Campechana: Mexican Seafood Cocktail Recipe

Campechana is a Mexican seafood cocktail: chilled shrimp, sometimes crab or octopus, in a cold, tangy tomato sauce with lime, fresh pico de gallo, and avocado. It's served in a tall glass with a spoon and a pile of tortilla chips or saltines, and it eats like a meal.

The seafood is easy. The sauce is where it's won or lost. It needs salt, lime, heat, and a savory backbone in the right balance. Below is a campechana recipe you can make in about 15 minutes, plus the shortcut we use for the sauce.

What Is Campechana?

Campechana means "Campeche style," after the Mexican state of Campeche on the Gulf coast. All along that coast, from Campeche up to Veracruz and Tampico, seafood cocktails are sold at beach stands and in paper cones, served cold and heavy on the lime.

In the U.S., campechana is best known as a Gulf Coast restaurant favorite. Goode Company Seafood in Houston put its version on the menu in 1986, and it's been a signature dish there ever since. San Diego seafood spots serve their own versions too, often with raw scallops and oysters mixed in.

The word also gets used for a mix of things, which fits. A campechana de mariscos is a mixed seafood cocktail. (If you searched and found a flaky Mexican pastry, that's a different campechana entirely.)

What's in a Campechana?

• The sauce. Ketchup or chili sauce, Clamato or tomato juice, lots of fresh lime juice, hot sauce, and a savory hit from Worcestershire or Maggi.
• The seafood. Cooked shrimp is the classic. Lump crab, cooked octopus, and raw oysters show up in mixed versions.
• The pico de gallo. Diced tomato, white onion, jalapeño or serrano, and cilantro.
• The extras. Avocado, cucumber, and sometimes roasted green chiles or chopped green olives.

Campechana Recipe

Serves 4 as an appetizer or 2 as a meal. About 15 minutes of prep, plus 30 minutes to chill.

Ingredients

For the sauce

• 1 cup Clamato or tomato juice
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 2 oz Stu's Classic (about 1/4 cup)
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
• Mexican-style hot sauce, to taste

For the cocktail

• 1 lb cooked shrimp, peeled, chilled, and cut into bite-size pieces
• Optional: 4 oz lump crab meat
• 2 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 white onion, finely diced
• 1 jalapeño or serrano, seeded and minced
• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/2 cucumber, diced
• 1 avocado, diced
• Tortilla chips or saltines, for serving

Instructions

1. Whisk the Clamato, ketchup, Stu's, and lime juice together in a large bowl. Taste and add hot sauce if you want more heat.
2. Add the tomato, onion, jalapeño, cilantro, and cucumber and stir.
3. Fold in the shrimp and the crab, if you're using it.
4. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes so the sauce gets cold and the flavors come together.
5. Right before serving, fold in the avocado. Spoon into glasses or bowls and serve with chips or saltines.

The Shortcut for the Sauce

Most campechana recipes build the sauce from five or six bottles: Worcestershire, hot sauce, Maggi, salt, and whatever else is in the fridge door. Stu's does that part in one pour.

Stu's is a liquid seasoning built on Worcestershire, pickle brine, celery salt, and a balanced spice blend. Two ounces into the Clamato and ketchup gives you a seasoned, savory base. You still add your own fresh lime, so you control the tang. For more heat, use Smoked Jalapeño, which adds a custom chipotle hot sauce with a little smoke in the background.

Campechana Variations

• Campechana de mariscos. Use a mix of shrimp, lump crab, and cooked octopus, about 1 1/2 pounds total.
• With oysters. Add freshly shucked raw oysters right before serving. Only use oysters from a source you trust, and skip them for anyone pregnant or with a weakened immune system.
• Roasted chile. Fold in a roasted, peeled, and diced Hatch, Anaheim, or poblano chile for a smoky, Gulf Coast restaurant style.
• Briny. Add a few tablespoons of chopped green olives.

Campechana vs. Ceviche vs. Coctel de Camarón

	Seafood	Sauce	Served
Campechana	Cooked shrimp, often mixed with crab, octopus, or oysters	Tomato, Clamato, ketchup, and lime	Cold in a glass, with chips or saltines
Coctel de camarón	Cooked shrimp	Similar tomato base	Cold in a glass
Vuelve a la vida	A big mix, often with raw oysters	Tomato and lime	Cold, famous as a hangover cure
Ceviche	Raw fish or shrimp "cooked" in lime juice	Mostly lime, no tomato sauce	On a tostada or with chips

Put simply, a campechana is a mixed, saucier shrimp cocktail, and ceviche is raw seafood cured in citrus. If you like the tomato-and-seafood combination, try Bloody Mary oysters or our cocktail sauce.

What to Serve with Campechana

Tortilla chips, saltines, or tostadas for scooping, plus lime wedges and hot sauce on the table. For a drink, pour a michelada made with the same bottle of Stu's, or a simple chelada. A Bloody Caesar works too, since it's built on the same Clamato.

Make Ahead and Storage

Mix the sauce and the pico up to a day ahead and keep them covered in the fridge. Add the shrimp a few hours before serving, and fold in the avocado last so it stays green. Leftover campechana is best eaten within a day. Keep it cold, and don't leave it out for more than 2 hours.

Campechana FAQ

What does campechana mean in English?

It means "Campeche style," after the Mexican state of Campeche on the Gulf of Mexico. The word is also used for a mix of things, which is why a mixed seafood cocktail is called a campechana de mariscos.

What's the difference between campechana and ceviche?

Campechana uses cooked seafood in a tomato and lime sauce. Ceviche uses raw seafood cured in citrus juice, with no tomato sauce.

What does campechana taste like?

Cold, tangy, and savory, with sweet shrimp, bright lime, a little heat, and creamy avocado. Think of a shrimp cocktail crossed with a Bloody Mary.

Is campechana spicy?

It can be as mild or as hot as you like. Leave the seeds out of the jalapeño and go easy on the hot sauce for a mild version, or use Stu's Smoked Jalapeño for more heat.

Can I make campechana ahead of time?

Yes. Make the sauce and pico a day ahead, add the shrimp a few hours before serving, and add the avocado last.

What allergens are in this recipe?

This recipe contains shellfish. Stu's contains fish (anchovy) and mustard.