Ceviche is a seafood dish made of diced fish that is marinated in lemon/lime juice. The acid in the marinade helps to cure the protein in the fish, making it opaque, which is how ceviche is cooked. Growing up in South Texas, along the Gulf of Mexico, fresh seafood was always readily available. In fact, I often joke about how spoiled I was because I never tasted frozen seafood until I went away for college! While my Dad wasn’t a fan of shrimp (or shrimp cocktails), he did love ceviche and helping my Mom out in the kitchen to prep all the ingredients. My parents often made two batches of ceviche for the family — one with onion and jalapeño for my parents, and one without for the children. Below, I share a variation of the ceviche that my parents used to make. It’s a quick and simple recipe that requires no cook time, making it perfect for hot summer days. Hope you enjoy!
Why You’ll Love This Tilapia Ceviche Recipe
- Simple – Ceviche can be made in as little as 30 minutes! All you need to do is dice your fish and vegetables, combine them in a bowl with lime juice, and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes until the fish has turned opaque.
- Refreshing – Tilapia ceviche is a great summer recipe, as it is served cold. It’s also made with fresh ingredients, such as fish, lime, onion, cilantro, avocado, tomato, and bell peppers, making this a light, guilt-free recipe!
Recommended Tools for This Recipe
- Mixing Bowl – You’ll want to use a deep bowl, such as this from this mixing bowl set, or container to make ceviche, as the recipe calls for a lot of lime/lemon juice.
- Citrus Squeezer – During a Secret Santa gift exchange last year, I was gifted this fluicer (flat juicer). I was very skeptical, having only ever used the steel squeezers found in Mexico, but the fluicer is so easy to squeeze, ergonomic, takes up minimal space, and best of all — fits large limes and lemons which would not fit in my previous squeezer.
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Ceviche Ingredients
- White Fish – Ceviche can be made with any white flaky fish, such as cod, trout, snapper, etc. This recipe uses tilapia, as it’s what I had available at the time. You can even use shrimp!
- Yellow Onion – Diced yellow onion will add a bit of crunch to the soft tilapia ceviche.
- Jalapeño – If you’re looking to bump up the heat of this recipe, consider adding diced jalapeño or serrano peppers for an extra kick!
- Citrus – Lime and/or lemon can be used for the marinade that will cook our white fish. If you’d like your ceviche to be tangier, feel free to sub the lemons for limes or vice versa, if you’d like it to be less sour.
- Toppings – Common toppings for ceviche include diced avocado, tomato, or bell peppers, all of which will add color and make your ceviche look more appetizing!
Tilapia Ceviche Recipe
Tilapia Ceviche Ingredients
How to Make Ceviche with Tilapia
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Dice Fish
Cut the fish into small cubes. Transfer to a deep container.
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Chop vegetables
Dice onion and jalapeno. Chop cilantro. Add to container.
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Squeeze citrus
Cut limes and lemons in half. Squeeze juice into container.
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Marinate
Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes until fish is opaque.
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Top & Serve
Add a pinch of salt. Add toppings, such as avocado or tomato. Mix. Serve.
Love it! Such a quick and refreshing recipe for the summertime.