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
Bobbie says
I don’t usually like crab cakes. I made them for my hubby. They were absolutely the best Crab cakes ever! I highly recommend this recipe.
Rachael S. says
I doubled the recipe except the crab (crab is expensive and imitation has carbs and sugar). I used regular mustard and omitted shallots. Still turned out really well. I made the cakes small and there's about 25.
Shanna says
I made these last night and they are the best crab cakes my roommate and I have ever had. Even the ones we had in New Orleans couldn’t touch these. And best of all, they were keto and gluten-free so I could really enjoy them without knowing I was going to feel sick later. Thanks for another amazing recipe!
Elizabeth Rebsamen says
These were delicious! My husband and son loves them so much I have made them several times!
Dee says
These crab cakes are unbelievably delicious. Thank you!!!
Valerie M. says
I have eyeballed this recipe for a while, and I finally made it today. It was fantastic!! This is definitely going to be made many times in my house.
Shelly Parker says
This recipe looks easy and delicious. I was wondering what I would need to do to substitute shrimp for the crab? For instance, does the shrimp meat need to be of a certain size? I've not cooked with crab and my assumption is the crab would, during the mixing phase of the recipe, flake (if that is the proper word?) to a smaller size where as the shrimp would stay the same size throughout the mixing. Thanks!
Maureen says
These crab cakes sound great. Can they be frozen?
Rose says
These 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!!
DIONNE says
I'm going to try this recipe in the air fryer! Can't wait!