Kikkoman "Kick Up The Flavor" Reinvented Recipe! Caro's Ceviche! #kikkomansabor

Growing up, we didn't have a lot of money. We ate a lot of rice, beans and chicken. But we never starved and my mom and grandmother were really good cooks. They are the reason I love food and cooking.

Every once in a while we had steak or went out to eat. Sometimes, we had other other special treats. One of my favorite treats was shrimp. We didn't have it often but I loved it. One of my favorite shrimp dishes was my mom's ceviche. Ceviche by definition is "raw fish marinated in lime or lemon juice with olive oil and spices and served as an appetizer."

The ceviche my mom made never had raw fish though. In Costa Rica, she learned to make ceviche with shrimp. She used raw shrimp sometimes but, mainly, both my mami and abuelita made it with cooked shrimp. Every time we had a party at our house, my mami would make a big batch of it and it was always so delicious. While I was never a seafood lover as a child, when the ceviche was served, I was all over it like white on rice!

When I left home, my budget and lack of time never allowed me to make my mom's delicious ceviche. When I took my husband to Costa Rica to visit my family, he experienced shrimp ceviche for the first time. He loved it. When we came back home, he wanted me to make it for him.

Ceviche is an easy dish. It is also versatile. You can use fish or shrimp, raw or cooked. I have also seen octopus and scallop ceviche. You can add almost any ingredient as well. I always follow my mami's recipe which includes shrimp, cilantro, red onions, lemon juice, olive oil, ketchup and Salsa Lizano. Salsa Lizano is the Costa Rican version of Worcestershire sauce. They use it on everything and so do I.

When I was asked to recreate a family recipe using Kikkoman products, I knew this was the recipe I was going to make. I thought about making my arroz con pollo or mondongo soup (tripe soup) but after thinking for a while, I realized that Shrimp Ceviche was the best recipe to use Kikkoman products. Now bear with me because I am bad at using recipes let alone writing one.

I felt the flavor profile of my Costa Rican ceviche would be a perfect compliment with Asian flavors. With a little tweak here and a little tweak there, it could make a really tasty dish. I got a little creative. I substituted the scallions for the red onion. I used the Ponzu Lime Sauce as a substitute for the Salsa Lizano. I left out the ketchup. And I also left out the olive oil because I am all about cutting calories when I can. You can use lemons or limes. I prefer lemons but limes go well with the Ponzu Lime sauce.

So here is my recipe for Caro's Ceviche with an Asian Twist.

Ingredients 

A pound of medium cooked shrimp (You can use raw shrimp as well but remember to wash and clean them thoroughly and make sure to leave them in the lemon or lime until they "Cook") 
A bunch of cilantro chopped
2 scallions chopped
1/2 cup lemon or lime juice (you can add more later if you want it more tart)
One small mango chopped
1/2 cup Kikkoman Ponzu Lime Sauce

Directions 

Put the shrimp into a bowl and add the Kikkoman Ponzu Sauce and the lime or lemon juice and let marinate for 1/2 hour. You can take off the tails off the shrimp or leave them on. 

While the shrimp are marinating, chop the cilantro, scallions and mango and mix together. Add the shrimp with marinade and mix. Add salt, pepper to taste.

This reinvented ceviche was a little lighter than the one I usually make and just as tasty! It also has fewer calories. The Kikkoman Ponzu Lime Sauce was delicious with the dish. It added a nice subtle citrus/soy flavor. I also thought it would be too salty but it wasn't. The sweetness of the mango also made the dish very tasty.

That's the recipe. I mean, how easy is that? Now, if you want to get a little crazier, you can also add chopped tomatoes or chopped avocados for more flavor. If I had avocados when I made this recipe, I would definitely have added them. You can also grate a little lemon or lime zest on the top for more added flavor. I like a little spice in my ceviche, so I added a few drops of Sriracha to spice it up. You could add jalapenos or another chili if you want. The best thing about this dish, is that you could change it up to suit your taste.

This is such a simple recipe but so delicious. The simplicity of this dish makes it the perfect dish for a casual party or an elegant dinner. It can be served as an appetizer or an entree. I always make this a few times during summer for dinner. And now, I will be changing it up with Kikkoman Ponzu Lime Sauce. I can't wait for my mami to try this new ceviche!!


Disclosure:  This post is compensated and in collaboration with Kikkoman and Latina Bloggers Connect. All opinions and recipe are mine!