Grilled Shrimp Ceviche

This Grilled Shrimp Ceviche is one of my favorite summer dishes! I serve it as both an appetizer and as a lighter main course. My ceviche recipe is inspired by a couple of our favorite grilling recipes: the outrageously fabulous margarita grilled shrimp and this grilled Caribbean jerk shrimp. It turns out, that if you toss them together in a zesty salsa marinade, you get the perfect ceviche with a mix of fresh and spicy, and a beautiful grilled char.

Technically, this is not a true ceviche, since the shrimp are cooked by the grill’s heat. But this dish always reminds me of some of the more memorable ceviches I’ve had over the years, and so I’m just rolling with that! Grab some crunchy tortilla chips and a cold margarita, and dig in.

Why You’ll Love This Grilled Shrimp Ceviche Recipe

• Extra juicy, char-grilled shrimp. I marinate the shrimp in a spicy habanero mixture, grill it, chop it, and then toss those awesome little nuggets with lime juice and fresh salsa. It’s a bit different from classic ceviche, where raw shrimp is “cooked” in the acidity of the marinade, but it’s super delicious!
• Zesty salsa fresca. The second half of the recipe, with lime juice, cilantro, jalapeños, and onions stays true to a traditional ceviche, all incorporated fresh. When the grilled habanero shrimp and fresh ingredients combine, the result is absolutely addictive!
• Multi-tasking. Though this was intended as an appetizer, I often find myself digging into an entire bowl as a meal. It totally works for me!

What You’ll Need

I’ll warn you right now: You absolutely will not be able to hold back from popping a few of these spicy shrimp into your mouth straight from the grill. I usually plan ahead and pick up a few more shrimp than the recipe calls for!

Some of the ingredients you’ll need for the marinade cross over with what you’ll need to assemble the ceviche. I’ve included some quick notes here. Scroll down to the recipe card after the post for a printable list of ingredients with the amounts.

For the Grilled Shrimp

• Oil – Mild olive oil or vegetable oil.
• Habanero peppers – I use hot habanero peppers for the marinade. If you’d prefer to skip the hot peppers, that’s fine, too.
• Garlic – I recommend fresh garlic, and you can adapt the number of cloves to taste.
• Brown sugar – Not just for sweetness, brown sugar helps the shrimp caramelize and char on the grill.
• Spices – Sweet or smoked paprika, chili powder, onion powder, oregano (even better if it’s Mexican oregano!), salt, and pepper.
• Shrimp – My favorite is raw, fresh jumbo shrimp. The shrimp should be peeled and deveined before you grill it.

To Assemble the Ceviche

• Roma tomatoes – I prefer Roma because they are more meaty and less watery than other tomato varieties. You can use any large or small tomatoes you’d like.
• Cilantro – Fresh chopped cilantro is a must for that authentic ceviche taste.
• Onion and garlic – I like red onion, diced up fairly small. Yellow onion or shallot also work, if needed. I always add fresh garlic to my fresh salsas, so this is just a natural ingredient to use for this salsa-like ceviche.
• Jalapeño pepper – I use fresh diced jalapeño in the salsa. Feel free to adjust the amount to taste, and use any hot peppers you prefer. You can also substitute mild peppers if heat isn’t your thing.
• Limes – Just like cilantro, fresh lime juice is essential! I also like to slice up some lime wedges for garnish.
• Chips – For serving. Ceviche is traditionally enjoyed scooped up with crunchy tortilla chips, just like salsa.

How to Make Grilled Shrimp Ceviche

There are two parts to making this grilled shrimp ceviche. First, marinate and grill the shrimp. Then, toss everything together with the salsa ingredients for serving. Follow these easy steps, and scroll to the recipe card for printable instructions.

• Prepare the marinade. First, blend the marinade ingredients (except for the shrimp). Afterward, pour the marinade over the peeled, deveined shrimp and stir to coat. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
• Grill the shrimp. When you’re ready, grill the shrimp over medium-high heat for 3 minutes on each side, or until no longer opaque and slightly charred.

• Put it all together. Next, chop the shrimp into 1/2″ pieces. Add that to a bowl with the rest of your ceviche ingredients, and toss everything to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve. Serve your shrimp ceviche with lime wedges and your favorite tortilla chips, and enjoy!

What If I Don’t Have a Grill?

If you don’t have a grill, or if the weather isn’t on your side, you can still make this delicious “grilled” shrimp ceviche! Follow the directions to cook your shrimp in the air fryer instead. You can also sauté the shrimp in a hot skillet until it’s nicely seared on both sides.

Tips and Variations

• Use jumbo shrimp. While shrimp size isn’t essential to the finished dish, as they are chopped up anyway…the shrimp are much easier to grill when they are larger. Also, I LOVE biting into good-sized nuggets of shrimp!
• Adjust grill time. If your shrimp aren’t jumbo, reduce grilling time.
• Don’t hold back on the spices. When you go to toss the shrimp, you may think there are too many dry spices and be tempted to reduce them. But don’t!
• Use a non-reactive bowl. Avoid metal bowls when making ceviche, as they can give off a metallic taste when used with fresh tomatoes.
• Allow time to rest. Wait 30 minutes after combining all the ingredients before enjoying, if possible.
• Use fresh ingredients. Use fresh shrimp if at all possible, and fresh lime juice is a must.
• Add fruit. Fruit is a great way to bring some sweet contrast to this spicy grilled shrimp ceviche. Mango would taste delicious here, as would diced pineapple. You might also like to try this watermelon and citrus shrimp ceviche!

Serving Suggestions

Grilled shrimp ceviche can serve as an appetizer or a full meal on its own. I like to serve it in a chilled glass, with a lime wedge and a few tortilla chips, similar to this Mexican shrimp cocktail. You can also serve it in a big, sharing bowl with tortilla chips on the side, alongside more appetizers like pulled pork nachos and roasted chili corn salsa.

When serving it as a full meal, it’s fun to add some fresh avocado or guacamole on top. I also love to toss this grilled shrimp ceviche over a bed of greens for a zesty variation of a grilled shrimp salad!

How to Store Leftovers

While it’s best fresh or at least the same day as it’s prepared, you can store grilled shrimp ceviche for up to 3 days in the fridge. Store tortilla chips separately. Squeeze a lime wedge over the top before serving to reactivate the flavors in the dish.

More Easy Shrimp Recipes

• Shrimp Dip
• Tropical Shrimp Salad
• Shrimp and Crab Dip
• Grilled Shrimp Cocktail