Ceviche Ecuatoriano
“Ecuador's signature seafood dish — cooked shrimp (Ecuador is the world's largest shrimp exporter) marinated in fresh lime juice, blood orange juice, tomato sauce, red onion, cilantro, and aji pepper. Unlike Peruvian raw-fish ceviche, the Ecuadorian version uses cooked shrimp and includes tomato — making it more like a cold soup. Served with patacones (twice-fried green plantain), cancha (toasted Andean corn), or popcorn — uniquely Ecuadorian textural sides.”
Where it comes from
Ceviche has roots across the Pacific coast of South America (Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Colombia), with the technique of lime-marinating seafood predating Spanish colonization. Each country claims its variation; Ecuador's distinctive version is built on shrimp (the country has the world's largest shrimp aquaculture industry, started in 1968), tomato sauce (a colonial-Spanish addition), and the patacones-and-popcorn side (uniquely Ecuadorian — Peruvian ceviche has none). The coastal city of Manta is considered the ceviche capital; Esmeraldas and Salinas have their distinct versions (Esmeraldas is the Afro-Ecuadorian style with coconut milk). The dish is traditionally eaten for breakfast or as a hangover cure — the lime juice and cold ingredients are believed to settle the stomach. Most coastal Ecuadorian restaurants open their day with fresh ceviche around 7 AM. The dish is the universal weekend brunch in Manabí, Guayas, and Esmeraldas provinces. Modern Quito and Cuenca highland restaurants now serve coastal ceviche year-round; the dish is the most-globalized Ecuadorian preparation.
On the plate
Spoon up a bowl of ceviche — pink-red shrimp, ruby tomato chunks, paper-thin red onion rings, brilliant-green cilantro, all swimming in a cold, electric-tasting orange-tinged broth. Take a bite: the lime hits first (sharp, bright, electrifying), then the sweetness of orange and passion fruit, then the savory tomato-ketchup undertone, then the cool shrimp (briny, sweet, slightly chewy), the sharp-fresh onion, the herbal cilantro. The cancha popcorn provides salty crunch; the patacones add starchy substance to soak up the broth. With chilled Pilsener beer and a coastal sunset view in Manta or Salinas, this is the Ecuadorian coast in a bowl — cool, refreshing, complex, and unmistakably Ecuadorian.
How it works
Cooking the shrimp briefly in stock (vs raw-marinating like Peruvian ceviche) gives a cleaner, more-uniform texture and eliminates food-safety concerns. The lime + orange + passion fruit combination provides a layered acidity (sharp + sweet + tropical-floral) that's distinctively Ecuadorian. The ketchup and mustard additions sound strange but provide umami depth and color — Ecuadorian-coastal home-cooks' secret. Soaking onions in salted lime-water removes the harsh sulfur compounds while preserving the bite and color. The cold-marinade refrigeration time (15-20 min) allows the flavors to mingle without overcooking the shrimp.
Variations
Ceviche de pescado (with raw fish instead of cooked shrimp, more like Peruvian). Ceviche mixto (mixed seafood — shrimp, fish, octopus, calamari). Ceviche de camarón con coco (Esmeraldas Afro-Ecuadorian style, with coconut milk). Vegetarian ceviche uses heart of palm (palmito) instead of seafood. Modern Quito restaurant version garnishes with avocado and crispy plantain chips. The Manta Ceviche Festival in February showcases all variations. Mini cocktail-size ceviches for tapas.
On the Palate
Ingredients
Serves 4
How it's made
14 steps · Show ↓30 min active · 15 min waiting
How it's made
14 steps · Show ↓- 16 min
Source 800 g large shrimp (size 16-20 per kg, head-on if possible). Peel and devein; reserve the shells for stock.
- 228 min
Make shrimp stock: in a pot, sauté the shrimp shells with 1 tbsp oil for 3 min until they turn red. Add 1 L water, 1 onion (quartered), 1 carrot, 1 bay leaf, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp peppercorns. Simmer 25 min. Strain; reserve 500 ml clear stock.
- 35 min
Cook the shrimp: bring the stock back to a gentle simmer (not boiling). Add the shrimp; cook 2-3 min until just pink and opaque. Remove immediately with a slotted spoon; cool quickly in ice water.
- 46 min
Drain the shrimp; pat dry. Cut large shrimp in half lengthwise (keep small ones whole). Refrigerate while preparing the marinade.
- 56 min
Make the ceviche marinade: in a large bowl, combine the juice of 8 limes (about 200 ml) + juice of 2 blood oranges (about 100 ml) + 200 ml passion fruit juice (or substitute lime + a touch of orange juice) + 100 ml ketchup (the Ecuadorian secret — yes, ketchup) + 50 ml mustard (yellow, mild) + 2 tbsp sugar + 1 tsp salt + 1 tsp black pepper + 1 tbsp olive oil.
- 61 min
Whisk to combine. Taste; adjust salt and lime.
- 71 min
Add the cooled shrimp to the marinade. Stir gently.
- 84 min
Add 2 large red onions thinly sliced (lime-soaked first — soak in cold salted lime water for 10 min to remove sharpness, then drain).
- 94 min
Add 1 large tomato (diced) + 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro + 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley + 1 jalapeño or aji amarillo pepper (seeded and finely chopped, optional for heat).
- 1018 min
Stir gently to combine. Refrigerate 15-20 min for the flavors to meld.
- 1112 min
Make patacones (twice-fried green plantain): slice 2 green plantains into 3-cm rounds. Fry in hot oil 4 min per side. Remove; press flat with a tortilla press or bottom of a cup. Fry again 1-2 min per side until crispy. Drain on paper towels; salt.
- 128 min
Make cancha (toasted Andean corn): heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan. Add 1 cup cancha (Andean dried corn kernels, or substitute popcorn). Cover with a lid; shake the pan as the corn pops. Continue cooking 5-7 min until golden-toasted. Salt.
- 132 min
Serve: ladle the ceviche into shallow bowls. Top with extra cilantro, lime wedges, and a slice of red onion. Serve patacones and cancha on the side. The ceviche should be cold and very bright in flavor.
- 141 min
Drink with chilled Pilsener beer, jugo de maracuyá (passion fruit juice), or chicha (fermented corn drink).
