Creamy Shrimp and Avocado Ceviche

I love going out for tapas and ceviche is typically one of my favorite small plates. Ceviches are a sort of raw stew made by “cooking” seafood in the juices of limes and lemons.  While no heat is applied, the acids alter the proteins and give the fish a cooked taste and texture.  I’ve read mixed reviews on whether or not real shrimp ceviches are safe.  Potentially, some shellfish bacteria and parasites are not killed by the acids alone, so I do a quick poach with my shrimp.  This creamy shrimp and avocado ceviche recipe is super easy and you can make it a day in advance which lets the flavors meld even more!

You’ll start by poaching your shrimp.  Simply boil a pot of water with a good tablespoon or so of salt and 2 whole scallions.  When the water is rapidly boiling, put a pound of raw deveined and deshelled shrimp in your pot, cover with lid, and remove from heat.  Let sit 3 minutes then drain and cool with cold water.

Once that’s done, you’ll combine all your ingredients in a bowl to marinate; 1 tomato diced, 1/4-1/2 red onion diced, 1 cucumber diced, 1 serrano pepper finely diced, 1 tbsp diced cilanto, juice of 2 lemons, 2 limes, and 1 diced avocado.

You’ll want to dice the pepper finely.  You don’t want to eat chunks of it, you just want the heat and flavor throughout the dish.

The easy way to dice avocado is to halve it, remove the pit carefully, then score it with a butter knife in a criss-cross patter.  Once it’s scored you can scoop it out, precut, with a spoon.

Some people leave the shrimp whole but I like to cut it into bite sized pieces, equal in size to the other chopped up ingredients.

Once everything is combined, leave in fridge covered for 1-2 hours. While that is marinated, you can make your plantain chips.  Slice the ends off your plantains then cut a long slit down the plantain lengthwise.  Work your way into the slit with your fingers, carefully peeling back the skin.

Once peeled, slice into thin even pieces with a mandolin and toss in a bowl with 1 tbsp olive oil and a bit pinch of salt.

The plantain chips get cooked on parchment paper (I bake most stuff on parchment paper so I don’t have to deal with things sticking) for 15 minutes at 400 degrees.

The last step is to make your creamy avocado sauce.  Combine the meat of 1 avocado, 4 tbsp coconut milk, and 1 tbsp olive oil in a food processor until well-combined and smooth.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

When the ceviche is done marinating, I drain all but a tbsp or 2 of the marinating juice and add in the creamy sauce.  Mix and serve!