What is Crab Fried Rice?
Crab Fried Rice is a delicately flavored fried rice common to the Thai and Chinese cuisines. The star of this dish is, needless to say, the crab meat! I have found that usually jumbo lump crab meat is used for this fried rice. Crab Fried Rice is basically good quality crab meat, rice and a few simple seasonings. Since crab meat is delicate, the best way to enjoy this is to keep the seasonings mild so as to not overpower the crab taste and flavor.
My first encounter..
I was first introduced to this deliciousness in a Thai restaurant. Ever since that dinner, each time we go to a Thai restaurant, the Crab Fried Rice is a staple dish for our table. It is a very simple fried rice where the crab meat shines, no heavy sauces or flavorings for this rice! Recently, we found a fresh seafood market about an hour’s drive from our place and they had some quality lump crab meat. Right then, I knew I had to try to recreate our favorite seafood fried rice.
The Main Players..
For this fried rice, there are two main players: The crab and the rice, as simple as that! The key to any good fried rice is cooked and cooled rice that does not clump together. Using day old rice works perfectly fine too. If you already have that handy, making this fried rice is like a walk in the park! I seasoned this simply with garlic, salt, pepper and a splash of soy sauce (or tamari for a gluten free version) and let the crabmeat be the star of this dish! Another ingredient I added here were eggs. I scrambled them in the pan before adding the crab and the rice.
Some variations
One of the key and signature ingredient in Thai cuisine is the Fish Sauce. I decided to omit this and season with salt instead. Fish Sauce has a very salty taste so if you intend to use it, I recommend not adding salt until you have tasted it. You could add vegetables such as carrots or green beans if you like, I prefer to have this rice without a lot of vegetables. Eggs are optional too! I have had spicier versions of this rice too and it tastes wonderful!! Add red chili flakes or make this in chili oil if you wish. Preparing this fried rice in chili oil will give it a nice color too! If you want to retain the white color and yet make it spicy, I recommend adding chopped green chilis to the oil.
Have you made crab fried rice? What are your favorite ingredients in this fried rice, do let me know in the comments below. Here is how I make my Crabmeat Fried Rice…
CRAB FRIED RICE
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp oil
- 4 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 4 scallions finely chopped
- 3 cups white rice cooked and cooled
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 cup crabmeat cleaned
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan and add chopped garlic and the scallions.
- Add the rice, season with salt, pepper and a splash of soy. Mix well.
- Make a well in the pan by moving the riceto the sides of the pan, add the remaining 1 tbsp oil and the beaten eggs.
- Scramble the eggs until cooked and then mix with the rice.
- Finally, add the crab meat and mix gently.
- Cover and cook for a couple mins, garnish with scallions and serve hot!