My stuffed avocado with shrimp ceviche is just the cool and refreshing appetizer or light meal to serve at your next get together. Prepared with fresh, ripe avocados filled with a tangy and bright seared shrimp ceviche combined with lime juice, cucumbers, tomatoes, cilantro, sliced chili and red onion, this stuffed avocado recipe has all the flavors of summer in each bite!
Avocados Stuffed with Bright and Tangy Shrimp Ceviche
Cool, light and refreshing meals with a bit of brightness to them are just what's needed to balance out the warmth of summer.
Fresh produce such as creamy avocados are always stashed in our fridge, and are perfect as a quick stand-alone snack or added to sandwiches, or for making a delectable homemade guacamole or avocado salad.
Who can resist the perfectly ripe avocado?
And while avocados are usually a simple accompaniment, this stuffed avocado recipe with shrimp ceviche makes a “star” out of 'em, creating the perfect little appetizer or even light meal when the weather turns warm and we're in need a something fresh and cool to tickle our tastebuds.
Served with a light glass of wine, a margarita, a refreshing sangria or even ice-cold limeade, this stuffed avocado recipe is quick, easy, elegant, and just the meal to even enjoy outdoors!
My Recipe for Stuffed Avocado with Shrimp Ceviche
When it comes to choosing and preparing the avocados, you're really just looking for firm-yet-ripe avocados that have a slight “give” to them, without being too soft. You're looking for creamy, green flesh, and a pit that is easily removed, as this is where you will be mounding up your stuffing, or filling.
And when it comes to that scrumptious filling, I just love shrimp ceviche, and find it a terrific and refreshing option with some brightness that balances the creamy richness of the avocado.
To keep things perfectly safe for consumption (especially if you're serving these stuffed avocados to a gathering of people), I first season and sear the shrimp, so that it is actually cooked through, cooled, and ready for the other flavorful ingredients to be added.
So for the seared shrimp ceviche I'm adding lime juice, Serrano or jalapeno chili slices, red onion, diced tomato and cucumber, plus fresh cilantro to the mix for color and a bit of tanginess.
Kept nice and cold in the fridge, then spooned into the center of each cool avocado, this recipe makes for the perfect starter or even light meal to beat the heat with.
Here's a glance at my recipe for stuffed avocado with shrimp ceviche: (or just jump to the full recipe...)
- To get started, I prepare my seared shrimp ceviche by seasoning my shrimp,
- Next, I give the shrimp a quick sear in a skillet.
- I then allow the shrimp to cool before dicing into small, roughly ¼ to ½ inch size pieces.
- Next, I combine the shrimp with the rest of my tasty ceviche ingredients, and keep cold until ready to serve.
- Close to serving time, I cut my avocados in half, remove the pits, and rub a small amount of lime juice over the cut part. If not serving immediately (up to an hour or two ahead is fine), I cover the avocados tightly with plastic wrap and keep them on a platter in the fridge.
- When ready to stuff and serve, I spoon big, generous mounds of the shrimp ceviche into the middle of the avocados, sprinkle with micro cilantro or regular cilantro leaves as garnish, and serve with a lime wedge on the side, and perhaps with some thin and crispy corn chips for scooping the ceviche.
Recipe
Stuffed Avocado with Shrimp Ceviche
by Ingrid Beer
This cool, refreshing stuffed avocado recipe is filled with zippy, seared shrimp ceviche kissed with lime and chilis!
Category: Appetizer
Cuisine: Mexican-American
Yield: Serves 8 (one stuffed avocado half)
Nutrition Info: 267 calories (per stuffed avocado half)
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 3 minutes (to sear shrimp)
Total time: 28 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- Salt
- Black pepper
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- Olive oil
- 1 large Persian cucumber, finely diced (about ½ cup)
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons (heaping) finely diced red onion
- 1 thin jalapeno or Serrano chili (or your desired chili), thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup finely chopped cilantro
- ¼ teaspoon lime zest
- 1 clove garlic, pressed through garlic press
- ¼ cup lime juice, plus extra for rubbing on avocados
- 4 avocados, firm but ripe
- Micro cilantro, for garnish
- Thin and crispy corn chips, to serve on the side (optional)
- Begin by gathering and prepping all of your ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
- To prepare the shrimp ceviche, season the shrimp with a couple of pinches of salt and pepper, the smoked paprika, plus a drizzle or two of olive oil, and toss to coat. Place a skillet over medium-high heat and when hot, add the shrimp in an even layer (work in batches if necessary) to sear on both sides for a minute or two per side, until cooked through. Repeat with remaining shrimp, and place on a plate or platter to allow to cool.
- Once the shrimp is cool, dice it into roughly ¼ to ½ inch size pieces, and add to a medium-large bowl. Next, add to it the diced cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red onion, sliced chili pepper, cilantro, lime zest and garlic, plus pinch of salt and pepper. Toss gently to combine, and place into the fridge to keep cold until ready to finish, and stuff the avocados with.
- When ready to stuff the avocados, cut each avocado in half and carefully remove the pit. Rub each cut side with a little lime juice to prevent browning, and set onto a serving platter. Sprinkle with a small amount of salt. (You should have 8 avocado halves.)
- To finish the seared shrimp ceviche, pour the lime juice into the ceviche and drizzle with a little extra olive oil (about 1 tablespoon worth), and using a large spoon, toss to coat. Check to see if additional salt/pepper is needed.
- Spoon generous amounts of the shrimp ceviche into the cavities of each avocado half, mounding it up. Garnish with some micro cilantro (or even regular cilantro leaves), and serve with thin and crispy corn chips and additional lime wedges on the side, if desired.
Tips & Tidbits for my Stuffed Avocado with Shrimp Ceviche recipe:
- Choose slightly firm-but-ripe avocados: While sometimes it can be challenging to know what an avocado looks like on the inside, opt for avocados that are still slightly firm yet have some “give” to them, that can easily be cut. When ready to prepare (you can cut/prep them up to a couple of hours ahead), cut them in half and remove the pits, then rub a bit of lime juice over the cut part to keep the avocado from quickly becoming brown.
- Sear the shrimp to keep it safe: While traditional ceviche uses only lime juice to “cook” the shrimp, it doesn't kill any bacteria that may be present. So to keep things extra safe, I'm opting to sear the seasoned shrimp first, then allow it to cool before dicing it up and proceeding with the rest of the ceviche recipe.
- What to serve with stuffed avocado: For these stuffed avocados, I love to sprinkle over some micro cilantro for garnish, and then serve with an extra lime wedge and some thin and crispy corn chips on the side to scoop up the ceviche, if desired. It makes for an elegant and fun presentation, and offers some crunchy texture to balance with the creaminess!
Craving more cool and refreshing recipes? Check out this Guacamole, this Avocado Salad, this Ahi Tuna Salad, these Fried Tomatoes, this Roasted Beet Salad, or this Panzanella!
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