This Salmon Ceviche recipe is a fresh, bright, and healthy fish recipe that makes a delightful light meal or appetizer. The fish "cooks" in a marinade of lime, lemon, and orange juice and is then tossed with fresh tomato, red onion, avocado, and cilantro. This pescatarian recipe is tasty, easy, and delicious.
Serve it with fresh Mexican Chopped Salad, Guacamole, or Shrimp Salsa.
Salmon Ceviche recipe
This Salmon Ceviche recipe is fresh, delicious, and surprisingly simple to make. If you have been afraid to attempt making a ceviche at home, the guide has step-by-step instructions to make sure you feel great about preparing and enjoying your ceviche at home.
This Salmon Ceviche featured gorgeous fresh salmon tossed with Mexican-inspired toppings including red onion, avocado, cilantro, tomato, and lime. It's a flavor-popping combination that will have everyone coming back for more.
Whether you serve this at a party or for a family dinner, everyone will be asking for the recipe.
What is fish ceviche?
Fish Ceviche is a Latin American dish that originated in South America. The fish is cured or "cooked" in fresh citrus juices including lime, lemon, and orange. The acid from the citrus changes the proteins in the fish, allowing it to "cook" without using heat. The process is also called denaturing. It's then tossed with other ingredients like tomato, avocado, cilantro, and more.
Ceviche is usually served as an appetizer, but this version can easily make a light and unique dinner.
Traditionally ceviche is made with white fish in South America, but I've decided to use salmon to make this version since it's easy to find in the US.
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Why You'll Love this Salmon Ceviche recipe...
- This Salmon Ceviche recipe is bright, flavorful, and fresh!
- It tastes fancy, but it is actually really simple to prepare.
- It takes very little hands-on time to make. Most of the time is marinading or cooking time.
- This is a versatile recipe that works great as an appetizer or even a light summer meal.
- It's a great way to eat more fish.
- It's super healthy, high in nutrients, high in protein, and low in fat!
- Salmon is a superfood with omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, selenium, and phosphorus
- It's low-carb, gluten-free, keto, paleo, and more
Ingredients:
Here's an overview of what you'll need to make this Salmon Ceviche recipe, but keep scrolling for the full recipe amounts.
- Salmon: You'll need to find high-quality fresh raw fish. Your salmon needs to be either super fresh or has been frozen to prevent bacteria in the fish. To prepare the fish, remove the skin and carefully dice the salmon into ½-inch cubes. Below, I put some more specific notes on which type of salmon to buy.
- Citrus Juices: Traditionally Peruvian ceviche uses a combination of lime, lemon, and orange juice, so I did the same for this recipe. I used more lime juice since that's the most familiar flavor in more American-prepared ceviche. For the best results, use freshly squeezed juice.
- Tomato: I like to use diced tomato in the ceviche, for a salsa-like flavoring.
- Red Onion: Red onion is another great flavor that is perfect for salmon ceviche.
- Cilantro: Cilantro is a key flavor here! Use fresh cilantro for the best results.
- Pepper: You can use a serrano or jalapeno pepper to add some heat to this dish. If you like mild food, leave it out. If you want it spicy, add more and leave the seeds.
- Avocado: Fresh avocado is the perfect creamy addition!
- Salt: To taste for the best results.
Tips for Buying Salmon for Ceviche:
- Find the freshest fish available. If you can't find fresh, frozen is still a good option with salmon because freezing it will kill any bacteria and actually make it safer to eat for ceviche. Fish that has been flash-frozen at a very low temperature can be the healthiest option because it kills parasites. Often if you don't live near the coast, the fish they are selling at a fish counter has been frozen anyway so if you buy it frozen, you control how long it sits until you make the ceviche.
- If you buying fish from a fish counter, ask the fishmonger if what you are buying is good for ceviche preparation. They will know how long the fish has been sitting there.
- Look for fish that doesn't have a fishy smell.
- Prepare the ceviche within 24 hours of either purchasing or thawing out your salmon.
- You can use any type of salmon for this as long as it is high-quality and fresh. Farmed salmon is actually the best choice for ceviche because it has a lower risk of parasites because it's fed pellets and hasn't lived in the wild.
- When preparing your ceviche, don't leave the fish out of the fridge for long.
- I highly recommend getting a nice, sharp knife to dice your fish.
Instructions:
This is an overview of the instructions to make this Salmon Ceviche recipe, but the full detailed printable recipe is below in the recipe card.
- First, you'll prepare the citrus and "cook" the fish in it. You start by whisking together ½ cup lime juice, ¼ cup lemon juice, and ¼ cup orange juice in a medium glass bowl. Add the diced salmon to the citrus mixture and gently toss. Make sure the fish is completely covered in the juices with some room to move. You want the citrus juice to be able to hit all surfaces of the fish, if they are in a bowl too small the sides will not get cooked. If it's not, add more juices.
- Place the salmon and citrus mixture in the fridge to "cook" or cure for 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on your preferences for doneness.
- Remove the salmon from the refrigerator and check for doneness. Drain the liquid and throw it away.
- In a fresh bowl, add the marinated salmon, tomato, red onion, cilantro, and pepper. Add the last ¼ cup of lime juice and 1 tablespoon of lemon and orange juice. Gently toss them together.
- Carefully fold in the avocado. Add more salt, if desired.
- Serve immediately with chips, crackers, or a toasted baguette.
How long should fish marinate for ceviche?
The amount of time you marinate your fish or salmon for ceviche is a personal taste question, much like a cooked steak. You'll hit a different level of doneness with the amount of time you leave it in the citrus juice. Remember this is just a guideline for times, it really depends on the fish, the size you diced it into, and personal taste. It's best to check your fish several times during the "cooking" process so you get the effect you want.
- 30 Minutes: Rare or Nearly Rare
- 1 Hour: Medium Rare
- 2 Hours: Medium
- 4 Hours: Well Done
Variations
I love this Salmon Ceviche recipe as written, but here are some fun variations.
- Add a Fruit: Add a tropical fruit like mango or pineapple.
- Add a Vegetable: Other delicious vegetable additions are cucumber, jicama, shallots, radish, or bell pepper.
- Make it Spicy: Add more peppers or a splash of hot sauce.
- Make it Peruvian: Traditionally Peruvian ceviche has corn and cooked sweet potato.
- Make it Asian: Give this ceviche an Asian flare by using garlic, sesame seeds, soy sauce, and sesame oil.
- Add Fresh Herb: Add other fresh herbs like chives or parsley.
FAQ
Storage and Leftovers
Ceviche is best enjoyed fresh shortly after preparing it. The lime and citrus juice will continue to "cook" the fish, so it will tougher the longer it sits. The risk of bacteria in the fish increases the longer it sits as well. You can keep it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a day, but I would not keep it longer than that and even with that the texture of the fish will be different because it's sat longer in the lime juice.
Freezing
I do not recommend freezing ceviche. The texture thawed would not be good.
Can you eat raw salmon with lime?
Yes! If you have good quality salmon you can eat raw salmon with lime. This salmon ceviche recipe is the perfect way to prepare it.
Why is my ceviche still raw?
Technically it is still raw. However, the citrus in the marinade denatures the proteins causing it to become opaque on the surface and get a firm texture. If your fish hasn't done that yet, leave it in the juices for longer. Also, make sure there is enough citrus juice in your bowl for the fish to move around and for all sides of the pieces to be touched by the acid.
Can you marinate fish ceviche overnight?
I would not recommend marinating fish ceviche overnight because that would be too long for the fish to cook. It would get tough and chewy. I'd recommend 2 hours max.
This Salmon Ceviche recipe is Simple & Tasty
If you've ever wanted to try making salmon ceviche at home, you'll be surprised at how tasty and easy it is to make! The only hard part is dicing the fish and vegetables, the rest of the recipe is basically hands-off marinating time.
The end result is gorgeous bites of fresh fish and an irresistible meal that you can eat with tortilla chips, crackers, plantain chips or even serve in tacos or tostadas!
Serve it With:
- Honey Lime Melon Salad
- Grilled Sweet Potato Wedges
- Caribbean Couscous Salad
- Creamy Avocado Pasta
- Mexican Macaroni Salad
Fresh & Healthy Salmon Ceviche + A Complete Guide to Making Ceviche at Home Share on X
More Light & Healthy Mexican - South American Seafood Recipes:
- Shrimp Salsa
- Tilapia Veracruz
- Blackened Salmon
- Blackened Shrimp Tacos with Mango Salsa
- Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas
- Seared Scallops with Mango Salsa and Coconut Rice
- Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos
- Shrimp Quesadilla
More Ceviche Recipes:
If you make this Salmon Ceviche recipe, I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a comment and a star rating ★ below. Make sure to follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook too!
Salmon Ceviche
Ingredients
- 1 pound salmon, diced
- ¾ cup lime juice, divided
- ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon lemon juice, divided
- ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon orange juice, divided
- 1 cup tomato, diced
- ½ cup red onion, diced
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 tablespoon serrano or jalapeno pepper (optional), minced
- 1 avocado, diced
- salt
Instructions
- Whisk together ½ cup lime juice, ¼ cup lemon juice, and ¼ cup orange juice in a medium glass bowl. Add the diced salmon to the citrus mixture and gently toss. Make sure the fish is completely covered in the juices with some room to move. If it's not, add more of the juices.
- Place the salmon and citrus mixture in the fridge to "cook" for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
- Remove the salmon from the refrigerator and check for doneness. Drain the liquid and throw it away.
- Toss together the marinated salmon, tomato, red onion, cilantro and pepper in a fresh bowl. Add the last ¼ cup of lime juice and 1 tablespoon of lemon and orange juice. Gently toss together.
- Carefully fold in the avocado. Add more salt, if desired.
- Serve immediately with chips, crackers or toasted baguette.
Notes
Storage and Leftovers
Ceviche is best enjoyed fresh shortly after preparing it. The lime and citrus juice will continue to "cook" the fish, so it will tougher the longer it sits. The risk of bacteria in the fish increases the longer it sits as well. You can keep it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a day, but I would not keep it longer than that and even with that the texture of the fish will be different because it's sat longer in the lime juice.Freezing
I do not recommend freezing ceviche. The texture thawed would not be good.Nutrition
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Mindy says
This was incredibly delicious and very easy to make. 10/10!
Sandhya Hariharan says
Sounds like a deliciously easy appetiser. I can’t wait to make it over the weekend for friends and family.
Susan says
I'm totally making this. I really appreciate your guide for how long to marinate the salmon, and love the variations you offer. Thanks for a great recipe! It's perfect for summer parties.
Cara says
What a fresh and flavorful fish for summer! The Peruvian version sounds especially tasty, next time I'll add those extra ingredients
patricia says
What a great, simple dish that offers an elevated feel - perfect when friends are over -- a great way to impress them (easily)!
Marie-Pierre Breton says
I love a good fresh and aromatic ceviche in the summer! This recipe is a keeper for hot days ahead! Yum!