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Keto Seafood Au Gratin + VIDEO

This keto seafood au gratin is packed with flavor and cooks in under 30 minutes. Serve this seafood recipe as an appetizer or a main course. In addition to being keto friendly, this au gratin recipe can be tailored to be paleo & Whole3o compatible.

  close up of cooked shrimp au gratin with browned crust on top

Ingredients for Keto Seafood Au Gratin

  • Seafood
  • Creole or Old Bay Seasoning
  • Whipping cream
  • The Holy Trinity
  • Grated Parmesan cheese
  • Lemon juice
  • Butter or ghee
  • Almond flour
chopped shrimp on a cutting board

half pound chopped shrimp

How To Make Keto Seafood Au Gratin

Occasionally I use my stove-top and oven. This is one of those times. One of the best parts of this au gratin recipe is that it is done in 30 minutes or less! 

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
  2. In a medium size saucepan, heat butter. Add the onions, celery, and bell peppers and saute approximately 3-5 minutes or until vegetables are soft.
  3. Stir in the whipping cream and bring to a boil.
  4. Reduce heat to medium and stir in seasoning, lemon juice, and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Cook an additional minute.
  5. Add shrimp and cook over medium heat until shrimp are no longer pink, approximately 5 minutes. Turn off stove.
  6. Divide the mixture into 2 or 4 ovenproof dishes.
  7. In a small bowl, combine the crust ingredients: seasoning, almond flour, and grated Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle mixture evenly over the top of each dish.
  8. Place ovenproof dishes in the oven and bake 10 minutes or until edges bubble and the top starts to brown.
  9. Garnish with fresh parsley.

FAQs

What Is Au Gratin?

Au gratin is a French cooking technique where a topping of breadcrumbs are combined with things like cheese. Au gratin is baked or broiled until a crust is formed on top. In place of breadcrumbs, this low-carb/keto au gratin uses a combination of almond flour, grated Parmesan cheese and no salt seasoning. If you don’t have no salt seasoning, you can use LITE or original Creole seasoning.

stovetop cream sauce

cream sauce

What Type Of Seafood To Use

Grab your preferred seafood! Of course some will work better than others. The seafood needs to be unshelled and chopped so I suggest shrimp, lump crab meat, lobster, or even a fish like salmon.

What Type Of Seasoning To Use

Technically you can use your preferred seasoning but I suggest you use Old Bay or Creole/Cajun seasoning. Whether this mean store-bought or a homemade blend, that’s up to you. 

cooked cream sauce with shrimp in a saucepan

The Holy Trinity

Are you familiar with mirepoix? Mirepoix is a combination of diced onions, carrots, and celery. It’s used as a base for lots of traditional recipes like soups (think chicken soup), stews, and stocks. The holy trinity, also known as the holy trinity of Creole cooking is the Creole version of mirepoix. It consists of one part bell pepper, one part celery, and one part onion. It’s the base for lots of traditional Creole recipes like gumbo, jambalaya, and étouffée so I used it here as a base for this Creole shrimp au gratin. I had a feeling it would pair well with the lite creole seasoning & I’m happy to say that I was right.

almond flour & Parmesan cheese with Tony Chachere's no salt seasoning in a bowl

keto-friendly crust

The Cream Sauce

You have a bit of leeway while making the cream sauce. The recipe is written to use regular whipping cream however I made this sauce several times using everything from half & half to all the whipping creams – regular, lite & heavy. I can honestly say what cream you use should be based on your personal preference. I prefer whipping cream. I also made this recipe using both one tablespoon of butter and two tablespoons of butter. Personally I think it’s better with two. Depending on your dietary needs you might want to use one tablespoon. 

shrimp au gratin in ramekins with low-carb keto crust on top

ready for the oven

How To Serve  Seafood Au Gratin 

What I love about this recipe is that it can be served as an appetizer or a main course. If you choose to serve this as an appetizer, it will produce 4 servings. If you want to serve this as a main course, you will only get two servings because you’re doubling up the serving size. Personally I like this as a starter.

reheated leftovers

Tips For This Keto Au Gratin Recipe

  • Once you place your seafood au gratin in the oven, if you find that your crust is browning faster than your au gratin is bubbling, don’t worry. Simply turn the oven down a bit and/or spray the tops of the crust lightly with cooking spray.
  • Keep in mind that the au gratin will thicken as it cools. 

close up of cooked shrimp au gratin with browned crust on top

Other keto recipes you may enjoy:

Air Fryer Keto Fried Mushrooms

Keto Buffalo Chicken Dip

Instant Pot Keto Brisket Chili

Baked Keto Italian Shrimp

I used a 2-quart saucepan.

 

Print
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close up of cooked shrimp au gratin with browned crust on top

Seafood Au Gratin

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 3 reviews

  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 2 or 4 serving 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Creole or Old Bay Seasoning
  • 8 ounces seafood, cleaned & chopped into pieces
  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • 1/4 cup onion, diced
  • 1/4 cup bell pepper, diced
  • 1/4 cup celery, diced
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 12 tablespoons butter or ghee
  • 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

CRUST

  • 1 teaspoons Creole or Old Bay Seasoning
  • 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 2 tablespoons almond flour

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
  2. In a medium size saucepan, heat butter. Add the onions, celery, and bell peppers and saute approximately 3-5 minutes or until vegetables are soft.
  3. Stir in the whipping cream and bring to a boil.
  4. Reduce heat to medium and stir in seasoning, lemon juice, and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese. Cook an additional minute.
  5. Add shrimp and cook over medium heat until shrimp are no longer pink, approximately 5 minutes. Turn off stove. Let mixture cool slightly so it thickens.
  6. Divide the mixture into 2 or 4 ovenproof dishes.
  7. In a small bowl, combine the crust ingredients: seasoning, almond flour, and grated Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle mixture evenly over the top of each dish. Spray tops lightly with cooking spray.
  8. Place ovenproof dishes in the oven and bake 10 minutes or until edges bubble and the top starts to brown.
  9. Garnish with fresh parsley.

Notes

Nutritional info not provided since I do no know what type of seafood you used.

  • Author: Shannon Epstein
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes

 

 

This post is sponsored post by Tony Chachere’s but all recipes and opinions are my own. For more about my disclosure policy see here: https://fitslowcookerqueen.com/about/disclosure-policy/.

[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”b4ErKR3E” upload-date=”2020-02-10T14:00:00.000Z” name=”Creole Shrimp Au Gratin” description=”This low-carb/keto Creole shrimp au gratin is packed with flavor and cooks in under 30 minutes. Serve this Creole shrimp recipe as an appetizer or a main course.” player-type=”default” override-embed=”default”]

Keto Seafood Au Gratin + VIDEO
Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

Brandi

Thursday 11th of February 2021

This is a fab dish loaded with a ton of flavor. I made it for brunch and it didn't disappoint!

Jennifer

Sunday 6th of December 2020

This was the perfect recipe for using leftover shrimp we had from a boil. Easy and tasty!

Heather

Saturday 21st of March 2020

We love this recipe, but mine is always very runny. Is it really suppose to have 1c of heavy whipping cream?

Fit SlowCooker Queen

Tuesday 24th of March 2020

The sauce should thicken as it cool. I'll update the recipe so that's more clear. Having said that if you cut heavy whipping cream in half to 1/2 cup, the recipe should still work.

Michelle

Monday 10th of February 2020

This recipe was looks amazing! Thanks FSCQ