Ceviche Verde con Camarones (Green Ceviche with Shrimp)

If you're unfamiliar with ceviche... it's basically a Latin American dish of raw seafood of one sort or another cured (which basically cooks it without any heat application) in citrus juice, usually like a salsa with seafood.  It's different from region to region, you'll never get the same one twice!  Crab, white fish, lobster, shrimp, octopus, squid, whatever!

This is a Chicago kind of post!  We were watching chef Rick Bayless' show on PBS - he has several restaurants in Chicago and while I never had the opportunity to try one while I lived there, he's a name I've known well for a long time.  Bayless did a green ceviche with shrimp that looked amazing and it's been a while since Justin and I made a ceviche, so one day I texted Justin at work with a list of ingredients, and a deal - if he stopped at the store on the way home, I'd make him ceviche.  We ended up doing it together anyway (because he's a nice guy like that).

I pretty much followed Rick Bayless' recipe, but I made a few alterations to the sauce and I quite liked it the way it came out, so I wanted to share.  Definitely can't take credit for this recipe... it's really all Rick Bayless, but here's the way I made it.

I'm not actually sure how we have never used a Rise Against song on our blog, because they're also from Chicago and I love them!  I was actually just listening to some the other day thinking surely I used at least one, if not several, of my favourite songs on the blog.  But nothin'!  Disgraceful.  So here is Rise Against with "Black Masks and Gasoline".  -jen

CEVICHE VERDE CON CAMARONES (altered version of Rick Bayless recipe)
Time:  35 minutes
Difficulty:  Too easy
Serves:  4-6 

• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice

• 6 ounces fresh tomatillos, husked, rinsed and roughly chopped, 4-5 medium

• 1 cup (loosely packed) fresh cilantro plus  some 1/4 cup chopped

• 1 medium-sized jalapeño (seeded for mild heat, include seeds for medium heat)

• 2 medium cloves garlic, peeled

• 3 medium-sized green onions, rough chopped plus 2 medium green onions diced

• 1.5 tsp salt 

• a few cranks of fresh ground black pepper

• 1 pound very fresh uncooked, medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, chopped into bite size

• 2 medium avocados, cut into 1/2" cubes

• tortilla chips 

In a food processor or blender, combine lime juice, chopped tomatillos, 1 cup cilantro, jalapeño, garlic, 3 green onions, salt and pepper.  Blend until slushy consistency.  Combine shrimp and sauce into bowl, making sure shrimp is fully covered and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  After refrigeration, stir in 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, 2 green onions diced and avocado.  Give it a taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.  Serve with tortilla chips.

Frying up tortilla chips