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Low carb fish cakes in a skillet with lemon and fresh herbs.
Victoria Haneveer

Low Carb Fish Cakes

Fish, egg whites, chili and lime make pan-fried fish cakes with no potato or breadcrumbs. Choose any fresh, thawed or canned fish to make these keto-friendly bites.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 4 fish cakes
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Asian-Inspired
Calories: 245
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
 

  • 1 pound (450g) fresh fish fillets, fully thawed fish or well-drained canned fish
  • 1 small onion or 2 shallots
  • 2 egg whites
  • ½ red chili pepper, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon (15 ml) lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon (15 ml) cooking oil
  • ⅛ teaspoon each salt and black pepper

Method
 

  1. If using thawed or canned fish, drain it thoroughly and press out the excess liquid with a clean dish towel or paper towels. Pat fresh fish dry.
  2. Put the fish and onion in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped and combined into a coarse paste. If you don’t have a food processor, chop both ingredients very finely.
  3. Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Stir in the egg whites, red chili, lime juice, salt and black pepper.
  4. Heat the oil in a large skillet (frying pan) over medium-high heat.
  5. Add heaping tablespoons of the fish mixture to the skillet. Flatten each portion with the back of a wooden spoon to form 6 to 8 fish cakes.
  6. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the first side is browned and the fish cakes lift cleanly from the skillet.
  7. Flip the fish cakes and cook for about 5 minutes more. Check that the centers have reached 160°F (71°C).
  8. Serve hot with your choice of sauce and vegetables.

Notes

  • Feel free to use canned crab, salmon or tuna instead of fresh fish.
  • Leftover cooked fish can be combined with canned crab or another fish.
  • One shallot and one green onion can replace the yellow onion.
  • Use a large griddle pan if you want to cook all the fish cakes at once.
  • Cook in two batches if your skillet's too small to leave room between them.
  • Refrigerate cooked fish cakes for up to 3 days.
  • Reheat leftovers to 165°F (74°C).