These Keto Fish Cakes with Roasted Red Pepper Salsa are perfect for summer or anytime you have a craving for fresh fish! Healthy fish in a kid friendly package that the entire family will enjoy!
When I was a kid and hated fresh fish, the only way I could stand it was in a fish cake. If there was enough seasoning to mask the fish flavor, and enough breading to make the texture unrecognizable, then I was tentatively on board. If it had a delicious sauce that I could slather it with, even better.
As an adult, I now love fish in all it’s forms. These days, if my fish is served in cake form I want as little breading involved as possible – in fact these keto fish cakes have no breading or nut flour fillers at all!
I’m still a fan of lots of bold flavor in my fish cakes, but now I’m looking to complement the fish, not mask it entirely. I still love a tangy, fresh sauce or salsa to slather on it though.
These easy keto fish cakes are a winner on all counts!
Bold flavors ✅
Flaky fish ✅
Crisp Exterior ✅
Bright salsa ✅
These keto fish cakes are great on their own, but that roasted red pepper salsa is so perfect with them that I highly recommend it! You can buy roasted peppers in a jar or can, but if you have a gas stove or grill and a few minutes to spare, you can make your own and it’s SO. MUCH. BETTER.
Simply roast the peppers over the open flame until charred, then place in a plastic or paper bag, or a bowl with plastic wrap over the top. Let them cool for 10 minutes, then remove them and the skins will slip right off. Slice and remove seeds and you’re ready to use them. They can be frozen for up to 6 months and you’ll have them handy whenever you need them!
I used snapper for my keto fish cakes, because it’s widely available here in Honduras. Any firm white fish that you have access to in your area will work just as well!
I’d like to think that if I’d had access to these keto fish cakes with roasted red pepper salsa as a kid, my appreciation for fish in all its forms would have begun at a much younger age. Give these a try with your tribe and see if it wins them over – then be sure to report back!
NOTE: People seem to be having trouble with these fish cakes falling apart for some reason, and I’m not sure if it’s the type of fish, using more than the 1 pound called for, or if people don’t know what a 1/2 inch dice is and are cutting the pieces too large. The mayonnaise and parmesan should form a glue that keeps the fish held together, and while you do need to be fairly gentle with them when turning, they shouldn’t be falling apart. I’m going to adjust the recipe and add some coconut flour and an egg, though I personally feel the recipe is better without it. If you’re reading this first and are a confident cook, then I recommend trying this recipe without the coconut and egg first, being sure to press your cakes tightly together before cooking.
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Keto Fish Cakes with Roasted Red Pepper Salsa
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
These Keto Fish Cakes with Roasted Red Pepper Salsa are perfect for summer or anytime you have a craving for fresh fish! Healthy fish in a kid friendly package that the entire family will enjoy!
Ingredients
For the Keto Fish Cakes:
- 1 pound firm white fish (cod, haddock, snapper, grouper, tilapia)
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons sugar free mayonnaise
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons coconut flour (new addition, see note in the post)
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce or coconut aminos
- 1 teaspoon Creole Seasoning
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons olive oil for frying
For the Roasted Red Pepper Salsa:
- 1/2 cup chopped roasted red peppers
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced red onion
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon granulated erythritol sweetener
Instructions
To make the keto fish cakes:
- Chop the fish into pieces about 1/2 inch in size.
- Combine the chopped fish, parmesan, mayonnaise, egg (if using,) coconut flour (if using,) mustard, Worcestershire, Creole seasoning and fresh parsley in a medium-sized bowl. Stir well until fully mixed.
- Heat the oil in a non stick sauce pan over medium high heat until shimmering.
- Form the fish mixture into 8 patties, about 2 inches in diameter.
- Fry the patties in batches for about 2 minutes per side (turn gently,) or until golden brown on the outside and cooked through.
- Serve warm with the salsa from below.
To make the roasted red pepper salsa:
- Combine the chopped peppers, parsley, garlic, onion, olive oil, lemon juice, and sweetener in a small bowl.
- Stir well to mix.
- Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Notes
Net carbs per serving = 2g.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: keto seafood recipes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 fish cakes, 2 T salsa
- Calories: 348
- Fat: 26g
- Carbohydrates: 3g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 26g
Keywords: fish, keto, seafood, Atkins, low carb, gluten free
If you love fish cakes, try my Cajun Salmon Patties or my favorite Keto Crab Cakes next!!!
Christine Colmer says
I made these fishcakes for the first time this week. I was amazed at how tasty they were! I think next time (soon!) I will cut the fish into smaller chunks.
I found the salsa sauce a bit too bland so I added some extra seasoning.. otherwise absolutely scrumptious! Thanks for this!
★★★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks for taking the time to rate and comment Christine – I’m so happy you were able to make these work for you!
Martie says
Bake this today. Only used the cheese no eggs or coconut flour.They need to be in the refridgerater for at least 4 hours before baking. This is really importend. Simple Delicious. Thanks so much for this recipe! I wrap the balls in cling wrap before refridgerated and rolled them in parmesan before frying on low heat so the cheese can melt before turning them.
Barbara says
I usually use my food processor to make a paste out of about 1/3 of the fish. This serves as an extra binder and helps to keep the cakes from falling apart. Then I follow the recipe as written. Excellent.
★★★★★
Julia says
Flavor is nice. However, I’m so angry I wasted my fish on this. I dried my fish, followed recipe. Have a fish spatula. I’m also a caterer and personal chef. I went against my gut and was so wrong. Ended up with a fish crumble. Terrible recipe. And, I never leave bad reviews. This was a waste of money and time.
★★
Liana Drummond says
The problem with getting the cakes to stay together might have to do with the fish being frozen and thus too wet. Maybe leaving the fish to drain as much as possible or even squeezing as much water out before mixing?
Rachel says
The salsa was awesome!
Although this tasted nice, I couldn’t for the life of me, get these to stick.
I’m trying to sell keto to the rest of my family so I really wanted to get these right!
I read all of the other comments, added the egg and coconut flour, AND had the tape measure out measuring the fish. I also put them in the fridge for an hour or so like another person suggested but no luck. I’ve never flipped anything so gently in all my life.
★★★★
Vicki says
I have been a huge fan for a few years and everything I have ever made from the website or book has always come out as stated. So….. I decided to make the recipe as originally written without the egg and flour. Absolutely perfect. Yes the fishcakes could be a little fragile but being forewarned I was very careful when turning them. The only change I made was using coriander (cilantro) as I didn’t have any fresh parsley, also I made in the morning so they were chilled in the fridge. Not really changes that would affect the recipe. Very tasty as always. Thank you Melissa.
★★★★★
Jessica says
My family is crazy about these fish cakes. My husband asks for it all the time and the kids eat it up. I don’t always bother with the roasted red peppers, the cakes are amazing on their own. We have fresh fish about once a week so we use the leftover fish to make this recipe, we have even used halibut, salmon, tile fish and bonita. It also works on sandwich buns as a great lunch. I usually use chef scissors to make sure the fish is moldable to put into cakes or if I want to use larger chunks of fish I will keep molded cakes in fridge for an hour or so before I cook. The size of fish chunks give two totally different cakes, which is nice versatility. It also works on buns for a tasty lunch. Thank you so much for sharing this great recipe!!!!!!
★★★★★
HunnidBands says
The fish was pretty delicious, would recommend the salsa. Would make a good meal in tacos or wraps as is i would say.
However, absolutely no way anyone has used this exact recipe to make fish cakes. They don’t bind, as there is no binding material. Like everyone else who tried, they fell apart despite following the recipe to a tee.
One star review as impossible to believe that the recipe has actually been tested. Method needs adjusting and maybe a binding ingredient added to make fish cakes actual cakes.
★
Mellissa Sevigny says
For the record, I would NEVER post a recipe that hasn’t been tested. You can see in the photos that my fish cakes held together perfectly – the mayonnaise and parmesan act as the glue that keeps the fish held together, and while you do need to be fairly gentle with them when turning, they shouldn’t be falling apart. That being said, since multiple people have had an issue with them falling apart – possibly from using more than a pound of fish, too large a dice, or not packed tightly into cakes before cooking, I have made adjustments to the recipe for an added egg and coconut flour. I think it will make them heavier and not nearly as tender, but it should keep them together no matter how inexperienced the cook.
Crystal Hall says
I made this with leftover poached salmon and it was amazing!
★★★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
Sounds amazing!
Chaz Morenz says
I had the same problem. Fishcakes fell apart. Maybe the 1/2″ cubes for the fish are too big? I think it might work better if the fish was ground/food processed. Otherwise, it was tasty.
Karen Landrian says
Made this the other night. It was absolutely delicious however, I was not able to keep the fish mixture formed into cakes so I ended up just making it into one big pan. Any suggestions as to how I could’ve kept the fish formed and held together? I followed the recipe exact using fresh cod. Regardless, it was still very yummy and my entire family said we must have that again! The roasted red pepper salsa was super good and I’ll add that as a side to many things!
★★★★★
Lisa says
I have made the fish cakes twice. I also cannot get them to stay formed into cakes. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
★★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
If your pieces of fish are too large then perhaps that’s why they aren’t holding together. Try cutting them into smaller chunks.
ellen says
Is the fish already cooked in the fish cake recipe
Mellissa Sevigny says
No, use raw fish!