Ceviche de Camarón | TASTE

Ceviche de camarón is considered one of two Ecuadorian dishes I ate essentially the most after I was rising up (the opposite is seco, web page 9). Ceviche is a Latin American dish made by combining seafood and citrus in quite a lot of methods. Whereas its origins are nonetheless debated, there’s proof that the primary sorts of ceviche had been revamped three thousand years in the past by fishermen. The dish is an integral a part of Ecuadorian delicacies and is current in a single kind or one other in all twenty-four provinces of the nation, altering to suit what’s in season and persevering with to adapt to native tastes. Normally, the fish (the commonest seafood of alternative for ceviche) is uncooked and bathed in recent lime juice (additionally the commonest citrus). The acid from the limes cures the fish whereas it soaks, barely firming up the uncooked floor, and leaves the fish with a kinda-cooked-yet-still-tender texture within the course of. However Ecuador’s well-known ceviche de camarón is particular as a result of it doesn’t totally embrace or do both.

It’s made with just-cooked shrimp, recent orange and lime juice, purple onion, cilantro, and (the factor that really makes it Ecuadorian) just a little ketchup. For many who have solely had Peruvian ceviche earlier than, I perceive why the ketchup may sound stunning. However you simply need to belief me and all of the Ecuadorian individuals who have been doing this for a very long time—it’s actually good. The ketchup provides a contact of sweetness and shade, giving the ceviche a recognizable blush look. Like all country-specific recipe, it varies barely from area to area and cook dinner to cook dinner. No orange, numerous orange, extra limes, fewer limes, little mustard, additional ketchup. This recipe is the mix I personally like the very best, however you may tweak it to suit it to your personal style. One factor that isn’t important however strongly really useful is consuming it with chifles (plantain chips), popcorn (sure, popcorn!), or maíz tostado (little toasted corn nuts). These are frequent to eat with ceviche in Ecuador. For the true Ecuadorian expertise, although, it’s higher to have a combo of all three, alternating between salty, crunchy, and citrusy tastes with each chew.

It is a dish that’s greatest eaten the day it’s made, so keep away from making an excessive amount of for those who can; it scales down as simply because it scales up. On many events, I’ve made this as one serving by quartering or halving the recipe (relying on my urge for food), and it’s by no means let me down.

Excerpted from the ebook MY (HALF) LATINX KITCHEN: Half Recipes, Half Tales, All Latin American by Kiera Wright-Ruiz. Copyright © 2025 by Kiera Wright-Ruiz. Images © 2025 by Lauren Vied Allen. From Harvest, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Reprinted by permission.