This bold, bright shrimp ceviche from West Africa combines the flavors of fresh ginger, cilantro, lime, and habanero and the firm-soft texture of lightly cured shrimp. Spooned onto crisp, freshly made sweet potato chips, it’s a good hors d’oeuvre for a party, or for breaking the ice at a sit-down dinner. For a spicier ceviche, don’t remove the seeds from the habanero pepper.

  • Yields: 8 servings as a starter, 4 as a main
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Total: 55 mins, plus 30 mins to 4 hrs chilling time 
  • Active: 15 mins

Ingredients (10)

  • 1 pound medium shrimp, shelled, tails removed, deveined, and diced into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 small piece of fresh ginger (about 1 ounce), peeled and finely grated
  • 1 habanero pepper, stem and seeds removed, minced
  • 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice, plus more to taste
  • 2 tablespoons diced shallots
  • Kosher salt
  • 1/2 bunch cilantro (leaves and small stems)
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 Roma tomato, finely diced, for garnishing
  • 1 recipe Sweet Potato Crisps (minus the Jalapeño-Cilantro Yogurt Spread)

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, combine the diced shrimp, ginger, habanero, lime, shallots, and a pinch of salt. Put on a pair of food-safe latex gloves to protect your hands from the chile’s heat, then lightly massage the mixture until juices form at the bottom of the bowl. Set aside at room temperature for 10 minutes.
  2. Take about a fifth of the marinated shrimp mixture and put it in a blender. Purée for 30 seconds. Add the cilantro. Put the lid on the blender jar but leave the feed hole open. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the extra-virgin olive oil until the mixture achieves a glossy consistency, like a thick salad dressing. Turn the motor off and taste the purée, adding additional salt and lime juice as needed. It should be well seasoned, with a bright acidity.
  3. Pour the purée back into the bowl with the shrimp pieces and toss with a spoon until well combined. Cover the bowl and set aside in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and as long as 4 hours. Spoon into chilled bowls, sprinkle with the diced tomato, and serve with the sweet potato chips.