These Cajun Trinity Keto Crab Cakes are a low carb nod to one of my favorite cities in the world - New Orleans!
Keto crab cakes, full of New Orleans flavor
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.
How to make keto crab cakes:
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.
Can you make gluten free crab cakes?
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!
I love to serve these crab cakes with my Garlic Dill Tartar Sauce, low carb Russian Dressing or Roasted Red Pepper Garlic Aioli.
More low carb appetizer recipes
- Crispy Fish Nuggets with Garlic Dill Tartar Sauce
- Lemon Garlic Steamed Clams
- Coffee Barbecue Pork Belly
- Keto Asian Chicken Meatballs
- Reuben Stuffed Mushrooms
- Keto Paleo Asian Tuna Cakes
- Chili Lime Grilled Prawns
- Low Carb Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
Cajun Trinity Keto Crab Cakes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 10 Crab Cakes 1x
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 large rib celery, finely chopped
- ½ cup finely chopped mixed bell peppers
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- sea salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise (get my homemade recipe here)
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon spicy brown mustard or dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- ½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup crushed pork rinds
- 1 pound lump crabmeat, picked clean of shells
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Keto Yum Yum Sauce, optional for serving
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 10 equal-size patties. Place the patties on the prepared baking sheet and freeze for 1 hour. This will help them stay together when frying.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the crab cakes to the pan and cook until they are golden brown and crispy on both sides. Be careful not to flip them too many times or they will fall apart.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 Crab Cakes
- Calories: 412
- Fat: 28g
- Carbohydrates: 4g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 35g
Tom says
Hi!
Would there be an alternate to Pork Rinds to use? It's not easily obtainable where I am!
Thanks
Tom
Erin says
Hi! what kind of sauce do you have on top, and do you have a recipe post for it? Thanks!
Kyndra Holley says
It is a roasted red pepper aioli. You can find the recipe here - https://peaceloveandlowcarb.com/roasted-red-pepper-garlic-aioli/
Nita Hasty says
Unbelievably 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!!!
Tammy says
These are AMAZING! The only thing I did differently was to bake them (without turning) @ 375 degrees for about 30 minutes.
Kelly says
I 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. ????
Tina Scroggie says
I 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!
Michelle Duchene says
I am dairy free, do you think I could subsitute nutritional yeast flakes for the cheese or should I just leave it out?
Peace Love and Low Carb says
Yes, you definitely could. I might add a little more pork rind also.
Laura Grayson says
I 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!)
Lori Kaumans says
These 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
All 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.
Deanna Honeyman says
sounds amazing!!! can't wait to try these!!!