Ceviche with Tilapia

This recipe for Ceviche with Tilapia is simple, delicious and authentic Mexican cuisine. You can make it ahead of time and serve and it’s simple enough to make for a quick lunch too.

A million years ago, I used to be a wedding photographer and was spending my usual Friday summer evening photographing a wedding. This was a small affair at a restaurant in downtown Chicago called Carnivale. It was a beautiful, vibrant place with festive food from Latin America and Spain. It has a few banquet rooms but we were in a smaller one and dinner was served buffet style.

This particular night I was able to eat at the same time as everyone else and lined up behind the guests. There were two things I remember about this wedding – the bride’s beautiful lace dress and the two, giant bowls of ceviche.

It was the first time I had ever had ceviche and I was blown away by the fresh, tangy flavors and the “cooking” process for it all too. It started my love affair with the dish and now it’s a staple summertime meal for me.

A few weeks ago two friends and I met back in Chicago for dinner one night and I ordered Ceviche with tilapia for the first time this season. It was so outstanding that I decided to make it when I got home. (Previously, I have focused on shrimp ceviche.)

What is ceviche?

Ceviche is a South American seafood dish that was originally founded in an area that’s now Peru. It’s made from fresh, raw fish that’s been cured in citrus juice – usually lime, lemon or both. However, every now and then you’ll see some orange juice in a recipe too. My ceviche with tilapia focuses on using mostly lime and then adding a little lemon in for more complexity in the flavor.

Ceviche can include a variety of fish. Most commonly you will find a white fish like my ceviche with tilapia, shrimp and octopus.

My ceviche with tilapia

Ceviche with tilapia is all about freshness. The flavors will feel really bright and zesty while eating it. It’s just one of those dishes that really lets the flavor of the food shine through without over complicating it with tons of spices or ingredients. I think that’s honestly why I like it so much. Just simple goodness.

Ceviche is served with chips or eaten on it’s own with a fork. I like it both ways. Making ceviche with tilapia is really easy. I can’t stress that enough. You can prep the ingredient ahead of time and have less than 5 minutes of hands on making. Then you just need to let the mix cure in order to “cook” the fish.

I like to add red onion, tomatoes, radish, carrots, cucumbers and cilantro to my ceviche with tilapia. However, you can really added whatever fresh vegetables you like. Some fruits will even work. I will sometimes add avocado too. If you want to add this, fold it in gently at the end.

I will cure my fish in my lime and lemon juice mix for about two hours. I will make sure it’s all covered (vital for making ceviche with tilapia or any ceviche) and give the bowl a little shake every now and then while it is in the refrigerator.

Once the fish is done curing all I have to do is mix everything together and then season with a little sea salt, pepper and hot sauce. You can add as much or as little (none) if you like but I always like a little bit of hot sauce to go in the mix with my ceviche with tilapia.

What to serve with Ceviche

When it comes to complimenting ceviche with tilapia, I find that I really like to limit my other dishes. I love to just eat this with chips with a good margarita or glass of lemonade or even just water. If you want to serve this along side anything, heres a few options:

• Elote {HERE} – This Mexican Street Corn will compliment all the fresh flavors in the ceviche with tilapia and give you a complete meal inspired by Latin America.
• Strawberry Margarita {HERE} – If you’re eating all the Latin American inspired things, you might as well be drinking the Mexican inspired drinks too, right?
• Tequila Flank Steak {HERE} – This is one of my all time favorite recipes. I’ll make it year-round on the outside grill or the griddle inside. Again, flavors will compliment the ceviche with tilapia and if you serve these two things together it is kind of like a little surf and turf.
• Sweet Potatoes with Tajin Crema {HERE} – This is Kevin’s favorite summer recipe. We make these each year and I have to say they are fantastic! So easy and they would make a great side dish for the Ceviche with Tilapia.

Tips for making Ceviche with tilapia

When making any kind of ceviche, there’s a few things you should know.

• Technically, the fish is still considered raw since it cures in the lime juice versus bakes or cooks in any kind of heat.
• Make sure the fish is fully covered in the citrus juices in order for it to cure properly.
• You want to use the freshest fish you can find. Ideally, go to a fish market and buy it there. Don’t use previously frozen fish.
• The sky is the limit on adding ingredients! I think this is my favorite part, honestly. To make it more authentic there’s some old standbys that will give you a winning recipe each time. But it’s easy to remove ingredients you don’t love and substitute them for something else.
• You can save this in the refrigerator for about 24 hours, but I wouldn’t really go over that. In fact, once the fish has been in the lime juice for four hours you are really moving into pickling territory versus curing the fish.
• Serve this chilled and if you are making it all ahead of time make sure it is always refrigerated.
• You will need 10-15 limes to get enough lime juice for this recipe. It really will depend on their ripeness. I’ve found I’ve only needed two lemons for the lemon juice in this recipe but buy 4 just in case.

Thank you so much for stopping by today, friends! I hope you love my ceviche with tilapia and all the fresh flavors. The full, printable recipe is below. If you’re looking for other summer favorites, click {HERE}. Or click {HERE} to find other seafood recipes.

Ceviche with Tilapia

This Ceviche with tilapia is a simple and delicious meal. It's perfect for summer when you don't want to cook or for a lighter meal all year round. Save the recipe today!

5 from 6 votes

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Course: Appetizer, dinner, lunch

Cuisine: Mexican, Peruvian

Keyword: ceviche with tilapia, recipe for ceviche with tilapia, tilapia ceviche

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Servings: 6 people

Author: Rachel

Ingredients

• 1 cup lime juice, freshly squeezed About 10 - 15 limes
• 1/4 cup lemon juice, freshly squeezed About 2 -3 lemons
• 3 fresh tilapia filets, chopped into cubes
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 - 1/3 cup red onions, diced or sliced thin
• 3 carrots, sliced thin
• 4 radishes, grated
• 1 cucumber, sliced and cubed
• 1/2 cup cilantro
• 2-3 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. fresh cracked black pepper
• Optional: 1 avocado cubed
• Optional: Chips for serving
• Optional: 2 tsp. hot sauce

Instructions

• Mix together the lime and lemon juice in a bowl and add the tilapia. Make sure the all the tilapia is covered by the citrus juices. This is how it will cure. If it isn't covered, it won't cure properly.
• Cover the bowl and add it to the refrigerator for two hours. You can shake it around every so often if you like just make sure all the fish is covered again.
• Add the vegetables and other ingredients to a separate bowl. Then add the tilapia. Pour about 1/2 - 3/4 of the lime and lemon juice mixer over everything.
• Salt and pepper to taste. Served chilled.