These Cajun Trinity Keto Crab Cakes are a low carb nod to one of my favorite cities in the world – New Orleans!
Crab cakes are one of those appetizers that my eyes naturally gravitate toward on a menu. However, it can be hard to find gluten-free keto crab cakes on a restaurant menu. Many of them contain bread crumbs, panko or something of the sort as a binding agent. In this recipe I took care of that problem and as a low carb substitute for breadcrumbs, I used crushed pork rinds to hold it all together. You can’t taste them, and they play the part of bread crumbs perfectly. Before you say “Ewwww” and click away from this page, I promise, promise, promise that you won’t taste them at all. Not only do they help bind these keto crab cakes together, but they keep them from drying out as well. Now you can have your crab cakes and eat them, too!
These Keto Crab Cakes are a low carb nod to one of my favorite cities in the world – New Orleans! So, I felt it was only fitting to make sure they included the Cajun Holy Trinity – onions, celery, and bell pepper.
Loaded with lump crab meat, these low carb crab cakes are perfectly crispy and juicy at the same time. Before I made this recipe, I was on the hunt for a good keto crab cake and I just wasn’t able to find one. SO, I just made my own!
Not only are these keto crab cakes perfectly high in fat and low in carbs, but they are also gluten free. Instead of using breadcrumbs or panko like a traditional crab cake might call for, I made these with crushed pork rinds.
I love to serve these crab cakes with my low carb Russian Dressing or Roasted Red Pepper Garlic Aioli.
In addition to these Keto Crab Cakes, check out some of my other favorite low carb seafood recipes:
- Lemon Garlic Steamed Clams
- Low Carb Cabbage Noodle Tuna Casserole
- Keto Paleo Asian Tuna Cakes
- Chili Lime Grilled Prawns
- Slow Cooker Keto Clam Chowder
- Low Carb Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
Cajun Trinity Keto Crab Cakes
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 8 Crab Cakes 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
This recipe yields 8 fairly large, entrée-sized patties. If you make smaller patties, you could easily get 16 out of this recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 large rib celery, chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped mixed bell pepper
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- sea salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise (get my homemade recipe here)
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon spicy brown mustard
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup crushed pork rinds
- 1 pound lump crabmeat, picked clean of shells
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. In the pan, heat the butter, then add the celery, bell pepper, shallot, garlic, sea salt and black pepper. Sauté until the vegetables are translucent and soft, about 10 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the egg, mayonnaise, Worcestershire, spicy brown mustard and hot sauce. Add the sautéed vegetables and mix until all the ingredients are well incorporated. Mix in the Parmesan cheese and pork rinds. Fold the crab into the mixture.
- Line a large plate or rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Form the crab mixture into 8 equal-size patties. Place the patties on the prepared baking sheet and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
- Pan-fry in olive oil, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, until the crab cakes are golden brown and crispy on each side. Be careful not to flip them too many times or they will fall apart.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 Crab Cakes
- Calories: 412
- Fat: 28g
- Carbohydrates: 4g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 35g
Deanna Honeyman says
June 5, 2018 at 8:56 amsounds amazing!!! can’t wait to try these!!!
Lori Kaumans says
June 5, 2018 at 9:50 amThese look so good! I have a question. I don’t cook with a lot of seafood but I love crab. Is the crab meat you used already cooked or do you put raw crab in the mixture? Sorry if that’s a dumb question. 🙂 I just don’t cook a lot of seafood. Thanks!
Peace Love and Low Carb says
June 5, 2018 at 9:59 amAll the crab you buy in the store will already be cooked. I buy canned lump crab meat. But not the kind you would find in the canned goods aisle by the tuna. It is fresh canned and is refrigerated in the deli.
Laura Grayson says
June 15, 2018 at 2:46 pmI was just thinking today that if I could make keto salmon cakes, surely I could make keto crab cakes. And then, here they are! Crab cakes are something we usually cook around the holidays, so this will be a great way to keep in ketosis with all the other tempting goodies out there. Thanks! (And why would anyone say “Ewww” to pork rinds? Those things are amazing!)
Michelle Duchene says
June 24, 2018 at 5:59 amI am dairy free, do you think I could subsitute nutritional yeast flakes for the cheese or should I just leave it out?
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Peace Love and Low Carb says
June 24, 2018 at 7:01 amYes, you definitely could. I might add a little more pork rind also.
Tina Scroggie says
July 13, 2018 at 5:41 pmI made this recipe and it felt apart when I turned them. I will probably add more egg to the mixture the next time and hopefully it will work for me. ???? Otherwise it was very good and my husband really liked it!
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Kelly says
September 3, 2018 at 6:33 pmI will have to try these. I make crab cakes all the time but I just make my cauli tot recipe and add crab meat to it. We love them. I imagine yours have less carbs though. ????
Tammy says
October 23, 2018 at 2:07 pmThese are AMAZING! The only thing I did differently was to bake them (without turning) @ 375 degrees for about 30 minutes.
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Nita Hasty says
November 3, 2018 at 6:25 pmUnbelievably divine!!! I made these tonight and am in bliss!!! Thank you for sharing this recipe!!! I am so grateful for your fabulous culinary ingenuity!!! You are a true natural born genius cook!!!
★★★★★
Erin says
December 29, 2018 at 1:46 pmHi! what kind of sauce do you have on top, and do you have a recipe post for it? Thanks!
Kyndra Holley says
December 30, 2018 at 10:37 amIt is a roasted red pepper aioli. You can find the recipe here – https://peaceloveandlowcarb.com/roasted-red-pepper-garlic-aioli/
Tom says
February 28, 2019 at 3:43 amHi!
Would there be an alternate to Pork Rinds to use? It’s not easily obtainable where I am!
Thanks
Tom
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DIONNE says
March 21, 2019 at 9:48 amI’m going to try this recipe in the air fryer! Can’t wait!
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Rose says
May 21, 2019 at 6:47 amThese are absolutely fantastic! I had guest from out of town who arrived really late at night so I baked these for 12 minutes then broiedl for a couple of minutes. I was afraid I would screw them up if I started frying anything but next time for sure I will fry them. I’m on Keto and one of my guests can’t eat wheat. She was so happy to have something delicious that she could eat. One recommendation – MAKE THE KETO RUSSIAN DRESSING TO GO WITH THEM!! This recipe is a showstopper and goes into my permanent recipe folder forever! Thank you!!
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