hawaiian delight

prep time: 15 minutes (not including time to make the aioli) • yield: 4 servings

I call this crab dish Hawaiian Delight because I enjoyed one like it in Maui. If you really want to impress your guests, serve them this dish. They will assume that you slaved away in the kitchen, but in reality you don’t even have to turn on the stove!

sauce:

¼ cup coconut aminos or wheat-free tamari

2 teaspoons unseasoned rice vinegar

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon Swerve confectioners’-style sweetener or equivalent amount of liquid or powdered sweetener ( see here )

¼ teaspoon grated fresh ginger

¼ teaspoon garlic paste

⅛ teaspoon guar gum

crab:

8 ounces canned lump crabmeat

1 tablespoon lime juice

4 ounces gravlax

1 avocado, halved, peeled, and pitted

½ cup Garlic and Herb Aioli ( see here ), made with chopped chives instead of thyme leaves, for garnish

1. To make the sauce: Combine the coconut aminos, vinegar, oil, sweetener, ginger, and garlic paste in a small bowl. Whisk in the guar gum and set aside to thicken, about 5 minutes. Place the sauce in a squeeze bottle (or use a spoon) and drizzle in a zigzag pattern over four plates.

2. To make the crab: Place the crabmeat and lime juice in a small bowl and gently stir to coat the crab in the juice. Form the mixture into 4 balls. Wrap the gravlax around each ball, overlapping the ends of the gravlax at the bottom of the ball. Place the balls on top of the drizzled sauce in the center of each plate.

3. Place the aioli in a resealable plastic bag with a tiny corner cut off. Gently squeeze the bag to squirt dots of aioli around the perimeter of each plate.

4. Slice the avocado lengthwise into 4 pieces. Thinly slice each fourth, but leave the top 1 inch or so intact so you can fan it. Place a sliced avocado quarter on top of each ball, fanning them out for a pretty appearance. (Easy option: Slice the whole avocado and place 4 thin slices over each ball.)

5. This dish is best served fresh, but extras can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days (the avocado will brown).

notes: To make this dish egg-free, use my Egg-Free Keto Mayo ( see here ) to make the aioli.

Because this dish is slightly sweetened, it’s best not to make it while you’re becoming keto-adapted and learning to curb your sweet tooth.

busy family tip: The sauce and aioli can be made up to 1 week ahead of time and stored in the fridge.