Ecuadorian Shrimp Ceviche

Good morning my dear friends!! I hope you had an awesome weekend!! I’m back with a new recipe for you and this week I decided to take it back to my hometown Ecuador!! I’ve been getting tons of request from friends and family for Ecuadorian recipes, and I thought it was a great idea, not only because I want to share the amazing flavors of my country, but also because I haven’t eaten this dish in a long time. 

First, let me explain what ceviche is. Ceviche is a seafood dish very popular in Central and South America, especially in Ecuador and Peru, its specific origins are uncertain and it has been a debate between both countries because they share tons of cultural heritage from the Inca empire, this sounds like a History class but you just learn something new!! You can thank me next time you’re on Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? In hopes of not starting a fight about its origins, I’m just going to say this recipe is a combination of my mom’s and my mother-in-law’s recipes, no countries involved just two amazing women with wonderful cooking skills!!

For this Ecuadorian Shrimp Ceviche you’ll need: 1 pound raw shrimp, peeled, deveined and tail removed, 2 1/2 cups water, 1 small piece of green bell pepper, 1 garlic clove, 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (use an orange that it’s a bit sour), 2 lemons, 1/2 sliced red onion (save a layer of onion without slicing), 1 diced tomato, chopped fresh parsley, ketchup, salt, umami seasoning (ajinomoto) you can find it on the Asian food section of your local market, vegetable oil and 1 sliced plantain. (Rintaro took this pic while I was prepping my ingredients, look at my hair tho!!)

Start by adding 2 1/2 cups of water, 1 small piece of green bell pepper, 1 garlic clove and a layer of red onion on a pot, season with salt and let it boil. Meanwhile season 1 pound of raw shrimp, peeled, deveined and tail removed with salt and umami seasoning (ajinomoto). On a separate bowl season 1/2 sliced red onion with the juice of 1/2 lemon and salt, let it rest.

Once the seasoned water is boiling, turn the heat off, add the shrimp and stir until it is fully cooked, it won’t take longer than 2-4 minutes. Take out the piece of green bell pepper, the garlic clove and the layer of red onion from the pot and add 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice.

Add the juice of 1 lemon, taste and adjust salt if necessary. If this is your first time cooking ceviche don’t be scared by the color of the broth. Now you have two options, you can add ketchup to the pot or leave it to each person’s taste. For example I like to add just a bit of ketchup to my ceviche, but my husband likes to add a lot of ketchup to his, so we each add how much ketchup we want on our own individual plates. Or maybe you don’t like ketchup on your ceviche. That’s why it’s best to leave it to people’s liking. 

Heat a pan over medium high with 1/2 cup of vegetable oil and fry your sliced plantain, about 1-2 minutes each side, they’ll turn yellowish. Place them on a paper towel to drain excess of oil and sprinkle with salt.

Now it’s time to serve your ceviche! In small bowls, place the shrimps, add some of the broth but it doesn’t have to cover the shrimp.

Add the pickled red onions, and top with diced tomatoes. Drizzle 1 tsp of vegetable oil.

Serve with chopped fresh parsley and fried plantains (we also had toasted butter-garlic and oregano bread!!) This Ecuadorian Shrimp Ceviche is really good, the ketchup adds a bit of sweetness to balance all the citrus flavors.

I hope you try this dish, no matter if you are a ceviche virgin or if you eat ceviche almost every week!! I’m so proud of my country,  if you haven’t visit Ecuador you must!! Next week I’ll be sharing a really yummy and easy Japanese recipe, stay tuned!!

Ecuadorian Shrimp Ceviche

Serves 2-3 as a main dish

Ingredients

• 1 pound raw shrimp, peeled, deveined and tail removed
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1 small piece of green bell pepper
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (use an orange that it’s a bit sour)
• 2 lemons
• 1/2 sliced red onion (save a layer of onion without slicing)
• 1 diced tomato
• chopped fresh parsley
• ketchup
• salt
• umami seasoning (ajinomoto) you can find it on the Asian food section of your local market
• vegetable oil
• 1 sliced plantain

Directions

1. Start by adding 2 1/2 cups of water, 1 small piece of green bell pepper, 1 garlic clove and a layer of red onion on a pot, season with salt and let it boil. Meanwhile season 1 pound of raw shrimp, peeled, deveined and tail removed with salt and umami seasoning (ajinomoto). On a separate bowl season 1/2 sliced red onion with the juice of 1/2 lemon and salt, let it rest.
2. Once the seasoned water is boiling, turn the heat off, add the shrimp and stir until it is fully cooked (2-4 minutes) Take out the piece of green bell pepper, the garlic clove and the layer of red onion from the pot.
3. Add 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice and the juice of 1 lemon, taste and adjust salt if necessary. You can add ketchup to the pot or leave it to each person’s taste.
4. Heat a pan over medium high with 1/2 cup of vegetable oil and fry 1 sliced plantain, about 1-2 minutes each side, they’ll turn yellowish. Place them on a paper towel to drain excess of oil and sprinkle with salt.
5. In small bowls, place the shrimps, add some of the broth (it doesn’t have to cover the shrimp) follow with the pickled red onions and diced tomatoes. Drizzle 1 tsp of vegetable oil. Serve with chopped fresh parsley on top and fried plantains on the side (we also had toasted butter-garlic and oregano bread!!) Enjoy!!