'Count Your Days Costco' — Customers Say This Premade Seafood Find Isn't The Real Deal

Costco, on the whole, has a pretty high batting average, and its new food court strawberry shortcake sundae looks to be a home run. But sometimes it swings and it misses, which may be the case with the so-called ceviche it recently started selling. Many people commenting on an Instagram post seem to feel that it's not really ceviche at all (and probably not the slightly different dish called aguachile, either).

According to the video accompanying the post, Costco's ceviche looks like shrimp tossed with pico de gallo, cilantro, and lime wedges. One unimpressed commenter said, "That has to be the worst looking ceviche I've ever seen," while another quipped, "The caucasity." Someone even went so far to utter the ominous-sounding words we've quoted in the title, although we hardly think the grocery behemoth will go under due to one unpopular product.

Nor is it clear that this ceviche will be unpopular at all. The original poster seems to feel this ceviche might make the perfect summertime lunch, while another person thinks it would be a great snack for after a workout. The most balanced take, however, came from someone who said, "As a Hispanic person who grew up eating ceviche, it was a solid attempt but there was nowhere near enough lime juice. It tasted pretty bland."

One complaint lodged by the Instagram post's commenters was that Costco's ceviche didn't seem to be the real deal, which is probably a very good thing. Ceviche is usually made from raw fish, but can be made with shellfish, so the shrimp isn't a deal breaker. But if the shrimp was boiled prior to being mixed with the flavorings, then no, it wouldn't be ceviche, but instead, just another kind of shrimp cocktail. Ceviche is always made with raw seafood.

What makes ceviche ceviche is that the raw seafood "cooks" in acidic citrus juice. After a few hours, though, the acid will start to break down the texture of the fish or shrimp to the point where it becomes mushy. If you need to store it, it's best to strain it and separate the marinade from the other ingredients. Refrigerate each one separately, then recombine before serving. The Costco ceviche does not come with the marinade on the side, though, so either it's a mushy mess or it's not really ceviche. The latter is the most likely explanation, and it's a good thing, too. Citrus juice won't prevent raw fish from spoiling, so buying real ceviche premade from a package store doesn't sound like the safest bet.