Celebrate June 28 Ceviche Day with Local Washington Seafood

Whether you like to fish for, or simply enjoy eating Washington seafood, start juicing those limes — it’s almost Ceviche Day! WDFW and Washington Sea Grant are bringing you our family recipes to celebrate all that’s in season and sourced right here in Washington’s waters.

Wait, what is ceviche? Traditionally eaten in Mexico, Central, and South America, ceviche combines the fresh flavors of lime juice with fish or seafood to create a tasty side or main dish, commonly served with chips, tostadas or crackers. Ceviche recipes vary by country and even region, so it’s great for using the wide variety of in-season seafood we have here in Washington.

By using healthy Washington seafood, ceviche is a dish that isn’t just good for you — it’s good for the state, too. Washington’s commercial fishing fleet puts more than 20,000 people to work as commercial fishers, shellfish growers, and seafood processors — all of whom are feeling the strain of reduced restaurant, market, and global trade demand as they navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. Their efforts put Washington seafood on tables across the state, even when families aren’t able to fish or harvest for themselves.

This time of year, you can check with your grocery store for Washington shrimp, crab, salmon, halibut, ground fish, tuna, and other fish and shellfish. Whether you’ve brought it home from the market or your own harvest adventure, this summer, there’s truly no better time to enjoy Washington seafood. Dig in with our ceviche recipes from WDFW and Washington Sea Grant families:

Washington Spot Prawn Ceviche

½ lb. Washington spot prawn
6 limes, juiced
½ cup cilantro
2 chopped roma tomatoes, de-seeded
2T. chopped white onion
1 cucumber, peeled and de-seeded
1 jalapeno, minced
Salt to taste
1 avocado
Mexican hot sauce
Tostadas or chips for serving

Chop up spot prawn into quarter-inch pieces. Juice 6 limes over top shrimp. Add chopped onions and salt, cover and marinate in the fridge for six hours (acidity from lime juice should turn the fish opaque). Add the roma tomatoes, cucumber, and jalapeno. Serve over tostadas or with tortilla chips, topping with avocado slices and Mexican hot sauce.

Washington Albacore Tuna Ceviche

½ lb. Washington Albacore Tuna
6 limes, juiced
¼ cup cilantro
¼ thinly sliced red onion
1 jalapeno, minced
Salt to taste
Saltine crackers or chips for serving

Slice tuna into this bite-sized strips. Juice 6 limes over tuna. Add red onion. Cover and marinate for six hours in the fridge (acidity from lime juice should turn the fish opaque). Add the remaining ingredients before serving. Serve with saltines or chips.

Washington Geoduck Ceviche

1–2 lbs. Washington geoduck, prepared and chopped
½ cup lime juice
1/8 cup orange juice
1 cup Roma tomatoes, diced
¾ cup fresh cilantro
¼ cup red onion, diced
1 jalapeno, diced
1 cucumber, peeled and diced
1 orange bell pepper, diced
Salt and pepper to taste
Tabasco to taste

Mix together all ingredients and serve cold with tortilla chips. Recipe courtesy of Taylor Shellfish Farms.

Washington Salmon Ceviche

½ lb. previously frozen Washington salmon
6 limes (or enough to cover salmon)
One-quarter white onion
2 roma tomatoes
1 jalapeno
½ cup cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste
Tostadas or chips for serving
Sliced avocado

Slice salmon into bite-sized pieces. Juice limes over top salmon. Add in minced onion. Allow to marinate for six hours covered in the fridge. Add remaining ingredients. Adjust to taste. Serve over tostadas or with chips. Garnish with avocado slices. Visit our YouTube page for a step-by-step video.

Have another favorite way to prepare ceviche? Share it with us at https://wdfw.wa.gov/share or post it to social media using #LocalWASeafood.

More information about when and where to buy locally sourced Washington seafood year-round is available at https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/where-to-buy-local-seafood. For other recipe ideas, visit Washington Sea Grant’s News Blog: https://wsg.washington.edu/wsg-news-post/safe-sustainable-seafood/.

WDFW monitors commercial and recreational fishing and shell fishing to ensure sustainable access to local Washington seafood.

Note: Frozen, raw fish is a good option for ceviche. Consuming raw or under-cooked seafood or shellfish may increase your risk of foodborne illness. To kill any parasites that may be present, consider freezing raw fish to an internal temperature of -4°F for 7 days. (Note: residential freezers may have to be set colder than normal to achieve this goal).