Ceviche de camarón

Ingredients

Shrimp and their broth

• 600 graw shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells and heads kept
• 1 Lwater
• 1onion, halved
• 2garlic cloves
• 1 tspsalt
• 1bay leaf

Marinade

• 2red onions, sliced paper-thin
• juice of 8 limes (about 200 ml)
• juice of 2 oranges (about 100 ml)
• 4ripe tomatoes, blended and sieved (about 250 ml)
• 3 tbsptomato ketchup
• 1 tbspyellow mustard
• 3 tbspsunflower oil
• 1large bunch coriander, finely chopped
• 1 tspsalt, plus more to taste
• half tsp ground black pepper
• 1red chilli, finely chopped (optional)

To serve

• chifles (thin fried green plantain crisps)
• canguil (plain popcorn)
• tostado (toasted maize kernels)
• 1avocado, sliced
• aji criollo hot sauce

Directions

1. Simmer the shrimp shells and heads in the water with the halved onion, garlic, salt and bay for 15 minutes, then strain. This shell broth is the backbone of Ecuadorian ceviche and the step that separates it from the Peruvian style.
2. Bring the strained broth back to a rolling boil, drop in the peeled shrimp, and count 45–60 seconds until they just turn opaque and curl into a loose C. Lift them out immediately into iced water.
3. Reserve 300 ml of the broth and chill it. Drain and dry the shrimp.
4. Soak the paper-thin onion slices in salted cold water for 10 minutes, then rinse and drain hard. This takes out the raw sulphurous bite while keeping the crunch.
5. Whisk together the lime juice, orange juice, sieved tomato, ketchup, mustard, oil, salt and pepper with the 300 ml of cold shrimp broth. The mix should taste sharply acidic, faintly sweet and distinctly of the sea.
6. Fold in the shrimp, onion, coriander and chilli, cover, and chill at least 1 hour so the flavours marry. Unlike Peruvian ceviche, this one is meant to sit and is served swimming in its liquid.
7. Check the seasoning cold, since chilling dulls both salt and acid, and adjust with more lime and salt.
8. Serve in deep bowls or glasses with chifles and popcorn on top or on the side, avocado slices, and aji to spoon in. Ecuadorians scatter the popcorn straight into the bowl.

Technique

• The shrimp are cooked, not cured. This is the fundamental difference from Peruvian ceviche, and the brief poach plus ice bath keeps them snappy rather than rubbery.
• Tomato and a little ketchup are genuinely traditional here, not a shortcut. Ecuadorian ceviche de camaron is a soupy, tomato-tinged, orange-red dish and it is meant to look that way.
• Popcorn and chifles are not garnish. Their crunch against the cold liquid is half the experience, and no Ecuadorian would serve it without them.

Substitutions

• No fresh shrimp: good frozen raw shrimp work well, but thaw them slowly in the fridge and cut the poaching to 30 seconds.
• No sour orange: use 100 ml orange juice with an extra squeeze of lime.

Variations

• Ceviche mixto, with shrimp, squid and white fish poached separately and combined.
• Ceviche de concha, made with black clams from the mangroves, dark and iron-rich, an Esmeraldas speciality.

History

Ecuador serves its shrimp ceviche in the tomato and lime broth, with popcorn and chifles alongside, unlike Peru’s drained style.

Frequently asked questions

What is Ceviche de camarón?

Ceviche de camarón is a main from Ecuador: shrimp in tomato-citrus marinade, eaten with chifles and popcorn. Ecuador serves its shrimp ceviche in the tomato and lime broth, with popcorn and chifles alongside, unlike Peru’s drained style.

How long does Ceviche de camarón take to make?

Ceviche de camarón takes 30 min plus 1 hr chilling of preparation and 5 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Ceviche de camarón?

Yes, within limits. No fresh shrimp: good frozen raw shrimp work well, but thaw them slowly in the fridge and cut the poaching to 30 seconds. No sour orange: use 100 ml orange juice with an extra squeeze of lime.

What is the most important thing to get right in Ceviche de camarón?

The shrimp are cooked, not cured. This is the fundamental difference from Peruvian ceviche, and the brief poach plus ice bath keeps them snappy rather than rubbery.