Shrimp Ceviche or "Cocktail"

[msphoebe]

One of my favorite summer suppers is shrimp cocktail (with a cold beer). The Rick Bayless recipe I like to use is very similar to the one served at my favorite local Mexican restaurant and is very easy to make. Do be careful with the ketchup/hot sauce/lime juice ratio (start with about a half-cup of each, plus about two tablespoons of lime juice for cooking the shrimp) or it will be just too ketchup-y. Taste as you go and you can adjust as you like.

If anyone else has a favorite "recipe" please share; I'm always willing to try a new one.

Shrimp Ceviche "Cocktail"

Adapted from a recipe by Rick Bayless

Bring about 2 T lime juice and a quart of water and to the boil, add a pound of 41-50 shrimp, and let it return to the boil. Immediately drain the water and let the shrimp steam, covered, for 10 minutes. Then spread them out to cool. Peel (and devein, if desired).

Toss the shrimp with lime juice. Cover and refrigerate for an hour.

Rinse a half-onion, chopped, under cold water and shake off the excess liquid (use a strainer). Add to the shrimp, along with chopped cilantro, ketchup, hot sauce, olive oil, cucumber and/or jicama and avocado. Mix gently, taste and season with salt.

Serve immediately, or refrigerate, covered, for a few hours.

Serve in sundae glasses, martini glasses or small bowls, with and tostadas, tortilla chips or saltines on the side. Garnish with cilantro and lime slices.

Makes about 3 cups.

I've used frozen, peeled and deveined shrimp and it worked just fine.

[Sam Salmon]

Well having spent a lot of time in Mexico these past two decades I have to say that I have never seen a Mexican actually cook their Camarones before making Ceviche-the idea is laughable.

It's the acid in the Lime that cooks the protein in the fish and turns it white-the recipe you've posted reads to me like a glass of tough tasting Camarones-which is what many restaurants serve.

The other ingredients in the serve only to obscure the flavour of the Camarones-to me simpler is better and for god's sake lose the ketchup!!!

If you want something a little different then add fresh Oregano to the Lime juice like they do in Veracruz.

A tad of fresh Coconut milk instead of Oregano and call it Fijian style which it will be more or less.

A large Coctel de Camaron for say a dozen people can benefit form a teaspoon of Brandy.

[stovetop]

MANGO AND BABY SHRIMP SALAD

baby shrimp (cup)

yellow, red, green pepers fine diced (about 1/4 each)

one rype mango dice up (small dice)

Green Onions (one) diced

mango juice(1/4cup)

lemon juice (squeeze to taste)

lime juice (same)

juice from chipotle peppers plus about t-spoon of fine diced chipotle

olive oil (1/4 Cup)

fresh herbs( chopped)

s&p

salad base

whatever you want

marinate then put on your base

garnish with some tomato and cucs

sprig of fresh basil

couple of lemon or lime wedges

steve

PS you can add garlic or ginger move this salad from country to country

Edited August 7, 2004 by stovetop (log)

[stovetop]

Sam; you are right Ceviche is not cooked, whatever seafood that you use like you said is cooked with the acid. This process is what makes a "Ceviche".

steve

[bigbear]

Well having spent a lot of time in Mexico these past two decades I have to say that I have never seen a Mexican actually cook their Camarones before making Ceviche-the idea is laughable.

.....

The other ingredients in the serve only to obscure the flavour of the Camarones-to me simpler is better and for god's sake lose the ketchup!!!

.....

To think that all ceviche comes from Mexico is laughable. Ketchup is indeed used as an ingredient in other parts of Latin America and I have also seen shrimp precooked.

Welcome, msphoebe.

[stovetop]

but big bear

I have also seen shrimp precooked

that would not make it Ceviche would it???

it is just cooked seafood with a dressing??

Yes big bear not all civiche is from mexico.

steve

Edited August 8, 2004 by stovetop (log)

[bigbear]

but big bear

I have also seen shrimp precooked

that would not make it Ceviche would it???

it is just cooked seafood with a dressing??

Yes big bear not all civiche is from mexico.

steve

I googled this up. Please read and learn.

[get in my belly]

i was just dreaming of some mexican style cocktail yesterday .

my fave and shown to me in arizona by my good friend leo was bay shrimp "cooked"in lemon juice.

some cucumber small dice some tomato small dice some onion small dice some celantro chopped ,some tabasco to taste it was hot .some tomato juice some more lemon juice to taste and and some jalipeno no seeds minced.this was all mixed together like a soup and the flavores adjusted to liking was lemony , tobascoy , shrimpy then refreshing from the vegis . was eaten with fresh crispy corn tortillas and some ate it with saltiens . and tecate with salt and lime mmmmmmmmm . that #$@! was the bomb .

oh and all cocktails rock . ive had some sauses with fresh horseradish lemon zest lime zest orange zest and ketchup with over cooked shrimp and coronas that kicked ass .so you good people of the culinary minds can put your noses down a little . its not so much the shrimp as the company .

you are right in one aspect tho its not a ceveche if its not cooked with an acid .

[viva]

msphoebe, I've got the Bayless cookbook that recipe comes out of, and I really like the recipe you listed. Don't overcook the shrimp and you won't have tough camarones.

get in my belly (love that name), you reminded me of a wonderful meal I had in this hole-in-the-wall on a deserted beach in Cozumel - shrimp cocktail that's all lemon & hot sauce with good salsa, scooped up with saltines, washed down with a cold Tecate & lime juice. Yum-o!

Edited August 8, 2004 by viva (log)

[Barb48]

Yes, I most certainly agree that I've never seen or heard or ate cerviche that was cooked. To me that wouldn't be cerviche at all. I want to try it with tilapia since I adore that fish...I absolutely love cerviche. Just haven't gotten around to making yet....But I'm going to one day for sure!

[msphoebe]

Well I've had some very nice responses here and one that is not so nice. I should have clarified -- I am aware that "ceviche" is uncooked seafood, be it shrimp, scallops, or fish. The intent of my post was to inquire about others' methods for preparing EITHER ceviche or "coctel."

To say that the idea of cooked shrimp in "cocktail" (or coctel in espanol) is laughable, I respond you should expand your travels. I have spent many many months in Mexican coastal towns and it is not at all unusual for shrimp to be served cooked.

As for precooking the shrimp resulting in a "glass of tough tasting camarones" I will offer that perhaps you haven't had cooked shrimp in one of the better coastal restaurants (or street carts) where the cook knows what he's doing. (And BTW, does "tough" actually have a "taste" or did you mean to say this another way?)

Again, "Sam", you should expand your travels and your mind. Veracruz isn't the only place in Mexico where Coctel de Camaron is served, and there are many different regional styles of Mexican cooking.

Thank you everyone for your comments and suggestions. And bigbear, thank you kindly for the welcome. I look forward to learning and sharing --

[Sam Salmon]

To think that all ceviche comes from Mexico is laughable. Ketchup is indeed used as an ingredient in other parts of Latin America and I have also seen shrimp precooked.

Having lived in both Mexico and Costa Rica I'm well aware of the many uses of Ketchup-Thank You.

In Guayaquil Ecuador street vendors offer ketchup as a 'no charge' add on but from what I've seen few use it.

In Quito seafood is excellent but Ceviche is standard lime and salt with perhaps some corn added at the end.

Out on the Santa Elena peninsula seafood is so fresh as to jump from the sea onto your plate and a bit of hot sauce is all that's added.

One place I have had 'cooked ceviche' is in Colombian Caribbean beach towns (I was in Colombia in February)-it's 'ok' if it's less than a few hours old but as the day wanes becomes less and less desirable.

One friendly Colombian jokingly told me I was better off being kidnapped by FARC than eating off a Cartagena street seafood cart that had sat in the sun all day.

As for precooking the shrimp resulting in a "glass of tough tasting camarones" I will offer that perhaps you haven't had cooked shrimp in one of the better coastal restaurants (or street carts) where the cook knows what he's doing.  (And BTW, does "tough" actually have a "taste" or did you mean to say this another way?)

Again, "Sam", you should expand your travels and your mind.  Veracruz isn't the only place in Mexico where Coctel de Camaron is served, and there are many different regional styles of Mexican cooking.

My favourite Mexican street style if found in the hot coastal city of Los Mochis Sinaloa-sweet mild and fresh with a multitude of add ons available.

Farther south the smothering weight of tourist hordes and their bland tastes has resulted in a slackening of standards-a place like Zihuatanejo that once had numerous styles on offer is a culinary wasteland fit only for waddling Nebraskans and their ilk.

Veracruz and along with a few Yucatecan locales alone retain any remnant of what was once a unique and thriving seafood culture.

For more informed comment/info/opinion see http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/categories.cfm?catid=17

Edited August 8, 2004 by Sam Salmon (log)

[msphoebe]

I wasn't going to bother with a reply, but this comment says it all about you....

"waddling Nebraskans and their ilk."

What a nice guy!

[bigbear]

.....

In Guayaquil Ecuador street vendors offer ketchup as a 'no charge' add on but from what I've seen few use it.

In Quito seafood is excellent but Ceviche is standard lime and salt with perhaps some corn added at the end.

Out on the Santa Elena peninsula seafood is so fresh as to jump from the sea onto your plate and a bit of hot sauce is all that's added.

.....

I regularly visit the coast of Ecuador and agree that ketchup is not usually part of a coastal ceviche recipe.

I live part of the year in Quito and, in my experience, ketchup usually is part of the ceviche recipes used in the sierras, not just lime and salt.

This photo of shrimp ceviche was taken about a month ago in the backyard of the El Tambo restaurant in Tumbaco, a town in a valley just outside of Quito. The shrimp was precooked, the marinade contained ketchup and the restaurant is not a tourist trap.

[Sam Salmon]

Yup that's 'Andean Seafood' alright-a contradiction in terms if ever I heard one.

I recognise the ketchup based sauce and feel the tough overcooked shrimp sticking between my teeth as I post.

Ah memories....

[stovetop]

Thanks bigbear, there is always more to learn about food;I like this style and always want to further my repertoire.

steve

[bigbear]

Now that we have established that there are probably as many ceviche recipes as there are cooks, we can get back to posting some of those ceviche/coctel recipes.

Which way to the "How to make a proper Martini" thread?

[Sam Salmon]

Please no one mention Escabeche

[bigbear]

I'll give you my easy, dumbed-down, gringo-ized version of ceviché. There is nothing hard and fast about ceviché recipes. Use limes. Use sesame oil. Use a different hot sauce. Whatever.

4 lbs. of raw scallops or cooked shrimp

32 oz. catsup

Juice of 8 lemons

Juice of 1 orange

1 large vidalia onion, sliced and chopped a bit

1/8 tsp. each, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder

1 Tbs. olive oil

Tabasco to taste (lots is good)

Mix everything in a non-reactive container and put in the fridge the night before. When serving, stir in a handful of chopped, fresh parsley (I hate cilantro). Serve popcorn on the side.

[doggirl]

HELP!!

So after reading this thread, I decided it was time for some ceviche. I used a combo of lime and lemon juice with some hot sauce and just a small bit of olive oil. After marinating in the fridge for over 12 hours, the shrimp I used are still the grey color I associate with "uncooked". Please advise-- are they supposed to turn the usual pink color I'm waiting for? I'm at a loss, but I also don't want to let it go too long before eating if, in fact, it is "cooked" and I just don't know it!!

Thanks so much, everyone..

[sandra]

Well having spent a lot of time in Mexico these past two decades I have to say that I have never seen a Mexican actually cook their Camarones before making Ceviche-the idea is laughable.

It's the acid in the Lime that cooks the protein in the fish and turns it white-the recipe you've posted reads to me like a glass of tough tasting Camarones-which is what many restaurants serve.

The other ingredients in the serve only to obscure the flavour of the Camarones-to me simpler is better and for god's sake lose the ketchup!!!

Oh please ... take it from a Mexican, not a traveller, cooked shrimp are fine and ketchup is fine also -

Oh... and my whole family is Latin, and they have no worries with ketchup or cooked shrimp...

As much as I'm not crazy about Bayless, ONE of my recipes is very close to his...

[spoonbread]

doggirl-The shrimp should be firm when you touch it, and the finished product will look white, not translucent.

Most recipes call for cooking shrimp, as most people just have a hard time eating something that hasn't been "cooked" with heat. Most chefs that develop these recipes are aware of this. Although this method is not a true ceviche, it is certainly acceptable and tasty.

Now, cooking scallops for a scallop ceviche would be a travesty, IMO!

My fave is watermelon, shrimp, lime, mango, rice vinegar, cilantro, red onion, ginger, Midori and jalapeno.