How to Serve Ceviche at Home: Best Side Dish Recipes

Ceviche is a fresh and fabulous dish that's so easy to make at home! Wondering How To Serve Ceviche at home? What are the best side dishes to serve with this seafood dish? So glad you asked! Let's dive right in.

What is Ceviche?

Ceviche is a seafood preparation originating in South America. In traditional ceviche, fresh raw fish is cured with citrus juice (especially lime juice) and mixed with a few simple fresh ingredients like onion and peppers.

As the popularity of ceviche has grown across the world, different ways of preparing the fish have been created. Various types of ceviche including shrimp ceviche (ceviche de camarón), sea bass (or any white fish), crab ceviche, tuna or salmon ceviche - even vegan watermelon ceviche!

If using raw fish as your base, always be sure to get the freshest possible seafood. Spend a little extra to ensure the fresh fish is high quality.

Favorite Ceviche Recipes:

Crab Ceviche (Jaiba Ceviche)

This traditional Mexican ceviche typically uses surimi, along with a variety of fresh veggies and cilantro, to create a super flavorful and surprisingly economical ceviche.

Octopus Ceviche (Ceviche de Pulpo)

Tender octopus is the perfect protein for a fresh ceviche preparation. This recipe is incredibly simple but adds the perfect touch of sophistication to your ceviche party. If you're looking for a combination ceviche, adding plump shrimp to this recipe along with the cooked octopus creates an ideal seafood mix. The fresh orange juice in the dressing mix adds the perfect sweet balance to the sour lime juice and makes the best flavor combination!

Best Sides & Sauces for Ceviche:

The light and fresh taste of ceviche makes it an easy recipe to pair with a great side dish or two! Here are the top 17 dishes to serve with your favorite ceviche recipe.

Mango Salsa / Mango Salad

This Mango Salsa features fresh vegetables and fruit which combine for the perfect lighter option side dish for your ceviche meal! Juicy mango are the star of the show, supported by red pepper and onion, a healthy dose of fresh lime juice and cilantro. This mango salad is the ideal partner for your fresh ceviche, adding great flavor and texture along with crunchy tortillas.

Mexican Cucumber Salad

Topped with fresh cilantro and crunchy corn nuts, this simple cucumber salad brings big flavor and freshness to the party. The citrus notes in Tajin seasoning compliment the acidic citrus juices in your ceviche and the richness of the corn nuts is a huge flavor pay-off.

Grilled Street Corn Casserole

Grilling the corn kernels brings extra flavor to this rich and creamy Grilled Street Corn Casserole. It's a fresh and hearty dish that can be a great appetizer along with your ceviche, or a craveable side dish for ceviche tostadas. The casserole can be baked in one big dish, or divided into smaller baking dishes for individual portions.

Authentic Refried Beans

Make these flavorful refried beans with black beans or pinto beans, and you can start with dry beans or even canned! This bean recipe is completely vegetarian, giving you a high-protein side dish to serve with your fresh ceviche.

Arroz Rojo (Mexican Red Rice)

Simple white rice is a lovely side with fresh ceviche, but I find a flavorful red rice like this Arroz Rojo to be so memorable. This rice dish incorporates the same bright flavors of tomatoes, onion and cilantro as our ceviche offers, making it a family favorite recipe to serve with almost any type of seafood.

Sopa Recipe with Shells

This light, broth-based soup adds the perfect flavors to compliment your ceviche. Topped with creamy avocado, cilantro and crispy tortillas, Sopa with Shells is a great addition to to a ceviche lunch or dinner menu.

Fresh Oysters

If fresh raw seafood is already on the menu, raw oysters on the half shell are a lovely addition. No recipe required! Just shuck and serve with a bottle of hot sauce and lime wedges on the side. Or grab this recipe for Grilled Oysters for a hot seafood dish!

Taco Truck Green Sauce

Fresh roasted veggies and pungent garlic combine to make a creamy, dreamy green sauce, perfect served with your favorite ceviche recipe using the freshest fish. This green sauce offers a bonus dipping option for all your ceviche sides like tortilla chips, plantains and crispy sweet potato chips.

Spicy Aioli Sauce

The perfect rich and creamy sauce on Jaiba Crab Ceviche, spicy aioli sauce can be made as spicy (or mild) as you like - it's up to your personal preference!

Chuy's Creamy Jalapeno Ranch

Another rich and creamy sauce to serve alongside your favorite ceviche recipe! Roasted jalapenos (or canned roasted green chiles) add the perfect amount of heat to this addictive dipping sauce. It's the perfect copycat Chuy's Creamy Ranch Sauce!

Mexican Pickled Onions

These zingy pickled red onions are a huge flavor-booster to ceviche and all things South American! Keep a jar in your refrigerator and dial up the flavor of every meal you serve.

Best Main Entree to Serve After Ceviche Starter:

Grilled Shrimp Skewers

Argentinian red shrimp are the perfect sweet shellfish to thread on a skewer and grill on your outdoor charcoal grill or indoor grill pan. Served with a simple and delicious pistachio chimichurri, this is a rockstar dish to serve any day of the year!

Grilled Octopus Recipe

An easy and impressive main course, especially in summer! This Greek Grilled Octopus takes quickly-charred octopus tentacles and douses them in a savory Greek vinaigrette, then serves the whole thing up with grilled lemons. Bonus: any leftover octopus can be turned into Octopus Ceviche tomorrow!

Sweet & Spicy Mexican Shrimp

Make this dish as spicy as you like! The honey mellows the heat and leaves these Mexican Shrimp perfectly savory. They're delicious served over tostadas, in soft tortillas or over a bed of mixed greens with homemade Mexican Caesar Salad Dressing.

Baked Fish Tacos (Tacos de Pescado)

Nothing feeds a hungry crowd like a sheet pan full of spicy baked fish tacos! With a spread of all your favorite fresh and savory toppings (cilantro! onion! taco truck green sauce! mango salsa!), these tacos are the perfect star of your ceviche show!

Baja Fish Tacos

If you're feeling like a little beer batter will make your day better, whip up a batch of these amazing Baja Fish Tacos. Crispy and delicious, these cod fish tacos would be a fun main course after a fresh and healthy ceviche appetizer.

Baked Steelhead Trout

This spectacular baked fish recipe is the perfect brunch, lunch or dinner dish to follow a ceviche appetizer. Substitute salmon for steelhead trout, if you prefer! Just spread a thin layer of Dijon mustard over the fish and sprinkle generously with everything bagel seasoning. Then wrap the fish in foil and bake. Serve the moist and savory fish over toasted sourdough, in tortilla wraps or over salad. It's the perfect pescatarian main dish!

Putting it All Together: How to Serve Ceviche?

Ceviche can be served as a dynamite appetizer, a light and fresh main course, a side dish, or even as a brunch centerpiece. Here are 3 of the best ways to serve ceviche for any meal!

Ceviche for Happy Hour!

Serving a bite or two of ceviche in a shot glass is a fun way to start a party. Be sure to include the bright citrus juice in each glass to ensure maximum flavor. These mini-cups can be made hours in advance, then dressed with a bit of fresh herbs and crispy tortilla strips right before serving.

Ceviche as a Side Dish

If I'm serving ceviche as a side dish, I plate it simply and dress it with cilantro and a tangle of shaved red onion. It's a delicious addition to a brunch party or a Taco Tuesday dinner where I want to offer pescatarian options for myself or my guests. Be sure to include crispy corn tortilla chips, plantain chips or yuca on the table for easy scooping.

Ceviche as the Main Dish on a Crispy Tostada

This is my favorite way to eat ceviche for a light meal on all those hot summer days! Pile it on a bed of smashed avocado over a crispy, warm tostada shell. Octopus ceviche is particularly delicious served this way with the addition of diced juicy tomatoes. They are the perfect match for the bright citrus and rich avocado.

That's a wrap! How are you building your ceviche menu? Share all your details in the comments below - I'd love to hear from you.