Seafood Dim Sum Recipe (Low carb, Easy!)
by This Seafood Dim Sum Recipe is like an Asian-style seafood boil that takes only 5 minutes to assemble yet is incredibly delicious! The white fish fillet is buttery tender with juicy shrimp and umami-rich clams, half-steamed and half-basted in their own juices. Best of all, you can use any ingredient combo you like! This show stopping dim sum recipe is a must-have for seafood lovers, you will be blown away!
Originally published in 2019. Updated with new photos and simplified recipe steps.
Seafood Dim Sum Recipe (Keto, Paleo, Whole30)
Today’s dim sum recipe reminds me of seafood boil. It has the most incredible flavorful broth, incredibly delicious, and super versatile. You can use any type of white (meaty) fish fillets or substitute other seafood that you prefer. You can also adjust the quantity of each ingredient based on your personal preference.
I’ve made this dish several times with or without a bamboo steamer. All you need is a shallow heat-proof bowl to catch all the delicious juices and place it on a steam rack and you are good to go!
Is dim sum low carb?
Dim Sum originated from Canton province, China and with various varieties from dumplings to shumai, and to steamed buns. Dim sum is usually steamed or deep fried and the fillings can be savory or sweet. Steamed savory dishes are usually low carb however the dumpling wrappers aren’t.
The three most common dim sum dipping sauces are soy-chili, white vinegar-ginger, and mustard. The white vinegar-ginger dipping sauce is low carb. The other two depend on how the chili paste and mustard are made.
Is dim sum healthy?
Steamed dim sum is lower in carbs and the savory filling has less sugar than sweet filling dumplings. Steamed version is healthier than deep-fried counterparts. Dim sum can also include vegetables for example bok choy dim sum, blanched gai lan with oyster sauce, and Chinese broccoli stir-fry with garlic sauce.
My har gow crystal dumplings are gluten-free and paleo and my Keto shumai is Paleo, Whole30, and low carb.
Ingredients for Keto Seafood Dim Sum Recipe
Dim Sum means touch your heart. Part of the fun is that you get to pick whatever ingredients you want to go into your dim sum basket. No shellfish? No problem. Add more cut-up carrots, broccoli, asparagus, or shiitake to go with chunky white fish fillets. Everyone’s dim sum basket can look a little different and that’s part of the fun!
For me, I use a chunky cut of halibut fillet, some jumbo wild-caught shrimp, clams, and carrots to pair with Chinese broccoli or asparagus on the side.
You must catch all that incredibly flavorful soy-sesame broth!
The ingredients are half-steamed and half-basted in their own juices so even if you have a bamboo basket place a heat-proof shallow bowl on top to catch all that delicious juice!
How to make dim sum at home easily
- Pick and choose what you want in your dim sum basket
- Add just enough water to lightly touch the rack and bring the water to boil
- Make individual serving bowls and add the seasonings
- Cover and steam until the fish is buttery flakey and the clams are opened
- Serve with or without the dipping sauce on the side
Two options to enjoy steamed seafood dim sum:
Option 1: Rich umami soy-sesame flavor. No dipping sauce required!
Pick an item from the dim sum bowl and dip it in the seafood juice a few times as if you are doing shabu-shabu and enjoy the most clean and natural flavor. I do this all the time when I am feeling lazy to make a sauce.
Option 2: Flavor punch – Scallion ginger dipping oil
Ladle a few tablespoons of the dipping oil over the seafood. The fragrant oil along with loads of scallions and ginger pair beautifully with super lean protein. This is a great way to make the dish more satiating as you are adding more good fat to the dish.
Also, try dipping the seafood in gluten free hoisin Sauce. It’s a common condiment that served on the side of this dish.
What Chinese food can you eat on the Keto diet?
- Beef and broccoli
- Chicken and broccoli
- Shrimp and broccoli
- Chinese pepper steak
- Mongolian beef
- Chinese Cod Fish Recipe
- Kung pao chicken
- Kung pao shrimp
- Browse more of my low carb recipes
Pairings for steamed seafood dim sum
- Keto egg rolls
- Keto scallion pancakes
- Chicken Lo Mein Keto
- Keto Garlic Fried Rice
- Daikon potstickers
- Egg drop soup
- Easy Sauteed Taiwanese cabbage
- Chinese Mustard greens with ginger sauce
- Sauteed snow pea leaves
- Daikon with chicken
Download my low carb paleo meal plan to eat flavorful good food without spending hours in the kitchen!
Seafood Dim Sum Recipe (easy, low carb!)
Ingredients
- ¾ lb skinless, boneless sea bass or other meaty fish fillets, cut into 2.5-inch pieces
- 6 pieces clams, scrubbed
- 6 pieces shrimp
- 1 to 2 full cap fresh shiitake mushrooms
- 1 large carrot, sliced into coins
- 5 to 6 spears asparagus, trimmed (woody bottoms discarded) or any crunchy vegetables
- 3 tablespoons coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ⅓ cup Scallion-Ginger Dipping Oil, see notes
Instructions
- Place the fish, clams, shrimp, shiitake, and vegetables in a shallow, heatproof bowl so as to catch the juices. Place the bowl over a steamer basket, if using. Season with the coconut aminos and sesame oil, and salt and pepper.
- Steam over medium to medium-low heat for about 10 minutes. Remove from the pot and set aside the shrimp and asparagus as they tend to cook faster than other ingredients. Cover them to keep warm.
- Continue steaming the rest of the ingredients further until the fish is buttery and flaky and the clams are open.
- Place the steamed ingredients in a serving bowl. You can either enjoy them as they are with the juices in the bowl or strain the seafood juices through a sieve (save this stock for later use) and serve with the dipping oil. Serve hot and immediately.
Notes
- ⅓ cup avocado oil
- 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 medium shallot, minced
- 1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh ginger (matchsticks)
- 4 scallions, chopped and separated into white and green parts
- 1.5 teaspoons coarse salt, or to taste
- Heat the avocado oil in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan. Test the oil temperature by adding one slice of garlic: if it starts bubbling right away, that means the temperature is correct. If the garlic burns too quickly, that means the temperature is too hot and the heat should be lowered.
- Add the garlic, shallot, ginger, and white scallion parts to the oil. Cook until softened, stirring frequently to prevent them from burning. Season with salt to taste. You’ll want to aim on the slightly saltier side as this is a dipping sauce meant for plain boiled or steamed chicken, seafood (shrimp, white fish fillets), and/or vegetables (carrots, asparagus).
- Once the mixture has softened and you can smell a nice aroma, turn off the heat. Stir in the green scallion parts and remove from the heat to let cool.
- Serve the infused oil at room temperature. Store any extra in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Allow it to come to room temperature before using.
Nutrition
Also check out my 25 Low Carb Meal Prep Recipes , 16 best tried and true paleo Whole30 thai recipes , Top 10 paleo meatball recipes, and thanks for featuring Asian Paleo in the 14 best dietary books!
Made your chopped salad for lunch (OMG- YUM – that dressing!!) and made this for dinner. Usually (sadly) I have to coax a comment out of my husband but he was RAVING about this dish (and he is not Paleo oriented).Just kept saying yum while eating and afterwards said (several times) how good it was. It may be the most complemented dish I have ever made him (except for some Italian Almond cookies). I would suggest starting with the clams a few minutes ahead of time (as they needed more time than the fish- mine barely opened) and then add the fish and shrimp (which both could stand equal cooking time- I used haddock). But this could be the method I used (a steamer rack in a wok, 2 servings in 1 large bowl). At the end we were both practically licking the bowl! Next time I will make larger a portion! Thank you!!!!!!!
Thank you, Martha and your husband! So happy to hear you both enjoyed a dinner together! And thanks for sharing the tips with us!
I have missed dim sum so much ever since going gluten-free/Paleo. Can’t wait to try this!
What a fun and vibrant dish — and it is definitely touching my heart!!!
Yum, the clams in the cooking juices with the dipping oil — so special!! Our family loves this recipe! 🙂
My kids are wild about seafood and this is a new seafood recipe I made for them the other day. It was super easy, light, and filling! Love the sweet savory sauce, too!
This is perfect! Light, full of flavor and so satisfying! Such a delicious treat!
I love seafood, and this is wonderful! The dipping sauce is a must.
OK, this is officially the best weeknight meal I have seen lately – delicious, flavorful and just what I like to have on my kitchen table!
My kids love this dish! seafood is their favorite and this dish is super easy to make!
I love dim sum but hate how I feel afterward. I can not wait to try your low carb seafood dim sum recipes… I know I will feel great after eating this delicious meal!
What a delicious combination of ingredients! It’s fun picking and choosing what goes into our individual baskets. Can’t believe this only takes 30 minutes to cook!
I love your recipe but haven’t gotten to this recipe….yet. Next up as it looks wonderful!
I love all your recipes and I’m always craving dim sum and my family loves healthy lean protein with seafood choices. Like you said the combinations are endless and the broth is so fragrant and umami! Will be making it again!
I SO miss dim sum from previous, pre-gluten-free life so it’s so great to see recipes like this. Love the ginger “soy” and sesame flavor combo. So easy and it enhances the seafood combo really well.
This dinner looks amazing. We loved your scallion ginger cod dish so when I saw this new seafood combo I had to give it a try! I used more white fish fillets and without the shellfish and added more vegetables. My daughter is vegetarian so she added so fried tofu in her basket to steam. Our meals came out beautiful and the flavor works well with all combinations!
Thank you, Renee!
What an amazing idea, this has my mouth watering!
We love the shrimp, asparagus and shiitakes combo. I couldn’t find asparagus so I used broccoli florets instead and the combination is seriously delicious! Light and fragrant. It’s super fun new way of preparing them, too!
This has to be the most sophisticated dim sum I ever did see! Love the combination of seafood and vegetables!
I have missed going to dim sum and this recipe is easy to put together. My husband and I selected our own combo to go into the basket and the broth was super fragrant! It’s a romantic and healthy dinner for two! Thanks!
My husband and I made this Asian-style seafood boil for lunch today and it was INCREDIBLY flavorful. I can’t believe such simple recipe can bring so much flavor! Getting the Umami Cookbook now!
Thanks so much, Elena!