Bring the Ocean to You With These Spicy, Citrusy Ceviche Recipes

From the traditional to the reimagined, these are our favorite ways to bring the fresh flavors of ceviche and aguachile home.

By
Yasmine Maggio
Yasmine Maggio
Yasmine Maggio
Associate Editor
Yasmine is an Associate Editor at Serious Eats. Her work has been featured in Women’s Health and on L’Officiel USA, and she recently graduated from New York University with a master's in journalism. You can find her at Bleecker Street Pizza on any given weekend.
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Updated August 10, 2020
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Vicky Wasik

There’s nothing more I want right now than to be sitting seaside, basking in the sun and enjoying some fresh seafood. Though the current state of the world has put any wish of travel on hold, leaving me confined to my parent’s humble suburban Virginia abode. But there’s no reason I can’t bring the flavors of fresh seafood home. The best (and easiest!) way I’ve resolved to do so is by preparing some plates of ceviche and aguachile.

Ceviche and aguachile have a lot in common, both in ingredients and preparation. At its simplest, ceviche is made with slices or chunks of fish (and often shellfish) mixed with an acidic marinade, which includes some sort of citrus juice. The citrus gives the fish an opaque appearance and firm texture as if it were cooked, while still maintaining a tender and translucent center. Aguachile, also known as Mexican ceviche, is similarly made with raw shrimp seasoned with a mixture made with chiles and other vegetables that have been pulverized with water, hence the name. The key distinction between the two is that while ceviche is marinated for anywhere from five to 30 minutes for optimal curing time, aguachile is simply tossed with lime juice and served immediately, making it sashimi-raw when eaten, which means it's important to buy sushi-grade fish.

The spicy and citrusy flavors of ceviche and aguachile vary and are really up to your imagination, but these recipes give you an idea of where to start. From classic shrimp aguachile and Peruvian-style ceviche to an arctic char aguachile with mint and a Peruvian-Japanese fusion dish, these are our favorite ways to bring the taste of fresh seafood home.

  • Classic Shrimp Aguachile With Lime, Cucumber, and Red Onion

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    Vicky Wasik

    For aguachile that’s as classic as it gets, reach for cucumbers, chiles, onions, and lime juice. Though we like to pulverize the chiles with a mortar and pestle to extract the most flavor, it can easily be done with an immersion blender, too. Since aguachile is normally served raw, we like to cure the shrimp with a bit of salt and pop it in the fridge while prepping the other ingredients. Serve with avocados and tostadas for an unbelievably delicious yet simple dish.

  • Classic Peruvian-Style Fish Ceviche

    J. Kenji Lopez-Alt

    Peruvian-style fish ceviche is as easy as it gets. To keep with tradition, use fresh ocean fish such as sea bass, grouper, or striped bass. Though lime juice is common, you can also use other citrus like lemon or sour orange juice, or even a combination. Mix the fish, citrus juice, onion, cilantro, and jalapeño together and allow to marinate for about five minutes. We recommend serving it with boiled corn and sweet potatoes, just as they would in Peru.

  • Coctel de Camarones (Colombian-Style Shrimp Ceviche Cocktail)

    J. Kenji Lopez-Alt

    Though much about coctel de camarones classifies it as a distant cousin of ceviche, it’s no less worthy of a spot among your appetizers. Unlike Peruvian-style ceviche, it’s made with cooked shrimp or any other seafood you can find (think lobster, oysters, and octopus). And instead of the fresh aromatics that accompany traditional ceviche, here we dress it with ketchup, mayonnaise, and hot sauce. Serve atop saltine crackers for a variety of flavors and textures with each bite.

  • Arctic Char Aguachile With Habanero, Jicama, and Lime

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    Vicky Wasik

    Spice things up with this aguachile, which features super-hot habanero chiles. Fresh arctic char takes the place of raw shrimp, jicama subs in for cucumber, and coriander seed and mint add extra flavor. The best way to prep the fish is to cut the fillet in half lengthwise, then cut the halves crosswise into thin slices. If you can’t find sashimi-grade arctic char, you can opt for other sashimi-grade fish such as salmon or scallops.

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  • Scallop Aguachile With Jalapeño, Cucumber, and Avocado

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    Vicky Wasik

    Here, we swap out the shrimp found in traditional aguachile for sweet raw scallops. They’re tossed with the same ingredients—lime juice, jalapeño chiles, cucumber, and red onion—and are also served with avocado and tostadas (and beer or tequila, if you like). Since most scallops are treated with a chemical for moisture retention before being sold, be sure to look for never-frozen "dry" scallops that are sold as is from the ocean.

  • Lobster Ceviche

    J. Kenji Lopez-Alt

    When using lobster to make ceviche, it’s best when par-cooked—the key is to make sure you don’t overcook it. We like to plunge it into boiling water for just a bit (about a minute and a half for the tails, and three minutes for the claws) before halting the cooking in an ice bath. This should cook the lobster enough so that it pulls away easily from the shell while still translucent in the center. To prevent the lobster from curling while cooking, poke a couple of bamboo skewers through the tail before boiling. Once the cooking is out of the way, all that’s left to do is dress with lime, shallots, cilantro, and jalapeño—or whatever other aromatics you like.

  • Peruvian Tiradito With Aji Amarillo and Lime

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    Vicky Wasik

    Tiradito combines elements of Japanese sashimi with Peruvian ceviche for fresh, flavorful results. The dish replaces the smaller chunks of fish found in ceviche with large sashimi-style slices. So long as your fish is fresh and sashimi-grade, you can use whatever you like, such as salmon, yellowtail, fluke, or corvina. A blender makes quick work of the leche de tigre sauce, which includes yellow aji amarillo chile peppers, ginger, garlic, fresh lime juice, and cilantro. Spoon the sauce over the fish for a bright dish that’s full of flavor.

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