Shrimp Ceviche

We have a great tradition with some of my girl friends. We take turns in organizing a three course dinner for eachother, inspired by food we love to cook. It doesn't have to be expensive, just taste good. Each pay for the food when it's your own turn to cook, and the others bring wine/drinks. We try to cook food the others don't know how to make, so when my turn came I decided to make Shrimp Ceviche for starter, and Seared Tuna for main.

Shrimp Ceviche

400grams Tiger Prawns/Shrimp (jättikatkarapu)

1 Avocado

1/4 Cucumber (peeled)

1/2 red chili (mild)

Chopped cilantro (korianteri)

1/2 lime and lime zest

 salt to taste

I start by buying good quality prawns, and here in Helsinki fresh can rarely be found. Make sure you don't buy regular shrimp, instead jättikatkarapu. Frozen are ok, just make sure they're pre-cooked (red/pink in color). If they aren't (gray in color) you have to cook them until they turn pink and let them cool down. If you use preserved (liemessä) make sure you rinse them! Otherwise they will taste salty and sour :/

I remove any shell left, and cut the prawns in half. Next I peel the cucumber, this might seem dumb but it makes an incredible difference. If you don't peel the cucumbers, they will have a much more bitter and overpowering taste. Once the cucumbers are peeled i dice them into small squares. Next I dice the avocado in about same size dices.

I usually use a mild chili, as much as I love heat, the point of a Ceviche is not to be spicy. I want it to have a kick, and a taste of chili, but that's it. Here Pirkka has mild red chilis that are quite good. Remove all the seeds, and chop about 1/3 - 1/2 of the chili depending on taste.

Mix avocado, cucumber, shrimp/prawns, juice from 1/2 lime, a little salt and lime zest. You can easily let this sit in the fridge while you wait for your guests. Don't mix in the chili until about 10min before serving. The chili will react with the lime juice and easily become too spicy and overpowering.

About 10min before serving, add the chili and the chopped cilantro. Taste! Add acidity if needed or salt to taste. Voilà, a perfect fresh starter, easy to prepare before guests arrive.