Happy Sunday beautiful friends from around the world! I hope you are enjoying your Summer? Summer is my favorite season, especially for the produce! I love watermelon, cherries, blueberries, raspberries, and let’s not forget peaches. But today we are focusing on one specific fruit; watermelon.

Ceviche must be one of my most favorite Peruvian dishes, especially during the Summer. Ceviche is typically made with raw fish cured in a tangy lime juice, cilantro, onion, and other seasonings. Many chefs have experimented with ceviche, especially within the last 5 years. My thought to add watermelon as the main ingredient to the ceviche came to mind last week when people on Instagram asked me for some unique watermelon recipes. I hope you enjoy this ceviche with a twist! It is very light and such a perfect side Summer dish.

Watermelon & Shrimp Ceviche Recipe

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of raw shrimp, peeled deveined
• 4 cups of watermelon cubed in about 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup of jalapenos, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1 bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 bunch of fresh basil, chopped
• 1 bunch of fresh mint, chopped
• 1/2 cup of fresh lime juice
• 1/2 cup of fresh orange juice
• 2 tablespoons of white rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons of fresh lime zest
• Sea salt
• Black pepper

Method:

1. In a medium bowl combine half the lime juice and half the orange juice and the shrimp. Make sure the shrimp is covered in the liquid and cover with plastic wrap. Chill for 2 hours or until the shrimp are pink in color. (This liquid will “cook” the shrimp.)
2. Prepare the watermelon. Cut the watermelon in cubes, and place in a large bowl. Add the onion, garlic, jalapenos, basil, and mint. Toss to combine and set aside.
3. When the shrimp is ready, drain the liquid and then add the shrimp to the watermelon mixture. Fold the ingredients together and then add the rest of the lime and orange juice. Then add the vinegar, salt, and pepper. Fold ingredients together and cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
4. Chill the ceviche for about 45 minutes so the flavors combine.
5. Add about 1/2 cup of the mixture to tall glass jars or ramekins. Serve with fresh cilantro over the top.

Tips-

• You can certainly use lemon juice in place of lime juice. (That is what I did featured in the photos.)
• For a spicier kick feel free to add a pinch of cayenne pepper.
• You can replace watermelon with melon or cantaloupe.