This Mexican crab ceviche recipe is ready in a flash and only uses the freshest ingredients! Fresh citrus juices, real crab meat, fresh veggies and cilantro combine for a light meal or appetizer.

​If you’re a Mexican food lover, I think you will love this easy crab ceviche recipe! It’s a Mexican-style crab salad, made with fresh cooked crab meat, citrus juices, tomatoes, peppers, onion and seasoning. This delicious recipe showcases the light, sweet flavor of the fresh seafood.

a photo of ceviche de jaiba on top of a cracker

Typically for ceviche, you use raw seafood like raw fish or raw shrimp. The citrus juices “cook” the seafood, making ceviche a no-cook dish!

Looking for other crab recipes? Try Buttery Ritz Crab Cakes | Cream of Crab Soup | Crab Fried Rice | Crab Carbonara Pasta | Crockpot Crab and Corn Chowder | Cajun Crab Dip

This technique would work for raw crab as well, but crab meat is almost *always* purchased cooked! So, this easy crab ceviche recipe takes even less time than traditional ceviche thanks to the pre-cooked crab.

a photo of crab ceviche on top of a saltine cracker

If you’re making Mexican ceviche for the first time, you may be a bit apprehensive about the process. Trust that it will be delicious! 

a photo of a bowl filled with crab ceviche

I love making this authentic ceviche during the hot summer months. You don’t have to fire up the oven or grill! This dish is light, crisp and so refreshing on hot days.

a photo of a bowl of crab ceviche

Recipe Substitutions:

Substitute lemon juice for some or all of the lime juice. 

For the tomato, you can use Roma tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, or a normal slicing tomato. 

Instead of real crab meat, you can use imitation crab meat to make imitation crab ceviche. I recommend chopping the imitation crab sticks into bite-sized pieces.

Substitute yellow onions or white onion for the red onion. 

Substitute serrano peppers for the jalapeno peppers. Or, make it super spicy with a habanero pepper! 

Omit the chili peppers for a more mild flavor. 

a close up photo of crab ceviche

Need a Mexican shrimp ceviche recipe? Check out my: 

Recipe additions: 

Add 1/2 cup of clamato juice for a more tomato-based sauce.

Add 1/2 pound of peeled, raw shrimp to the ceviche mixture. Place it in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours, stirring frequently. This will allow the acidic juices to “cook” the shrimp before eating.

an overhead photo of the ingredients for Mexican crab salad

Serving Suggestions: 

Serve this jaiba crab ceviche as a light appetizer with corn chips or saltines. It is delicious with hot sauce dashed on the top! 

If you need additional things to serve alongside this ceviche, consider Perfect Pico de Gallo Dip or check out my list of

a photo of crab ceviche on a blue corn tortilla chip

Storing Leftovers: 

Store leftover ceviche in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. 

a photo of crab ceviche on top of a saltine cracker

Easy Crab Ceviche (Ceviche de Jaiba)

Yield: Serves 3-4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

This Mexican crab ceviche recipe is ready in a flash and only uses the freshest ingredients! Fresh citrus juices, real crab meat, fresh veggies, jalapeno peppers and cilantro combine for a light meal! 

Ingredients

  • 1 cup lump crab meat, drained
  • 1 cup freshly squeezed fresh lime juice
  • 1 cup tomato, diced
  • 1 cup avocado, diced
  • ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
  • ½ cup red onion, finely diced
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded, minced
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper

For serving:

  • corn tortillas
  • tortilla chips
  • saltine crackers
  • hot sauce
  • plantain chips

Instructions

  1. To a large mixing bowl, add all of the ingredients. Gently toss to combine. 
  2. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. 
  3. Remove from the refrigerator and stir again. 
  4. Serve cold on tortilla chips or saltine crackers. For extra heat, add a dash of hot sauce.

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