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An angled shot of salmon ceviche in stemmed glasses.
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Salmon Ceviche

Salmon Ceviche is a colorful, refreshing salad made with citrusy salmon and fresh vegetables. Serve it with chips or tostadas, avocado, and your favorite hot sauce.
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Mexican
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes
Servings 4 servings (1 cup each)
Calories 199kcal
Author Meggan Hill

Ingredients

For the ceviche:

  • 1 pound salmon filet thawed (see note 1)
  • 1 cup citrus juice plus more for serving (see note 2)
  • 1 medium onion finely diced (about 1 cup)
  • 1 large carrot peeled and finely chopped (about 1/2 cup, see note 3)
  • 1-2 Roma tomatoes seeded and chopped (about 1/2 cup)
  • 1-2 jalapeño peppers minced, seeded if desired (see note 4)
  • 1 bunch fresh cilantro stems removed and minced (see note 5)
  • Salt

For serving:

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Remove if the skin from the salmon filet if it is still intact and run your fingers over the filet to check for and remove any embedded bones. Use tweezers if necessary. 
  • Chop salmon into 1/2-inch pieces. Place in a glass or stainless-steel bowl. Add lime juice and toss until evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate until the fish is opaque and "cooked" through, about 4 hours.
  • Drain off and discard excess lime juice. Add onion, carrots, tomatoes, jalapeños, and cilantro and toss until evenly coated. Season to taste with salt and more fresh lime juice if desired.
  • Serve on tostadas or with tortilla chips or saltine crackers, passing mayonnaise, hot sauce, and sliced avocado separately. Or, divide ceviche among small clear-glass bowls, wineglasses, or martini glasses. 

Video

Notes

  1. Salmon: Thaw frozen salmon in a bowl or on a tray overnight in the refrigerator. For quicker thawing, thaw in a bowl of cold (not warm) water. Turn the faucet on and let a thin trickle of cold water run into the bowl, letting the excess water overflow out of the bowl and down the drain. Remove any skin before cutting in to pieces.
  2. Citrus juice: The acid that “cooks” the fish. Lime juice is the most common in Mexico (lemons are not usually available there), but lemon, grapefruit, and orange juice are all great options. You could also use a combination.
  3. Carrots: Carrots are a surprise ingredient compared to many other ceviche recipes, but that’s how they make it in Aguascalientes. It's perfect.
  4. Jalapeños: Remove the seeds for less heat. In Mexico, they prepare a separate bowl of spicy chiles (like serrano and habañero chiles) so the adults can add those to taste and the kids don’t have to suffer.
  5. Cilantro: Cut off the main batch of stems at the bottom of the bunch, then cut up the remaining stems along with the leaves. Please omit if you hate cilantro (parsley or chives are good substitutes).
  6. Safety: Citrus juice does not kill bacteria or parasites in fish (neither will your home freezer), so choose commercially-frozen or high-quality fresh fish for ceviche.
  7. Yield: This recipe will make about 4 cups ceviche.
  8. Storage: Enjoy salmon ceviche the day you make it, and possibly the leftovers the day after. It doesn't keep much longer than that.
  9. Denaturation: The technical term for the reaction between the citrus juice acid and the proteins in the muscle fibers of the salmon.
  10. Avocado: Mixed in or scattered on top, avocado tempers the heat and a creamy texture to ceviche. Guacamole works well too.
  11. More mix-ins: Get creative with cucumber, jicama, or even pineapple.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 199kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 66mg | Potassium: 780mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 3385IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 1mg