- February 20, 2020
- 30 Minute Meals
Low Carb Shrimp Po’ Boy Salad
Everything you love about a classic Shrimp Po’ Boy sandwich, but with fewer carbs! This deconstructed version of the classic is keto friendly and gluten free too!
Cajun food is almost always on my brain. It’s by far one of my favorite cuisines from my carb eating days and all stems from this incredibly delicious homemade Spicy Cajun Dry Rub Recipe.
I’ve gotten creative with recreating my favorite classic Cajun dishes, like with this Keto Cajun Cauliflower Dirty Rice recipe or these Crispy Cajun Almond Flour Chicken Tenders. Both are stellar recipes, but I was inspired to recreate everything I love about a classic Po’ boy too.
The trick was finding a way to make this sandwich with fewer carbs! I love the idea of making my favorite sandwiches into salads (Italian sub sandwich salad anyone). This salad Po’ boy is super easy make, takes less than 30 minutes, and is a great meal to add to your weeknight rotation.
Find the full recipe for this lower carb and gluten free Shrimp Po’ Boy Salad below and read on for the usual tips and tricks and recipe substitutions to guide you through it all!
“School” Supplies:
- Knife & Cutting Board
- Two Small Mixing Bowls
- Baking Sheet
- Cooling Rack
“Class” Notes:
This recipe is only a handful of steps you can complete in roughly 30 minutes max! Start by prepping your shrimp. I opted for baking mine to make it less messy (and to make my house not smell fishy) but air frying or shallow pan frying is optional too.
Making Keto Fried Shrimp:
There are a few methods of breading any protein to be low carb, keto, and gluten free. Popular methods I have used in the past are items like almond flour and coconut flour, but I opted for a zero carb method here with pork rinds.
The beautiful thing about using ground pork rinds for bread crumbs is they bake up and get nice and crispy. Coat the shrimp first in a little seasoning and arrowroot powder (this helps the egg stick, thus the pork rinds stick better).
Then dip them in egg wash and dredge in the Cajun dry rub and crushed pork rinds. The trick to a solid flavor profile is always to season your protein as well as your breaded coating before cooking.
Place your breaded shrimp on a baking rack, layered over a baking sheet and cook until crispy in the oven. Alternatively you can air fry by following manufacturers instructions or pan fry in a shallow amount of high smoke point oil, like avocado oil.
What Toppings Are On A Po’ Boy:
Typically a traditional Po’ Boy sandwich is loaded with shredded iceberg lettuce. In order to make a heartier and more nutritionally dense salad, I opted for a green leaf lettuce as my base, but romaine would work nicely too. Add some thinly sliced tomatoes and a pile of pickles to the top and set it aside.
Keto Low Carb Remoulade Sauce:
The last part to make this salad come together is all in the dressing, or in this case the keto friendly remoulade sauce. A remoulade sauce is similar to a tartar sauce and tastes great as a dressing to accompany this salad.
Combine the following ingredients:
- Avocado mayo (or regular mayo)
- Dijon mustard
- Worcestershire sauce,
- Horseradish
- Lemon juice
- Fresh Minced Garlic
- Green onion or chives
- Cajun Dry Rub
Combine all the ingredients and mix together in a bowl. Whisk until smooth and set it aside. The flavors develop right away, so there is no need to let it sit and marinade, but marinating or making ahead of time never hurts!
Pile the crispy low carb Cajun shrimp onto the lettuce, drizzle with the Remoulade sauce and some fresh lemon juice if desired. Serve right away so the shrimp is hot and the lettuce doesn’t get wilted.
If you love this Cajun inspired shrimp salad, be sure to also check out my Low Carb Shrimp Boil or my scrumptious Easy Smoked Shrimp recipe too.
Low Carb Shrimp Po’ Boy Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 Egg
- 1 1/2 cups Pork Rind Crumbs
- 1 tsp. Arrowroot Powder
- [2 tsp. Cajun Dry Rub]
- 1 Head of Green Leaf Lettuce or Romaine
- 1 Medium Tomato sliced thin
- 1/4 cup Pickles
- For the Remoulade:
- 1 cup Avocado Mayo can use regular as well
- 1/4 cup Dijon Mustard
- 1 tbsp. Lemon Juice
- 1 tsp. Horseradish
- 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 4-5 dashes Tabasco Sauce
- 2 tbsp. Diced Dill Pickle
- 1 Garlic Clove minced
- 1 tbsp. Green Onion minced
- 1 tsp. Cajun Dry Rub
Instructions
- Prep the shrimp and pat it dry. Coat it in 1 tsp. of the Cajun dry rub and the arrowroot powder.
- In a bowl beat the egg and in a second bowl, combine the pork rind crumbs and 1 tsp. Cajun Dry Rub.
- Dredge the shrimp by coating it in the egg wash, then in the pork rind crumbs. Place each piece of shrimp on greased, elevated cooling rack on a baking sheet (this allows for the whole shrimp to get crispy in the oven).
- Bake at 400 F for 10 minutes or until the shrimp are cooked through and the outside crumbs are crispy. Alternatively, air fry according to your manufacturers instructions.
- Remove from the oven and set aside when cooked, opaque, and crispy.
- While the shrimp are baking, prep the veggies for your salad. Chop the lettuce, slice the tomatoes, and toss on the pickles.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine all the remoulade dressing ingredients and mix until smooth.
- Top the salad with the oven fried shrimp and drizzle with the remoulade dressing and serve.
I love this idea for a salad! We made this last night and LOVED it!