Name: Sonora Style Ceviche de Camaron
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined; 1 cup fresh lime juice; 2 cups diced cucumbers; 2 Roma tomatoes, diced; 1 large diced jalapeno (about 4 tablespoons); 1/3 cup diced yellow onion; 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro; 2 garlic cloves, minced.; 3/4 cup V8 juice or clamato; 1 avocado, diced; salt and pepper to taste

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The Best Shrimp Ceviche Recipe

Served with corn chips, this refreshing ceviche de camaron will be a new favorite recipe for all your upcoming trips to the beach. Packed with cucumbers, onion, and tomatoes in a tangy sauce, it’s like sunshine in a bowl.

For a bit of heat that won’t cause sunburn, don’t forget the jalapeños and a bit of hot sauce! If you’re not up for it, just leave them out. Between the tomato juice and lime juice in the mixture, the tender shrimp already has a perfectly balanced savoriness in every bite.

With diced avocado for creaminess, just slather your chips with a bit of mayo and in it goes! Straight out of the fridge, this ceviche is a homemade version of exactly what you’d find at a tropical palapa by a Mexican beach.

Close-up of ceviche de camaron with tortilla chips.

What Is Sonora Style Ceviche de Camaron?

This ceviche de camaron is a popular seafood recipe from the northern Mexican state of Sonora. The name translates to “shrimp ceviche,” so you can imagine the main ingredient. The shrimp can be cooked or raw and cured in lime juice. It’s cut into little pieces and tossed with a mixture of veggies (usually onion, tomatoes, and cucumbers.)

For a bit of heat, jalapeño or serrano peppers are often added. However, the real touch of Sonora comes from the V8 juice or Clamato in the recipe. Between this and the lime juice, it’s a refreshing recipe that’s perfect for beach days and pool days.

Recipe Ingredients

Loaded with veggies, ceviche de camaron is quite healthy. Check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for full ingredient amounts.

Shrimp
Fresh lime juice – Don’t use lemon juice for this. It’s too sweet.
Cucumbers
Roma tomatoes – Feel free to use heirloom tomatoes if you remove most of the seeds.
Jalapeño – Serrano pepper to taste is a good alternative. Leave them out if you’re not a fan of heat.
Yellow onion – White onion is okay too.
Cilantro
Garlic cloves – Don’t use garlic powder.
V8 juice – Clamato or any tomato juice is a good swap.
Avocado
Salt and pepper

What’s The Best Shrimp for Ceviche?

Medium to large shrimp is best for preparing ceviche because it’s easier to cut into smaller pieces. I don’t really recommend cocktail shrimp because they’re small and don’t absorb much flavor. Also, sometimes they’re pre-cooked— which you don’t want for this recipe because they can become rubbery.

Close-up of spoonful of ceviche de camaron.

How to Make Sonora Style Ceviche de Camaron

If you can cut shrimp and toss it with veggies, you’re already halfway through this recipe.

Prepare the water. Fill a large pot with water 3/4 of the way full. Bring it to a boil.

Adding the raw shrimp to the pot of water.

Boil the shrimp. Add the shrimp to the pot and boil them for 1 minute. Immediately remove and place them in a bowl filled with ice-cold water. This will immediately stop the cooking process so they don’t overcook. Let the shrimp rest for 1-2 minutes in the bowl.

Mixing the lemon juice and diced shrimp.

Dice it. Remove the shrimp from the ice bath and pat dry with a paper towel. Don’t skip this step because it will keep your ceviche from watering down. Dice the shrimp into small 1/4″ pieces and place them in a large bowl.
Cure it. Add fresh lime juice to the bowl. Give it a quick stir until completely combined. Curing is basically cooking a protein (or partially doing so) in citric acid or vinegar.

Bowl of chopped veggies for the ceviche.

Add the veggies. Add the cucumbers, tomatoes, jalapenos, onion, cilantro, garlic, clamato juice, and avocado. Gently stir everything together until well mixed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir again.
Chill it. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Tips & Variations

These tips and variations will give you a ceviche de camaron that’ll taste like it was made along the coast of Mexico.

Add raw shrimp. Incorporating 1/2″ of raw shrimp (diced into 1/4″ pieces) into the recipe and then refrigerating it for at least 30 minutes will give you a ceviche dish that’s quite popular in Mexico.
Add fish. Boiling 1/2 cup of white fish (like tilapia or halibut) cut into 1/4″ pieces along with the shrimp will give you “ceviche combinado” (combined ceviche), another typical ceviche preparation.
Use pico de gallo. Swapping part of the veggies for leftover Pico de Gallo is a great way to reduce waste.
Let it sit. Refrigerating the ceviche for at least 2 hours before serving will give you a better overall flavor.
Save the avocado. Please don’t add the avocado to the ceviche until right before serving to keep it from browning or squishing.

Can Ceviche de Camaron Be Prepared In Advance?

Absolutely! It’s actually best if you prepare it a day in advance. This way the veggies and shrimp really have a chance to absorb the flavors.

Glass of ceviche de camaron with tortilla chips.

What to Serve with Shrimp Ceviche

Ceviche de camaron is best served on its own with tortilla chips or tostadas. Spread the tostada with a bit of mayonnaise and then top it with ceviche to taste. Drizzle with your favorite hot sauce and enjoy!

It’s also great with seafood dishes like my Grilled Mahi Mahi Tacos and Spicy Shrimp Tacos with Cilantro Lime Slaw. For other seafood taco ideas, try these:

Bowl of camaron ceviche with corn chips.

How to Store Leftovers

Refrigerate ceviche de camaron in a container for up to 4 days. Please keep it away from the sun and any heat sources whenever it’s on the counter. If you make the version with raw shrimp, you can only refrigerate it for up to 3 days. Don’t reheat it. Ceviche de camaron should be eaten chilled.

Sonora Style Ceviche de Camaron