Shrimp Ceviche Tostadas

👩🏻‍🍳 Tamara Talks - About Shrimp and Ceviche

I have a love affair with Gulf shrimp. I have always loved shrimp, but usually had to settle for farm-raised shrimp given the fact that I lived in land-locked New Mexico. "Home" is now McAllen, Texas, and the Gulf of Mexico is 55 miles away (as the crow flies). Yay!  😀

Our occasional trips to South Padre Island always include a lunch stop at Ceviche Ceviche. They do just one thing (really well): Ceviche. Shrimp and mahi mahi are offered with a variety of fresh produce and add-ins. I usually have a mix of shrimp and mahi mahi and vary the add-ins.

When I decided to post a shrimp ceviche recipe, I had a tough time deciding which direction I wanted to go with it. Given our subtropical climate and availability of mangoes and avocados, I landed on mango, avocado, and shrimp. The flavors just dance on your tongue!

🍤 About the Shrimp

The shrimp is "cooked" in lime juice. This process results in a super fresh flavor and texture, but works best with really high quality shrimp. Living near the Gulf of Mexico, I have access to amazing wild-caught Gulf shrimp.

Common wisdom says the lime juice “cooks” the fish or shellfish - partially or completely, depending on how long it soaks. The citric acid in the lime juice changes the structure of the proteins in the fish, making the fish more opaque and firm, just as if it had been cooked with heat. However, the acid does not kill bacteria and parasites as well as heat does, so it’s important to start with the freshest possible fish or seafood.

If you're using farm-raised shrimp, you may wish to start with poached shrimp. Cover the shrimp with water, bring them to a boil, then remove them from the heat. Allow them to sit in the hot water for about 3 minutes, then drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Proceed with the recipe.

📋 Shrimp Ceviche Tostada Ingredients

Here is a quick look at the ingredients in the recipe – it’s handy to use at the grocery store or as a summary of what you need. Skip to the recipe for quantities.

• shrimp - Living in McAllen, Texas I have access to really fresh Gulf shrimp. I always prepare it raw. As I mentioned above, if you're using farm-raised frozen shrimp, cover the shrimp with water, bring them to a boil, then remove them from the heat. Allow them to sit in the hot water for about 3 minutes, then drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
• limes - Use fresh-squeezed lime juice! Bottled lime juice is not a good substitution.
• onion - I use scallions, red onion, or shallot - they're all good.
• mango
• avocado
• cilantro
• tomatoes - I love colorful food, so I use multicolor tiny tomatoes. The choice is yours.
• fresh chile - Chile is optional. Choose jalapeño, serrano, or Fresno chiles.
• hot sauce - Hot sauce is optional, but if you like it spicy, go for it!

🔪 Step by Step Instructions

• Prepare the tortillas - Either fry or bake your tortillas (our preference is baked). For baked tortillas spray both sides with cooking spray, and bake in a 350 degree oven until brown and crispy. We're not looking for temperature hot tortillas, so you can do this in advance if you wish.

• Start the ceviche - Start by squeezing limes until you have 1 to 1 ½ cups of juice. A citrus squeezer makes this task quick and produces more juice. Add about 1 cup of the freshly squeezed lime juice and a little bit of hot sauce. Add shrimp to a bowl large enough to accommodate all the ceviche ingredients. Pour the lime juice over top, and stir to combine. Soak shrimp for 15-20 minutes.

• Finish the shrimp ceviche - Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl. Mix it all together, and season with hot sauce and sea salt as desired.

• Serve - Using a slotted spoon, scoop shrimp ceviche onto a prepared tortilla and dig in! Yes, it's messy! I deliberately left the puddle of lime juice on the plate, not wanting to make it look pretty for the camera!

❓ FAQ

💭 Tips

Use the freshest ingredients you can find. There aren't many ingredients, and each one is important. If one of the ingredients isn't looking very fresh, you might be better off making a substitution.

When breaking down the cilantro, grab the cilantro at the base of the leaves, and chop off the stems. Pull out any thick stems as they tend to be bitter. Finely chop before adding to the shrimp ceviche.

How to prep the shrimp - I use my kitchen shears to clip through the shell on the back (top) side. I then insert my thumb under the shell and gently pull it off. Then, I use a sharp paring knife to make a slit along the top of the shrimp that reveals the vein. I simply pull out the vein and discard. (How To video coming soon!)

How to prepare the tortillas - You may have a favorite way of preparing a tortilla for tostadas, and by all means, go for it! We love crispy oven-baked tortillas (less fat), and the instructions are in the recipe card.

Not one to waste, I collect the shells in zip bags until I have enough for a pot of delicious shrimp stock. It's great for my Irish Scallop Bisque!

🍤 Variations

• Substitute other seafood or fish for the shrimp. We have had octopus in Peru, and it's delicious!
• I love Peruvian-style ceviche, and it would be awesome on a tostada. Serve the cancha on the side.
• Add an orange to the lime juice for more of a Yucatecan spin.
• Substitute shredded jackfruit for a vegan ceviche tostada.

🍷 Pairing Suggestions

We absolutely loved the shrimp ceviche tostadas with a glass of sauvignon blanc. A saison would be an excellent craft beer choice...

We LOVE these shrimp ceviche tostadas on a hot day when heating up the kitchen sounds blasphemous. Haha. They're naturally gluten free, fairly low carb, high in protein and other nutrients, and downright delicious!

If you're not a fan of seafood, but love good tostadas, you won't want to miss my chicken tostadas tinga. Chicken tinga is great for making in large batches for meal prep, and with the addition of fresh toppings, they come together quickly!