Shrimp Ceviche

Ingredients

• 2 medium cucumbers
• 1 large red bell pepper
• 1 large orange bell pepper
• 1 large yellow bell pepper
• 1 medium poblano chile or serrano chili pepper
• 1/2 large red onion
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro
• 1 cup lime juice (fresh preferred, bottled okay)
• 1 1/4 lbs raw shrimp, butterflied and deveined (21-30 count)

Directions

1. 1

   Slice the ends off the cucumbers, then slice four strips lengthwise. The goal here is to get strips of cucumber with no seeds. Cut each strip into smaller (approximately 1/4") strips using a small, sharp knife.

2. 2

   Using a chef's or santoku knife, dice the cucumber strips into 1/4" cubes.

3. 3

   Place diced cucumber into a large, sealable bowl. Discard the center portion of the cucumbers.

4. 4

   Dice each of the three bell peppers similarly, using as much of the flesh as possible. Add to bowl.

5. 5

   Cut a large red onion in half, peel it, and place the flat side down on a cutting board. Cut off the top and bottom, then using your small knife, make a series of parallel cuts 1/4" apart, perpendicular to the top/bottom cuts. The use your chef's knife to cut perpendicularly to THESE cuts and you'll have perfectly diced onions. Add to bowl.

6. 6

   Finally, dice the chili pepper. Care should be taken not to add seeds to the ceviche.

7. 7

   If using fresh limes, zest one or two and add the lime zest to the bowl.

8. 8

   Rinse peeled, deveined, and butterflied raw shrimp and put in a large Ziploc bag. Pour in approximately 2/3 c lime juice. You can add a bit of lemon juice here, too, if desired, but lime should be predominant. If using fresh lime juice, you can throw a couple of the juiced lime halves into the bag as well. Seal and lay flat in the refrigerator.

9. 9

   Finely chop the fresh cilantro, reserving enough whole leaves for garnish. Add chopped cilantro to bowl.

10. 10

    Seal bowl and shake vigorously to thoroughly mix all ingredients. Open and add the remaining lime juice. Reseal and refrigerate.

11. 11

    The chemical "cooking" process begins immediately and usually takes several hours. I like the lime flavoring to be fairly pronounced, so I let the process carry on overnight. You'll want to flip the bag and shake the bowl a couple of times during the process.

12. 12

    The shrimp can be served whole (as pictured) or chopped into large pieces and incorporated into the ceviche.

13. 13

    Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve with fresh tortilla chips or thinly sliced, toasted baguette bread.