I fell in love with Thai crab fried rice the first time I had it at Fish Cheeks in New York City. Although this doesn’t taste exactly like theirs, it is still a wonderful dish.
This fried rice with crab recipe is chock full of jumbo lump crab and lots of aromatic flavors, thanks to ginger, garlic, shallot, cilantro, and scallions.
The sauce for the crab fried rice is soy sauce, fish sauce, Shaoxing wine, a pinch of white pepper and lime juice. I added a healthy tablespoon of hot sauce and you can use any that you prefer. If you have sriracha, perfect, but you can use chili oil, crushed red pepper, or sambal oolek.
This recipe comes together pretty quickly, but it does take some initial prep. Because it cooks up so quickly, you really shouldn’t start until all your ingredients have been prepped and are ready to go.
You will first cook the aromatics. I start with the shallot to let it soften a bit. Then, I very quickly cook the ginger, garlic, and most of the minced scallions.
From there, I add the sauce and bring it a quick boil. Next, I added the cooked rice and flatten it into an even layer across the sauce. I like to let the rice crisp up a little bit in the sauce. Then, I add the beaten eggs over the cooked rice. I let it seep into the rice for 30-45 seconds before I start mixing. Finally, I add the jumbo lump crab and flip it all together. At this point, you can add more of whatever sauce you like or serve immediately!
If you make this recipe and you love it, please tag me on Instagram and be sure to rate the recipe below! I’d love to hear your comments on how this delicious Thai crab fried rice turned out.
Thai Crab Fried Rice
Equipment
- Wok
- Small pot with lid
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons neutral cooking oil
- 1 shallot peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons ginger freshly minced
- 6 cloves garlic peeled and minced
- 4 scallions trimmed and minced, divided
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce plus more, if desired
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce more or less, to taste
- 1 tablespoon sambal oolek optional
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine optional
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 lime juiced
- 4 cups cooked white rice
- 2 eggs whisked until smooth
- ½ cup fresh cilantro finely chopped
- 16 ounces jumbo lump crab meat
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Cook the Aromatics:
- Heat the oil in a wok over medium-high heat until very hot.
- Add the shallot and cook for 2-3 minutes until it begins to soften.
- Add the ginger, garlic, and half the minced scallions and cook for 45 seconds or until fragrant.
Cook the Sauce:
- While the shallot is cooking, combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl, including the soy sauce, fish sauce, sambal oolek or sriracha, Shaoxing wine, ground white pepper, and lime juice.
- Pour the sauce into the wok and bring to a boil. Cook for 30-40 seconds. Swirl the sauce around to incorporate it with the aromatics.
Cook the Rice:
- Add the rice to the wok and use your spoon to gently flatten it out across the wok and into the sauce. Cook without moving for 1 minute.
Incorporate the Egg:
- Pour the whisked eggs over the rice and cook for 1 minute more.
- Using your spoon or spatula, turn the rice and eggs into each other and flip until the egg is mixed well into the rice and the rice is well-coated with the sauce.
Cook the Crab:
- Fold the crab and half the cilantro into the rice and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes more. Be careful not to overmix the crab as you want to maintain some of the large lumps.
- Taste and season the crab fried rice to your tastes, adding more soy sauce, fish sauce, or sambal oolek as desired. Turn off the heat.
To Serve:
- Divide the crab fried rice between bowls and garnish with the remaining scallions and cilantro. Enjoy!
