Crab Fried Rice

We’ve made it past Chinese New Year! Now I can stop stressing about how I’m going to cook a CNY feast in a Tahoe Airbnb with questionable kitchen gear because… well, it happened and without a hitch! Our Airbnb didn’t have any serving platters and the knives were sooooooooo dull, BUT we persevered and enjoyed a feast full of lucky food. Everyone else gets into healthy reboot mode at the beginning of year, but my reset normally happens once the multi-course feasts are over around the end of January/early February. And by reset I mean I might eat a few less dumplings throughout the week : )

To be honest, more light meals in my repertoire are much needed because I’ll be working on endless savory bun and dessert recipes for the foreseeable future in prep for my cookbook! My google calendar looks like the menu of a Chinese bakery!

In between the bun testing and practicing my puff pastry skills, I’ll be sneaking in this super delicious and insanely fast crab fried rice as my go-to quick but slightly fancy meal. I don’t normally order crab fried rice at restaurants for a few reasons…

1. It’s typically insanely overpriced.

2. 50% of the time there’s not that much crab in there.

3. It’s so easy to make yourself!

If you’re quick with your prep work and already have some leftover rice in the fridge, I would say that you could have this fried rice ready in about 20 minutes! I’ve watched my Mom make fried rice a hundred times or more. It was one of the first recipes I mastered and made for people I really liked in college. I’m honestly shocked that I’ve never shared a fried rice recipe on here before. But I’m making up for lost time! 

You can find some really great canned crab meat nowadays. If you’re lucky enough to have access to fresh crab meat that’s even better. It’s a great way to make your classic fried rice really pop! The brininess of the crab is complemented with fish sauce and oyster sauce to really bring out that seafood flavor. A side of cucumbers and pickled carrots and daikon really brightens the whole dish! I love this recipe so much! 

Should you use leftover rice?

The general consensus seems to be that leftover rice is best for fried rice. However, my family has a different stance on that. My mom would almost always use freshly cooked rice in her recipe. When you’re cooking your rice, instead of a 1:2 rice to water ratio, use a 1:1.5 ratio instead so the rice isn’t soggy. Once the rice is cooked, I fluff it up and allow it to cool while I prep my aromatics.

Jasmine rice is the only rice I would ever use to make fried rice. U.S.-grown jasmine rice is even better. One of my favorite things about it is how it’s sustainably grown! Jasmine rice is aromatic (so your whole kitchen smells great!) and the long grains allow the rice to not clump up as much as short grain rice, which is excellent for fried rice because you want the rice to be fluffy and have as much exposure to the hot pan for maximum crispness. 

3 Tips for The Best Fried Rice

1. Don’t scramble your eggs. I’ve seen recipes and cooking videos where they scramble the eggs first in the pan, remove them, and then add them back into the rice… the horror! My Mom taught me to fry the rice first, make a well in the center of the pan, add a bit of oil in, and then fry the eggs in the center. Leave them alone for a few minutes and then break them up into the rice. SO MUCH BETTER. 

2. Remember the scoop and flip method! Try not to touch your rice too much. I like to even out my rice in the pan, let it sizzle for a few minutes, and then get my spatula under a section of rice to flip it over. Another tip from my Mom. This allows the rice to thoroughly crisp up on all sides!

3. Even if you don’t have crab or anything else other than eggs to add to your rice, make sure to always add scallions and oyster sauce. It’s a must. Scallions and oyster sauce add the quintessential fried rice flavors. Sometimes, my Mom will add a bit of shrimp paste for flavor when there isn’t any meat to add into the mix. 

Yes, these are all tips learned from my Mom. I swear if food blogging was a thing in her 20s she would have been a total superstar!

Crab Fried Rice

Serves 2-3

Materials:

3 tbsp olive oil + 1 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic - minced
1 tbsp ginger - minced
4 green onion stalks - chopped with whites and greens separated
5 cup cooled U.S.-grown jasmine rice (about 1 ½ cup dry rice)
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
½ tsp salt
½ tsp white pepper
3 eggs
6 oz canned or fresh crab meat - drained

Chili oil - for serving
Cucumbers and pickled veggies - for serving
Cilantro - for serving

Steps:

1. Heat 3 tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic, ginger, and the whites of the green onion to the oil and cook for 1-2 minute, until fragrant.

2. Add the rice and use a spatula to break the rice clumps a part and toss in the oil. Season with fish sauce, oyster sauce, salt and white pepper. 

3. Spread the rice out into an even layer in the pan and allow to cook undisturbed for 2 minutes. Mix up the rice and repeat step 3 2-3 more times until the rice is browned and crisp.

4. Make a clear opening in the center of rice. Add the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil to the cetner of the pan. Allow the oil to heat up for 30 seconds. Add the eggs to the center of the pan and allow them to cook undisturbed for 1-2 minutes, until the whites of the eggs have started to set up. Use your spatula to break up the egg and mix in the rice. Add crab meat and continue to stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Mix in the greens of green onions.

5. Serve the crab fried rice immediately with chili oil, cucumbers, pickled veggies, and cilantro! 

Thanks, USA Rice, for sponsoring this post!