Orange-Basil Shrimp Ceviche

Ceviche tastes like summer to me.

It’s light, refreshing, and the flavors dance around in your mouth and pop off your tongue. I often forget how much I love ceviche until I take that first bite and my whole body seems to wake up and say hello! I recently made this orange-basil twist on traditional ceviche when it was too hot to turn on the stove.

Some people avoid ceviche because they’re weirded out by eating raw fish. Ceviche, however, is not raw. The citrus cooks the fish in a similar (yet totally different) way that heat does. The taste, texture, and appearance are much more like something cooked than that of raw sushi.

Even though the citrus cooks the fish, you still need to be very careful about the fish you choose. You want to use the freshest stuff you can find for this recipe. It helps to know the fishmonger, live near the ocean, or even catch it yourself.

As a disclaimer: Consuming raw or under cooked shellfish may increase your risk of foodborne illness. If you feel uncomfortable with this recipe, you can quickly blanch the shrimp in boiling water, then toss it in the citrus marinade and serve.

Squeeze the limes and oranges through a strainer so you don’t get any seeds in the ceviche. This recipe is a twist on the more common ceviche that uses all limes and cilantro.

Look at these cute little baby prawns I got from my fishmonger! This is why it helps to develop a relationship, they will be sure to tell you what the freshest stuff is that day. He took these out from the back for me.

Just chop the shrimp into small pieces. Ceviche is similar to salsa, with fish instead of tomato.

Depending on the size, freshness, and type of fish, this could sit in the fridge cooking for anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour and a half. I had very fresh fish and very small chunks, so it only needed 15 minutes.

As you can see, the shrimp has gone from translucent to opaque, just like it would have if we cooked it traditionally.

Dan Whalen’s favorite shot is one part leftover ceviche juice and one part pepper vodka. He has been blogging for over 3 years on his website The Food In My Beard; check Dan’s Tablespoon profile often to try his recipes with creative international spins!