Who doesn’t love Benihana (aside from Jordan Belfort on Wolf of Wallstreet)? Some people go for the cooking show, others for their garlic butter fried rice, but we go for the sauce – specifically the Benihana Ginger Sauce!
The sauce has the perfect amount of sourness, saltiness and sweetness to complement all kind of different meat. But since we can’t go to Benihana whenever we feel like having the sauce, we just decided to make a homemade low-carb/keto version of it!
We knew what most of the ingredients were thanks to a chef that shared it with us, but the ratios were pretty tricky to narrow down. But after a dozen batches or so, we think we got it down to something we can share with everyone!
For this particular recipe, we decided to pair the sauce with some seared cod. Since cod is a pretty neutral tasting fish, it carried the citrus ginger soy sauce very well just as expected!
So to start, we make the dressing/sauce by throwing everything in a food processor or blender. When it’s freshly made, it’s going to bubble so it’s best to throw it in the fridge and let the sauce settle before serving.
Next, we simply sear the cod using some Sesame Oil. When working with fish and searing, the 3 rules that should be followed are don’t move the fish when searing and don’t overcook it. When you overcook fish, it becomes very tough and rubbery, which no one wants. So make sure to be vigilant and once the meat easily flakes off, it’s good to go!
All in all, it’s actually pretty easy to make and comes in at ~2g net carbs per serving. Can’t get much more low-carb/keto then that for a full meal!
For this recipe, you will need a couple of things – Sesame Oil, Soy Sauce, Rice Vinegar, Swerve/Monkfruit and food processor.
For the Rice Vinegar, make sure you are picking up the one that doesn’t have sugar added (which typically is a green label).
You will also have to use a food processor to make the sauce (you might be able to use a blender, but the consistency will be very runny). Everything you will need can be purchased on Amazon.
Now, let’s get started!
Prepping Time 10M
Cook Time 5M
Total Time 15M
Net Carb/Serv ~2g
Servings 2
Ingredients
Fish
- 1 lbs Cod Fillet (or any white meat fish you prefer)
- 1/8 tsp Salt
- 1/8 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 tbsp Sesame Oil (you can substitute with Olive Oil)
Sauce
- 1 tbsp Chopped Yellow/Brown Onion
- 1/2 Inch Ginger (use more if you enjoy Ginger’s kick)
- 3 1/2 tbsp Rice Vinegar (make sure you are using the no sugar added version)
- 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 4 tsp Swerve/Monkfruit (use only 3 tsp if you prefer more zest)
- 1/4 tsp Lemon Zest
- 1/4 tsp Lemon Juice
Directions
1) Gather all the ingredients.
2) Pat down any juice on cod with a paper towel and sprinkle salt and pepper evenly on both sides of the fillets. Set aside.
3) Cut onions into smaller blocks and add to food processor.
4) Use a peeler to de-skin ginger. Cut into smaller blocks and add to food processor.
5) Zest lemon with a zester and add to food processor. Use the same lemon to add 1/4 tsp lemon juice into the food processor.
6) Add Swerve/Monkfruit, Soy Sauce and Rice Vinegar into a food processor. Pulse until desired consistency is reached (we blend for about 20-30 seconds) and transfer to a serving bowl.
7) Add Sesame Oil to cast iron pan and heat on high (please note that cast iron pan & handle gets VERY hot. So please wear mitts if you need to handle the pan).
8) When cast iron is ready, the oil should be lightly smoking. Reduce heat to medium-high and carefully place cods into cast iron pan (please note oil will splatter so take precaution). Cover and cook for 1-3 minutes (depends on thickness). When searing, do not move the meat.
9) After 1-3 minutes, carefully flip the cod, re-cover and cook for an additional 1-3 minutes.
10) Carefully transfer cod to a serving plate and serve with ginger sauce.
Hope you enjoy your low-carb/keto Seared Cod with Benihana Ginger Sauce!
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Seared Cod with Benihana Ginger Sauce
Ingredients
Fish
- 2-3 Fillets Cod
- 1/8 tsp Salt
- 1/8 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 tbsp Sesame Oil you can substitute with Olive Oil
Sauce
- 1 tbsp Yellow Onion Chopped
- 1/2 Inch Ginger use more if you enjoy Ginger’s kick
- 3 1/2 tbsp Rice Vinegar make sure you are using the no sugar added version
- 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 4 tsp Swerve/Monkfruit use only 3 tsp if you prefer more zest
- 1/4 tsp Lemon Zest
- 1/4 tsp Lemon Juice
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Pat down any juice on cod with a paper towel and sprinkle salt and pepper evenly on both sides of the fillets. Set aside.
- Cut onions into smaller blocks and add to food processor.
- Use a peeler to de-skin ginger. Cut into smaller blocks and add to food processor.
- Zest lemon with a zester and add to food processor. Use the same lemon to add 1/4 tsp lemon juice into the food processor.
- Add Swerve/Monkfruit, Soy Sauce and Rice Vinegar into a food processor. Pulse until desired consistency is reached (we blend for about 20-30 second) and transfer to a serving bowl.
- Add Sesame Oil to cast iron pan and heat on high (please note that cast iron pan & handle gets VERY hot. So please wear mitts if you need to handle the pan).
- When cast iron is ready, the oil should be lightly smoking. Reduce heat to medium-high and carefully place cods into cast iron pan (please note oil will splatter so take precaution). Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes (depends on thickness). When searing, do not move the meat.
- After 2-3 minutes, carefully flip the cod, re-cover and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes.
- Carefully transfer cod to a serving plate and serve with ginger sauce.
Video
Nutrition
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