There are so many great imitation crab ceviche recipes around, all with a different twist or slightly different method of preparing. Ceviche hails from Peru but some of these recipes in our list have flavors influenced by other cuisines too, making them truly unique and special.
Whether you’re a long-time lover of ceviche or have never tried it before, these are great recipes to try, and using imitation crab meat is a lot cheaper and easier to prepare at home.
Here are the absolute best ones you need to try. All of these recipes are suitable for chefs of any skill level so there’s no excuse or reason not to try them all!
Easy Crab Avocado Ceviche
This imitation crab ceviche recipe is the perfect summer appetizer. It’s fun, bright, and should be served with corn tortilla chips so makes it a great party snack. Of course, this goes hand in hand with a margarita as recommended by the recipe creator. This recipe has a Mexican influence and contains jalapeno.
This recipe is great because it comes jam-packed with expert tips, recipe variations, and FAQs. There’s even a video to guide you, making this recipe excellent for first-time ceviche chefs. It takes 30 minutes in total, including marinating.
The portions in this recipe are to serve 4 people and each serving contains 162 calories, 11g of fat, plus you’ll get 8.3g of protein and 3.8g of sugar.
To make this party starter you will need to shred 8 oz. of imitation crab meat first and set this aside. Then you can add all of the following ingredients to a medium-sized bowl and mix: 2 tablespoons of minced red onion, ⅓ cup of minced bell peppers, 1 minced jalapeno, 1 small avocado (diced), 3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice, ¾ tablespoon of freshly chopped cilantro.
The recipe points out that you need to make sure you don’t have big chunks of onion and that all of the above ingredients need to be minced and chopped very small in order to obtain a beautiful ceviche.
Then you add your crab meat and salt to taste and chill for at least 20 minutes. Serve cold with tortilla chips. While the recipe creator notes that ceviche is better when eaten within a few hours of preparing, this dish can be stored in the fridge for up to 48 hours. That means you can prepare ahead when you’re having guests over.
Crab Ceviche Appetizer
This Crab Ceviche Appetizer is divine and completely unique, bringing in clamato juice for an added flavor boost. Clamato juice is usually made from tomato juice, sugar, spices, dried clam broth, and MSG. A true flavor explosion if you haven’t experienced it before and the result is a stellar imitation crab ceviche.
The recipe suggests serving the finished ceviche in a margarita glass with a wedge of lime and this gives it a playful touch that is sure to impress. The recipe portions serve 6 people and each serving has 105.1 calories, 15.1 grams of protein, and 0.7 grams of fat.
There is no need to marinate this recipe so it’s very quick to make and you don’t have to plan in advance. From start to finish you will need just 15 minutes.
The ingredients needed are 16 ounces of imitation crab meat, 1 ½ cups of chopped cilantro with the stems removed, ½ cup of chopped white onion, 2 diced tomatoes, 1 chopped seedless cucumber, 3 limes, 3 finely chopped serrano peppers (optional), 1 tablespoon of ketchup, and ½ cup of clamato juice.
To prepare your ceviche, blend your crabmeat in a large bowl without breaking it too much. Next, you want to juice 2 limes and add this to the bowl. Then you can add your tomatoes, onion, cucumber, and serrano peppers (if you want to include them).
Add some salt then mix in the ketchup, clamato juice, and the juice of the 3rd lime and mix. Taste it and add more salt to taste.
Your ceviche is now ready. You can serve this recipe with crackers or Mexican corn chips.
Crab Ceviche (Jaiba Ceviche)
This Jaiba Ceviche recipe is recommended as a Sunday brunch item served with an icy cocktail. The most important thing to note about this recipe is to use the freshest ingredients you can find. With so many great vegetables in this dish, the flavors will really pop and it’s also a feast for the eyes.
It’s also really important to use flaked imitation crab meat and not crab sticks. It will be easier to shred and you shouldn’t have a problem finding it. This recipe makes 2 portions and in 1 serving there will be 345 calories, 2 grams of fat, and 20 grams of protein.
Before we look at a summary of the recipe, it’s important to note that you shouldn’t use a metal or plastic bowl. The recipe recommends always using a glass or ceramic bowl because it’s an acidic dish. Another tip is to chop the vegetables the same size. It will not only look better but make it easier to grab a mouthful with your tortilla chip (or tostada).
To make this recipe you first need to dice 2 tomatoes and add these to a medium-sized bowl. Dice 1 small red onion and add this along with 1 avocado, 1 small bunch of cilantro (diced too), 1 diced jalapeno, and 1 cucumber (diced). Next, you need to shred 1 cup of flaked imitation crab meat.
Now you’re ready to juice 4 limes (or lemons) and pour the juice over everything. Add salt and pepper to taste and mix everything together. No need to marinade and your ceviche is best eaten right away (although this recipe can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 hours). Serve your Jaiba Ceviche with corn chips or tostadas.
Shrimp And Crab Ceviche
This shrimp and crab ceviche is a seafood lover’s dream. Combining two of the sweetest seafood items around, the recipe’s secret weapon is honey. Not commonly seen in ceviche recipes, the honey really works to round out the flavors. Of course, there is still citrus in the recipe, and this juxtaposition of sweet and sour is the ultimate flavor sensation.
The recipe is made to serve 6 people, but the great thing about the website is you can resize the quantities with a click of a button. You can choose a different number of servings and hit “resize” and it will recalculate all of the quantities for you in an instant.
We’re going to stick with the 6 servings and show you just how easy this recipe is to whip up.
The first thing you need to prepare is ½ lb of shrimp. You can use frozen or fresh. If you’re using frozen then defrost them first, and peel and devein them. Rinse your shrimp and also ½ lb of imitation crab then pat them dry with paper towels. Now chop your shrimp and crab and place them in a medium-sized glass bowl.
Juice enough limes so that you end up with ½ cup. Pour the juice over your shrimp and imitation crab. Add 1 teaspoon of honey and toss everything to mix together. Cover your bowl and place in the fridge for 30 minutes, stirring once.
In the meantime, you can prepare your veg. Cut ½ red onion into thin slivers, finely chop fresh serrano or jalapeno (2 teaspoons’ worth), coarsely cut 1 medium avocado, cut 1 medium tomato into chunks, chop fresh cilantro (2 tablespoons’ worth). Add everything to your crab mixture, stir, and chill for 5 more minutes, then serve over tostadas.
Delicious Imitation Crab Tostadas With Secret Sauce
This divine recipe is fresh and tasty, as a good ceviche should be. It comes with a secret sauce that features Tapatio hot sauce for an extra kick. You will put your imitation crab mix with veg and secret sauce on top of tostadas and they are ready to go, making it a super simple dish to prepare and serve. You could also serve without or with corn chips.
Before you start with your imitation crab mix, you need to make the sauce. Combine the following ingredients in a bowl: ½ cup of mayonnaise, 1 lime (juice and zest), a dash of Tapatio hot sauce, salt ; pepper to taste. Stir it all through and leave it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.
The next thing you need to prepare is your veg. Add 1 bunch of cilantro to your food processor and roughly chop it, being careful not to pulverize it. Add your cilantro to a big bowl and set it aside. Now add 5 deseeded jalapenos to your food processor and roughly chop, then add these to your bowl with cilantro.
Next, dice 7 tomatoes and 3 bunches of green onion and add them to your bowl. Taking 3 16oz. packages of imitation crab, you want to shred it. The recipe gives a great tip to use a small ninja food processor. Add your imitation crab in batches so you get the same consistency (be careful not to pulverize it in the processor).
Add your imitation crab to your bowl and combine all of the ingredients. Squeeze the juice of 5 limes and mix this through also. Serve on tostadas and top with strips of avocado and a dash of hot sauce and a squeeze of lime to taste.
Crab Ceviche Tostada
This imitation crab ceviche tostada recipe is perfect for an appetizer or dinner. Possibly the easiest ceviche recipe around, it’s a Salvadoran-inspired dish. This ceviche is sweet and fresh and there is also the acidity from the lemon juice and tomatoes, packing a flavor punch. The mixture should be served on warmed tostadas and is a great summer dish with cold crab topping rounding it off.
The ingredients you need for this recipe are 16 ounces of imitation crab leg meat, 2 tomatoes, ½ white or yellow onion, 4 tablespoons of cilantro, 2 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1½ lemons), 1 teaspoon of salt, 7 – 8 tostadas. Following these quantities will give you 2 servings for dinner sizings or as an appetizer it would suit 7 – 8 people.
To get the show on the road you need to make your imitation crab mix first. Dice your crab meat and place it in a large bowl. Then cut your tomatoes into small diced pieces and add to the bowl. Cut your onion into small diced pieces and add to the bowl. Chop your cilantro and add this too.
Next, you want to squeeze your lemons and add the juice and top off with the salt. Now, mix everything well, and don’t worry if this means your crab meat falls apart. Taste your mixture and add more lemon juice or salt to taste. Cover your bowl and put it in the fridge for 20 minutes.
While your imitation crab mix is chilling, preheat the oven to 200˚F. Lay your tostadas onto a baking sheet and when the oven has heated up bake them for 3 minutes (until warm). Take your ceviche mix out of the fridge and scoop some onto each of the tostadas and serve immediately.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are seemingly endless variations of the ingredients used in imitation crab ceviche recipes. From hot sauces to the humble ketchup each of these recipes has something unique. Of course, the main constant is imitation crab meat. Readily available in all supermarkets and inexpensive, it makes a great alternative to real crab meat.
As well as being healthy and low in fat, it means all of your vegetarian friends and family members can jump in on the action and tuck in at your next fiesta. The other must-have ingredient in imitation crab ceviche (or any ceviche for that matter!) is lemon or lime. The combination of the sweet imitation crab meat and acidic citrus notes is what sets ceviche apart.
Whatever the ceviche recipe, all are perfect on a warm day and can be enjoyed in the cooler months too, especially if you spice it up with some hot sauce!
