Hibachi Steak and Shrimp Appetizer (keto)

Looking for a low carb appetizer to take to a party or get together? Try this keto hibachi steak and shrimp appetizer with vegetables. There are also two easy and delicious dipping sauces that go with it. This can also be a low carb high protein dinner as well.

This post was originally sponsored by the Certified Angus Beef ® brand in conjunction with a social media campaign through Sunday Supper LLC. All opinions are my own.

Check out this low carb buffalo chicken stuffed mushrooms appetizer.

I don’t know about you but I love going to hibachi or Japanese steakhouse restaurants. Everything they make looks simple but tastes so good. However it’s also a bit time consuming and even a little expensive. So a few years ago I came up with this low carb hibachi steak and shrimp dinner and two delicious dipping sauces.

Originally I made this as an appetizer to take to a football party but now we eat it for dinner. My husband loves to eat this with rice and the ginger dipping sauce while I like to keep it low carb so no rice for me but I love the yum yum dipping sauce.

So I was able to get that hibachi experience in my home in less time and certainly less money. Plus it’s Asian comfort food to me and makes for a tasty low carb high protein dinner for me and my family

Recipe ingredients and substitutions.

These are the simple ingredients that I used – steak, shrimp, sesame oil, butter, salt and black pepper. The vegetables I used were zucchini, mushrooms, sweet bell peppers. I just use simple seasonings and marinades, soy sauce, etc. Most of the seasonings are in the dipping sauces.

• Steak and Shrimp – These were the proteins that I used but you can also use chicken, pork, turkey, scallops, etc. However you want them to be in chunks and you have to make sure they are cooked through. If you want you can eliminate the steak and just have hibachi shrimp which will take even less time.
• Vegetables – You don’t have make the vegetables but I think they are delicious with the dipping sauces and if you are vegetarian you can just make them. You can use other vegetables as well, like onions, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, green beans, sugar snap peas, asparagus, etc. Again you want them to be in a more chunky form so you can dip them.
• Sesame Oil and Butter – The sesame oil is a must for me because it adds so much flavor. And the hibachi restaurants use butter but you could use avocado, olive oil or even vegetable oil if you prefer. I find the butter has a bit more flavor but you can use whatever you prefer.

I wasn’t sure what kind of beef to use so I ask the very helpful butcher at the grocery store. I knew I wanted Certified Angus Beef® because the steak was going to be the star of this dish and I wanted it to be tender and delicious. The butcher suggested I use sirloin steak and it was delicious! And if you prefer and can afford filet mignon go for it. Unfortunately I can not bring myself to use filet mignon.

How to make the yum yum and brown ginger dipping sauces.

I made two sauces for this dish – A creamy yum yum sauce and a thinner brown ginger sauce. Below are all the ingredients and substitutions.

For the yum yum sauce I used mayonnaise, fresh garlic, paprika, butter, cayenne powder, sweetener, tomato paste and a bit of water.

I would use all of these ingredients if you have them. You could substitute garlic powder for the fresh garlic. One clove equals ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder. Also you could substitute ketchup or sriracha sauce for the tomato paste if you had too. And I use Swerve sweetener to lower the carbs but you could use regular white sugar if you don’t care about carbs.

And for the brown ginger sauce I just used soy sauce, fresh ginger (or ginger paste), lemon juice, onion, fresh garlic, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar sweetener and sesame oil.

I would not substitute the fresh ginger as it has so much flavor. You can easily find ginger root and ginger paste at Aldi. You could substitute garlic powder for the fresh garlic though. You can use white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar for the rice wine vinegar. And I used Swerve brown sugar sweetener but you could use regular brown sugar if you want.

To make these dipping sauces just mix the ingredients together. The garlic and ginger should be crushed or finely grated. And the onion should be minced.

TIP: I’ve been eating the yum yum sauce with with the hibachi veggies and even steamed asparagus, broccoli and brussels sprouts and it’s delicious! 

How to make hibachi steak and shrimp.

Make the dipping sauce by mixing the ingredients for each one in a small container and refrigerate until ready to eat.

 Step 1: Chop up the vegetable into bite size pieces. Try to keep them uniform in size and set aside. Cut up the steak in small bite size pieces too. Liberally sprinkle with salt and black pepper.

Step 2: Get out a cast iron skillet and heat to medium high. Add butter to the hot skillet and when it melts add the steak pieces. Turn the heat down to medium heat. Cook them for about 3 minutes undisturbed. Then flip the pieces and cook another 3 minutes. I had bigger chunks but if you want them more rare or have small pieces than mine below make that 2 minutes each side.  

Step 3: When the steak is cooking, precook the vegetables in the microwave for 3 minutes.

Step 4: When the steak is done, take it out of the skillet and let it rest. Add a bit more butter in the pan along with the vegetables and cook for 3 minutes.

Step 5: Add in the shrimp to the sautéed vegetables and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring frequently. Lastly add back the beef and sprinkle the sesame oil all over. Mix well and cook for a minute to infuse with the sesame oil.

You can garnish with sesame seeds, fresh cilantro if you wish but it’s not necessary. If eating this for a low carb dinner you can eat as is, with cauliflower rice or if you don’t care about carbs try steamed white rice. I just eat it as is with the yum yum sauce as a dip for both the protein and veggies.

When everything is done, place on a platter or large plate and serve with the dipping sauces. Store leftovers in airtight containers. Please scroll down to view the printable recipe card.

You can make the sauces a day ahead of time if you wish as well as cut up the meat and vegetables then too. That way you only have to do a quick stir fry to make this low carb appetizer!

To make this dish in the air fryer.

Create the sauces the same as above and chop the vegetables and meat in the same way.

Preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes minutes. In a large bowl mix together the vegetables and meat cubes with 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Place in the basket of the air fryer and spread out in an even layer. Air fry for 12 minutes at 400°F.

Next add in the shrimp and 1 more tablespoon of melted butter. Mix well and spread out as best you can and cook for 3-5 minutes until the shrimp is cooked through. Take out and mix in the sesame oil and spoon onto a platter and serve.

If you want to eat this as a low carb dinner, try this with my easy keto fried rice or double the shrimp factor with this keto fried rice with shrimp. I also have a ginger carrot salad dressing that would go great with this dish.

Below you can see how my husband ate this white rice. He also drizzled some of the ginger sauce on top of the rice. I just ate it as is without the rice and used the yum yum sauce. It was delicious!

I hope you enjoy this low carb hibachi steak and shrimp appetizer as much as we did. We make this for dinner too. Both the stovetop and air fryer basket were easy ways to make this low carb dinner so use whatever method you want. It really was a delicious appetizer or dinner, especially when pair with the sauces and you don’ have to go to a Japanese hibachi restaurant to have it!

The nutrition information for 1 serving of the hibachi steak and shrimp based on 10 servings total is: 284 cals / 18.2g fat / 2.1g carbs / 0.7g fiber / 26.7g protein = 1.4g net carbs

Yum Yum Sauce (1 tablespoon –  makes 18 servings ) 93 cals / 10.2g fat / 0.3g carbs / 0.1g fiber / 0.1g protein = 0.2g net carbs

Ginger Sauce (1 tablespoon – makes 16 servings) 11 cals / 0.3g fat / 0.7g carbs / 0.1g fiber / 1.1g protein = 0.6g net carbs