fact, it’s gluten free if serving it with plantain chips so it won’t even cause much bloat!
Shrimp is by far one of our must haves when it comes to appetizer dinners. It’s always an easy, satisfying treat and even more appealing in this Florida style ceviche with all the fresh citrus and avocado chunks. And it’s so easy to throw together hours before dinner is served! Just a few simple ingredients and you are good to go.

What is shrimp ceviche? I don’t have the exact definition of ceviche, but to explain it simply, it’s raw fish (shrimp) that is cooked by marinating in citrus juice. It is safe to eat after sitting for some time, however, in this recipe, for those who may be iffy about the process, we are using cooked shrimp and all the same ceviche flavors of citrus, vegetables and cilantro!
For the record – I am not claiming this to be authentic. I also know the method I am using may not be considered “the right way” but I can say it’s the easy way. It’s also the way that will assure your guests that they’re not eating raw meats if their bodies cannot handle that. So, no, this isn’t the normal way, but it’s a good way to get the same idea out there.
You can serve this as a dip or a salad, it works as both. My favorite way to eat it is with a side of lightly salted plantain chips…and store bought is the way to go. You can also serve leftovers over salad or in a lettuce cup for a low carb treat. The avocado is not always added to this recipe, but because I love the creaminess of avocado with light seafood, it adds another layer of depth to this salad.
Here are some other ways to mix up this dish:
- Add another seafood to the dish such as bay scallops or crab. If these two additions are slightly cooked, they will add more body to the recipe.
- Clamato juice is also really refreshing in this as well. It makes it a little more comparable to shrimp cocktail!
- Kick up the heat to whatever level you’re comfortable with. Jalapeño is the safest pepper for this, however, get crazy and add habenaros if you want it more spicy! Hot sauce is another great addition for spiciness.
- Lots of different cultures have unique ways of making shrimp ceviche. Some add potatoes, some add more spice, some leave out the avocado…it’s completely up to you.

I can’t get over how easy this is to make, but also how impressive it is on the table! Serve in a large bowl surrounded by chips, or get even fancier and separate into individual cups! Add more lime to the rim and treat your guests!

Easy Avocado & Shrimp Ceviche
Ingredients
- 24 ounces jumbo shrimp thawed, peeled, deveined
- 2 medium Hass avocados peeled, diced (1/2 inch pieces)
- 1 tablespoon lime zest fresh, 2-3 limes
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice 2-3 limes
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice 2 lemons
- ¼ cup fresh orange juice
- 4 medium Roma tomatoes seeded, diced
- 1 small red onion diced
- ½ medium cucumber seeded, diced
- 1-2 medium fresh jalapeños finely diced
- 1-2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro finely chopped
- 3-4 dashes hot sauce
Instructions
If using raw shrimp…
- Bring 2-3 quarts of water to a boil with 1 tablespoon of salt. Add defrosted, raw shrimp to the boiling water and cook until no longer translucent for about 2-3 minutes. Remove and let cool by rinsing with ice cold water.
- Cut shrimp into 2-3 pieces per shrimp.
- In a large mixing bowl, add cut shrimp, avocado, lime zest, lime juice, lemon juice, orange juice, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, jalapeños, salt, pepper, cilantro and hot sauce. Gently stir everything together.
- Cover and set in the fridge. Allow to set in the fridge for about 4 hours, stirring every 30-60 minutes.
- Remove and serve with tortilla chips, plantain chips or on a tostada.