Next time you’re in the mood for a shrimp cocktail appetizer, give this Mexican version a try. Campechana is an authentic Mexican seafood appetizer chock full of tomatoes, jalapeno, cucumber and more.
This recipe was published May of 2012 and updated June, 2024 with step by step instructions.
What is Campechana?
Campechana is a traditional tomato based Mexican shrimp cocktail recipe that contains fresh chopped vegetables. Campechana can also be made with baby octopus, oysters, mussels, scallops, or white fish, making it a Mexican mixed seafood cocktail. The idea for Campechana comes from Campeche, a Mexican State on the Yucatan peninsula where fresh seafood cocktails are served beach side. Also known as cocktail de camerones.
Campechana is a popular choice for seafood lovers looking for a fancy feel appetizer or a light Summer meal. It’s combination of fresh seafood, tangy sauce and crunchy texture make this a culinary treat.
Imagine a brothy tomato based citrus salsa, swimming with plump tender shrimp, creamy avocado, crunchy with celery and cucumber, and some spicy peppers.
Let’s throw in some briny olives for an extra kick. That describes this fresh Mexican seafood cocktail, and a recipe you’ll want to serve all Summer long.
A recipe I learned to make in Culinary School. Let’s take a look:
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Cooked Shrimp. Shells removed, tails removed and chopped. Save a couple of whole shrimp for garnish.
- Tomato Juice
- Hot Sauce: Your favorite brand
- Tomato
- Cucumber
- Lime Juice
- Old Bay Seasoning (used to cook shrimp)
- Green Bell Pepper
- Onion
- Celery
- Avocado
- Jalapeno Pepper
- Green Olives, bring a Spanish flair.
- Chile Powder: I prefer New Mexico Red Chile Powder, Cayenne will also work.
- Kosher Salt
Ingredient Notes
- Please don’t confuse Chili Seasoning with Chile Powder. Use a pure red chile powder to make Campechana. Chili seasoning (with an “i”) is a blend of seasonings used to make Tex-Mex style Chile Soups.
- Kosher salt is preferred by chefs for it’s pure salty flavor. Sea salt or table salt will work fine here.
- Mix it up and combine ½ pound of cooked shrimp with ½ pound lump crab meat. Crab meat by law has to be sold cooked, so no need to cook the crab.
- For a more savory briny flavor, substitute Clamato Juice for Tomato Juice.
Step by Step Instructions
- In a glass bowl, combine onions, lime juice and salt, stir and rest for 15-20 minutes as you chop the remaining ingredients.
- Add the minced tomato, cucumber, celery, bell pepper, jalapeno, and green olives.
- Mix all ingredients together with a large spoon.
- Add tomato juice, chopped or sliced shrimp and several dashes of hot sauce. Stir, cover and chill for 1-2 hours.
How To Serve and Devour
- Grab a couple of margarita glasses and spoon in the Shrimp Campechana. Garnish the rim of the margarita glass with a cooked shrimp, tail intact and a slice of avocado.
- Or serve in a glass bowl to show off the colorful mix of vegetables. Garnish with chopped avocado.
- The traditional way to serve Campechana is with Saltine crackers or sturdy Tortilla Chips. Use these to eat as if you were eating a Mexican dip.
- Provide a wedge of lime for squeezing, and chopped cilantro for garnish.
Questions You May Have
Either. This recipe makes enough for 6 people as an appetizer. It can also be served as a main course using larger portions for 4 people. So depending on how many you’re feeding, this is a wonderful light dinner recipe, or a beautiful shrimp cocktail appetizer to start a Mexican Dinner Menu.
Campechana is similar to ceviche, however with campechana, the seafood is cooked with heat, as opposed to brined in an acid (lime juice) like ceviche.
Storage
Campechana stores surprisingly well. And without losing flavor or compromised texture. Store in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to one day. Remove any avocado before storing.
Tips For Success:
- Spend the extra few dollars and purchase quality shrimp Shrimp that tastes like shrimp. It’s the secret to a really good Campechana. Seek out wild caught shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico. Look for it at stores like Whole Foods, who provide sustainable seafood products.
What to Serve It With
If you’re making this to serve guests as as a beginning to a beautiful to a Mexican themed dinner, MahiMahi Kabobs with Jalapeno Butter is one of my favorite seafood main course choices. Here are some more ideas.
Another good choice is Pollo Asado, Citrus juice and Mexican spices join forces to create bright and complex flavors for this easy Mexican Chicken Marinade to make Chicken Asado. A juicy Mexican grilled chicken dinner with sheer pizzaz.
And don’t forget a Mexican cocktail, like this recipe for Palomas.
Related Recipes
If you’re looking for fresh Summery shrimp recipes, don’t miss this one for Chimichurri Shrimp. An Argentinean shrimp recipe that’s easy and bursting with flavor. And this popular shrimp appetizer for Prosciutto Wrapped Shrimp. It’s a winner.
Looking for more Mexican Style appetizer recipes? I’ve got you covered:
And if you’re looking for a ton of appetizer recipes, don’t miss my Appetizer Category. You’ll find a ton of finger licking ideas. Including my recipe for Pear and Blue Cheese Crostini, the most popular appetizer recipe on my site.
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Campechana, Traditional Mexican Shrimp Cocktail
Ingredients
- 1 pound shrimp medium or large, preferably American Wild Caught
- 1 Tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning add a wedge of lemon if you'd like.
- ½ cup sweet onion minced, or yellow onion.
- ¼ cup lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 Cup tomato finely chopped. One medium tomato.
- ½ Cup cucumber About ¼ of a medium cucumber. Peeled and minced.
- ½ Cup celery Minced. About 1 medium stalk.
- ¼ Cup green bell pepper minced
- ¼ Cup jalapeno pepper minced, about 1 medium pepper
- 3 tablespoons Green Olives chopped, pitted
- 2 cups Tomato Juice Or Clamato
- 2 dashes hot sauce to taste (I used lots)
- ¼ bunch cilantro chopped
- 1 avocado cut into small cubes
- ½ avocado sliced into wedges
- chile powder & black pepper I like Chimayo Chile Powder, or ancho
Instructions
- To Cook The Shrimp: Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Add the Old Bay seasoning to water. Add shrimp and bring back to a boil. Remove from heat and rest for about 3 minutes – drain and chill shrimp. Reserve 4 – 8 of the shrimp for garnish. Remove tails from the rest of the shrimp and chop or slice.
- In a glass bowl, combine onions, lime juice and salt, stir and rest for 15-20 minutes as you chop the remaining ingredients.
- Add the minced tomato, cucumber, celery, bell pepper, jalapeno, and green olives. Stir well.
- Add tomato juice, chopped or sliced shrimp and several dashes of hot sauce – cover and chill for 1-2 hours.
- Just before serving, stir in cilantro and chopped avocado. Spoon into four margarita glasses and garnish with a lime wedge, a whole shrimp or a slice of avocado. Or all.
- Sprinkle with chile powder and freshly cracked black pepper. Serve with saltine crackers or tortilla chips and hot sauce on the side.
Video
Notes
- Spend the extra few dollars and purchase quality shrimp. Shrimp that tastes like shrimp. It’s the secret to a really good Campechana. Seek out wild caught shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico.
- Use good knife skills here. Evenly chopped vegetables results in pride in skill set and a professional appearance of this dish.
Nutrition
Shrimp Campechana Recipe …It’s What’s for Summer Dinner.
Why Trust These Recipes? Lea Ann Brown has lived, worked and played in Colorado for 45 years. She has immersed herself in the Colorado Culinary space, is a Culinary School Graduate and publishes her Colorado food Blog, Cooking On The Ranch.
Nice, I usually use Clamato juice when I make it. What I haven’t tried is adding green olives, I will try that next.
I made it with v8 hot and spicy juice and sirachia sauce. Was yummy, very pleased.
I added lump crab, shrimp cocktail sauce, and a little ketchup to this, and reduced the clamato juice to 1c. (replaced the other cup with the shrimp cocktail sauce).
Hi Bob, and thanks for taking the time to rate this recipe. Love your idea of the crab meat. Will try that next time I make it.
Your recipe specifically says to leave the tails on the shrimp? If you’re going to dig in with a chip and scoop some out, why do you want to reach into the red sauce to pick out the tails? Everyone (all the restaurants and recipes) does it your way and I just don’t understand it. Unless it’s peel&eat boiled shrimp or fried shrimp, I will never leave the tails on dishes I cook, mostly because no one has any reason why they should, other than esthetics (it looks better) but that makes it more difficult to eat, so that ruins it for me.
Hi Chuck. Thanks for your note. The shrimp that are in the campechana are chopped with the tails removed. The Shrimp that garnishes the glass are served with tails on. But to your point, I’ve seen salads and Asian recipes where sometimes the shrimp are served with tails on. I don’t mind reaching in and grabbing the shrimp and eating with my hands, but some people do. I’ve hd this conversation several times with folks.
There’s a favorite Mexican restaurant of ours that serves a similar recipe that I love! I’m so happy to have a recipe for this. It’s perfect for summer!
I’ve never had this in a Mexican Restaurant before, but most certainly will be looking for it now. I’d love to try someone else’s version.
Mmm, I love mexican shrimp cocktails and just realized that I haven’t blogged my version yet, so I’ll have to do that. Yum!
I will be looking forward to that Karen.
Hey, yours looks better than mine! What’s up with that? 😉
You are too kind! Thanks for the recipe Mick, it’s been put in my database under the category “find of the century”. 🙂
Looks excellent. I liked all of the ingredients, Loved the “I used lots” on the hot sauce line. Nice job.
Thanks Dan! You taught me well.
Your recipe sounds wonderful, Lee Ann, Spicy and with the lime, lots of zing. We all have our tricks with shrimp…I’ll try yours the next time; you have to be so careful not to overcook and with this method, that’s not an issue. Usually I roast them via Ina Garten.
Don’t you love those dipping chips?
It’s always a guessing game with Shrimp isn’t it. I’ll have to take a look at Ina’s version.
I love your picture! I know what it is like to take lots of pictures and not like any of them 🙂 I also love shrimp cocktail … after having it once in a Mexican restaurant, I started making it at home. Since my hubby doesn’t eat shellfish, this one is all for me! I’ve never added cucumber though, but it sounds so good!
I don’t think I’ve ever had it in a restaurant. I’ll sure be keeping an eye out here after.
This looks and sounds outstanding Lea Ann and I believe the shrimp boiling method is the ticket, and it’s fool proof, like the similar egg boiling method.
I agree Larry. Seemed a better method to insure good texture with the shrimp.
You know how I adore Mexican ceviche . . . this will be on my menu SOON. That Chef Mick is a genius! 🙂 I’ve pinned that gorgeous shot, too. Yum!
Thanks for the pin Vickie! I wasn’t all that thrilled with the photo. I took a billion pictures of this thing and just couldn’t seem to get it just right. I knew you’d like this recipe. I think the last time I had ceviche was with you!
We enjoyed this dish’s cousin for our Cinco de Mayo supper. So fresh and satisfying. I also love your chip bowl. Very pretty.
Thanks Karen. That’s Frankoma pottery. My mom collected it.