Yield: 8 to 10 servings

3 pounds fresh medium tail-on shrimp (16 to 20 per pound), shelled and deveined

8 ribs celery, strings removed and julienned (cut into matchstick-size pieces)

12 green onions, julienned

1 carrot, peeled and julienned

1 red bell pepper, seeds and membrane removed, julienned

1/2 cup lemon juice (about 3 lemons)

1/2 cup lime juice (about 4 limes)

2 large cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon dried ground fennel or tarragon

2 jalapeño or serrano peppers, seeded and thinly sliced

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or dill

1. Fill a large pot or Dutch oven with water; bring to a rapid boil. Drop in shrimp and blanch 1 to 2 minutes. Drain and cool.

2. Place celery, green onions, carrot and bell pepper in a bowl. Add ice water and let sit until very crisp, up to 1 hour.

3. In a nonreactive bowl, combine lemon and lime juices, garlic, salt, fennel or tarragon and hot peppers. Add olive oil and mix well. Drain julienned vegetables thoroughly and add to citrus mixture, along with cooled shrimp. Marinate 10 to 15 minutes. Do not allow to marinate longer or shrimp flesh may begin to break down in the citrus juices.

4. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro or dill and serve.

Per serving (based on 10): 120 calories; 6g fat; 1g saturated fat; 70mg cholesterol; 9g protein; 7g carbohydrate; 3g sugar; 2g fiber; 1,535mg sodium; 75mg calcium.

Note: A South American favorite that originated in Peru, ceviche combines fresh raw fish or seafood with citrus juices to "cook" the fish over a long marinating period of up to several hours; that is, the acid in the juices alters the proteins in the fish, turning it opaque as if it were cooked. Citrus juices do not kill bacteria to the same extent that heat does, so it is safest to use cooked or partially cooked fish and marinate for a shorter period. This recipe calls for flash-cooking shrimp in boiling water before adding it to the citrus mixture.

Adapted from "The Art of South American Cooking," by Peruvian chef Felipe Rojas-Lombardi (1991)