Keto Katsu SPAM-do (Katsu Sando)
Keto Katso SPAM-do is a fun, pantry friendly version of the popular Japanese sandwich. With low carb bread (or just lettuce) you can have a fun sandwich for your family.
I made this Keto Katso SPAM-do over a year ago. When everything keto was the rage. And, well my dad was and is still following a low carb diet. He drank the Kool-Aid when he was diagnosed with diabetes. But it works for him and my step-mom so who am I to say anything.
After vising them, I had it in my head to try a keto fried green tomato recipe using pork rinds like you would for flour. We tried them while we were there, and the tomatoes just didn’t come out how I envisioned in my head. Even though we used keto breadcrumbs, they just lacked that something that made them crispy and tangy good.
I realized it was the fine ground flour that we were lacking. And you just can’t get that with low carb bread. Heck, you can’t get that with any bread, that I’ve tried. If you have, please let me know how. Breadcrumbs reach a certain small size and then it just won’t get any smaller. Maybe with a blender? I don’t know.
But what I do know is that Dad was coating a lot of stuff using pork rinds. They have great flavor, you can grind them up, and things get crispy delicious when you use them. Now, how do I make them both fine like flour and coarser like panko? Well, that means I have to process in two batches, duh!
How are macaron and this katsu spam-do related?
There’s a trick to processing pork rinds to fine powder. And I learned it while taking a class on making macaron. You see, before there was peanut butter powder and all these other kinds of nut meals, you sort of had to grind your own. Or pay a LARGE amount to order them online. But during the last macaron class I took with Mom, they said to stick those nuts with higher fat content in the freezer.
Sticking them in the freezer allows the fat in them to solidify making them easier to process and prevents them from turning into a nut butter. Or, in this case, a pork rind paste type stuff. Because I did that on my first attempt at process them into a fine powder. It was rather…let’s just say unappetizing.
Granted the fine ground isn’t quite as fine ground as flour, but it does coat the Keto Katso SPAM-do pretty well. Then you dip the slices into the egg and dip into the coarse ground rinds. It gives that extra crunchy coating that you’re hoping to have in this katsu sando.
I just had to show off that pretty tomato. It was perfectly ripe from the CSA box and had such great tomato taste. But just look at how pretty it is!!?? The farm fresh ripe tomato really did make this sandwich even more scrumptious.
Now that I think about it, this Keto Katso SPAM-do is sort of a take on a BLT sandwich, too. There’s B that’s in the pork rinds. Then there’s the L and T on there. There just happens to be some Portuguese sausage SPAM in the middle. But I imagine the Teriyaki or any of the other flavors would be delicious, too.
Just look at all those yummy layers there!
There’s the low carb bread. I used 647 Schmidt. Dad says it’s decent for low carb. I think it has like 6 net carbs? I have no idea if that’s good or bad. But it tastes pretty good. Feel fee to use your bread of choice or make it a lettuce wrap.
Then there’s juicy, vine ripe tomato. And finally, the pork rind crusted SPAM to round out the whole sandwich. How does it taste? It tastes delicious!! But then again, I like SPAM so I knew it was something I would enjoy for lunch.
I combine some mayonnaise with some Chinese hot mustard. It made for a kicked up sandwich for sure. But it didn’t quite have the flavor I was looking for. I’m sure I needed to mix the mustard with something else to have the flavor of a house mustard I wanted. That’s something I need to work on. A house mustard.
You know what I’m talking about, right? Not that stuff in the packet, but the real made from scratch mustard that opens your sinuses up like no body’s business! That amber bomb of a sauce in a bowl. It’s not even the same as the jar of sauce you get at the grocery. There’s something just slightly more mustard like and spicy than all the premade mustard you can buy.
You can just see how crispy delicious that sandwich is! Those crispy bits of pork rind on the SPAM make for a super tasty crust. Don’t want to use Spam? Then grab a chicken breast or even a sandwich pork chop. You know the kind I mean, right? They’re boneless, thin, and the perfect size for a sandwich.
I tried dipping the slices into the coarse ground rinds. It just didn’t have the completely coated look to it after I did that. That’s why I dipped these Keto Katsu SPAM-do slices into the finer processed rinds, then egg, then the coarse ground rinds. That gives you a completely delicious coated katsu for your sando.
You can see the coating in those layers right there! That’s what your looking for and what you’ll get with the double dip method. I went with the basics for my Keto Katsu SPAM-do but you can stack it up with toppings of your choice. Onions, cheese, gochujang, or even just a sprinkling of some soy and sesame.
I see all y’all turning your nose up to the SPAM. But hey, in times like this when fresh ingredients are sometimes few and far between, we have to think outside the plastic wrapped styrofoam packages and look to other sources of protein in packages. Besides, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. SPAM is not what you remember, so grab a can and make these or some SPAM fried rice, or just a fried SPAM sandwich.

Keto Katsu SPAM-do (Katsu Sando)
Keto Katso SPAM-do is a fun, pantry friendly version of the popular Japanese sandwich. With low carb bread (or just lettuce) you can have a fun sandwich for your family.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces SPAM (I used Portuguese Sausage, but Teriyaki, or even Jalapeno would be good)
- 12 ounces fried pork rinds, cracklings, or other chicharrones product of choice
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 whole tomato, thinly sliced
- 4 to 5 leaves romaine or iceberg lettuce
- 8 slices Schmidt 647 low carb bread
- Other toppings of choice
Instructions
- Place the pork rinds in the freezer for 1 hour.
- Slice the SPAM into 4 slices.
- Process half the pork rinds into a fine meal and place in a shallow dish.
- Place the remaining half of the pork rinds in the processor and pulse until coarsely ground and place in a separate shallow dish.
- Pour the egg into a third shallow dish. You see where I’m going with this?
- Dip the spam slices into the finely ground pork rinds, then the egg, then the coarsely ground pork rinds.
- Place in the air fryer and cook for 12 to 15 minutes on 380 or until the pork rinds are golden brown and the SPAM is heated through.
- Spread your choice of toppings on each of the slices of the low carb bread.
- Top with lettuce, tomato, and one slice of SPAM and any additional topping you’d like and serve.
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 8202Total Fat 118gSaturated Fat 28gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 77gCholesterol 152mgSodium 22589mgCarbohydrates 1679gFiber 363gSugar 194gProtein 360g
Holy crap! EIGHT THOUSAND CALORIES!? Eat at your own will.
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You may want to check that nutrition info. The numbers are whack. More carbs, sodium, etc. than most of us consume in a week, lol.
Right? It’s a plugin and I never trust it. But Google says we should have something in there regardless of the accuracy. I usually put a note when it seems stupid high, like this one.
Love that crunchy breading on the spam! This looks like such a filling sandwich!
SUPAH crunchy! It’s the double dip that does it.
I love that this is crusted in pork rinds! This sounds like an amazing flavor combo!
A hint of bacon, but totally keto for those following that diet.
Great tips on the pork rinds! I’ve done them like panko but never fine. And I’ll have to try freezing–wondering if that might even revive the bag I have that’s a bit stale 🙂
If they’re stale then definitely grind them up! They make the best coatings. If the freezer does’t work, try popping them into the oven for a bit.
Oh! I just love the tip about freezing before grinding nuts and other high fat items.
And this is such a creative way to enjoy SPAM.
I’m full of tidbits of info like that. LOL
This is such an unusual sandwich. I love that you coated it in pork rinds for flavor!
Pork rinds are the panko for keto people. At least that’s what Dad says.
Yumm! Love that crispy coating on the spam – that looks scrumptious!
Thank you! It was super crunchy! More than I anticipated.
I like the idea of using pork rinds for the breading. I’ll bet it was delcious.
Definitely! Hint of bacon flavor with all that crunch.