Mac & cheese, lasagna, pot pie — all keto. Warm Up →
Seafood is about as keto-friendly as it gets. Shrimp, salmon, cod, and scallops are all naturally low carb and most of them cook in under 30 minutes. These 19 recipes cover everything from garlic butter shrimp to sushi rolls made with cucumber instead of rice.
Shrimp is the fastest protein I cook. A hot pan, five minutes, and dinner is done. These six cover every method and flavor profile I reach for.
Garlic sauteed in butter until fragrant, shrimp added and done in a few minutes, finished with fresh parsley. I serve it over cauliflower rice, but I've also eaten it straight from the pan. No shame.
One pot. Shrimp in a creamy garlic paprika sauce with bell peppers, onions, and a base built from tomato paste and heavy cream. It tastes like you spent way more than 35 minutes on it.
Chipotle peppers in adobo bring the smoky heat to the marinade. Thread on skewers, grill fast over high heat. I bring these to summer potlucks and they're gone before anything else gets touched.
Shrimp and vegetables on one pan with a cilantro lime vinaigrette. Ginger, cumin, and lime zest in the dressing make every bite pop. I roast at high heat so the cherry tomatoes burst open.
Bacon-wrapped jumbo shrimp grilled until the bacon crisps and the shrimp just cooks through. The sriracha mayo takes 30 seconds. I make these as a main dish, not just an appetizer.
Cauliflower rice stir-fried with shrimp, ginger, garlic, mushrooms, and soy sauce in one skillet in under 10 minutes. What I make when I'm craving takeout and don't want the carbs.
Air fryer salmon is my default weeknight fish. Fast, reliable, and the skin actually crisps up. Cod and rockfish round things out when I want a change.
Thick-cut bacon wrapped around butter-brushed cod and baked. The bacon bastes the fish as it renders, keeping everything moist. I've made this for people who claim they don't like fish and watched them go back for seconds.
Italian seasoning, olive oil, lemon slices, 10 minutes. The skin crisps up and the inside stays light and flaky. My most-used method for salmon by a wide margin.
Olive oil, garlic, lemon, and a hot grill. Less than 10 minutes total. The kind of dinner I make on a warm evening when I don't want to think too hard.
Cod, balsamic vinaigrette, Rotel tomatoes, and sharp cheddar melted over the top. Four ingredients, 12 minutes. Mild fish with a bold, tangy topping that punches above its weight.
Rockfish dredged in almond flour and protein powder, pan-fried until golden, then hit with a lemon garlic cream sauce made with white wine. The crunchiest fried fish I make.
Fresh, light options for when I want something different. The naruto roll is the one that gets the most questions from guests.
Thin cucumber sheets wrapped around sushi-grade salmon, avocado, and cream cheese using a bamboo mat. No rice, no nori. The cucumber keeps it crisp and light. My favorite way to do sushi at home.
Diced sushi-grade salmon tossed with soy sauce, sesame oil, and green onions, served over cauliflower rice with avocado. No cooking needed. Hawaiian-style poke that comes together in minutes.
Cauliflower rice seasoned with sesame oil and rice wine vinegar in place of sushi rice. Crab meat, mayo, wasabi, and sriracha rolled inside nori. It's a fun project for sushi night and the flavor is closer to the real thing than you'd expect.
Sea scallops seasoned and air fried until golden, then finished with a buttery lemon cream sauce. Ten minutes and they come out with a proper sear. What I make when I want dinner to feel special without much effort.
Seafood doesn't have to wait for dinner. These work for breakfast spreads, holiday appetizers, and the in-between moments.
Smoked salmon warmed gently in butter, eggs added, done in under four minutes. The dill pulls it together. It's a completely different pace from my usual morning scramble.
Cucumber rounds topped with cream cheese and smoked salmon, finished with chives. No cooking, five minutes to assemble, and they look put-together enough for a dinner party. I make a tray whenever we have people over.
Lupin meal cooked into cheesy grits with cheddar, jalapeno, and heavy cream, topped with garlic butter shrimp. Southern comfort food with no business being this low carb. The grits texture is weirdly close to the original.
Lump crab meat held together with mayo, Old Bay, stone ground mustard, and a little almond flour. Pan-fried until golden. Mostly crab, minimal filler, Old Bay front and center.