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I have been craving for Thai crab fried rice for a while.
It’s one of those dishes that I would always get whenever I go to Thailand, and I go there almost every year, especially to Bangkok.
Whenever I visit Bangkok, I always head out to Yaowarat, or Chinatown of Bangkok.
There are plenty of great Thai-Chinese food, and one of the dishes I enjoy a lot is crab fried rice—simple Chinese-style fried rice with crab meat, served with nam pla prik, or cut chilies in fish sauce, lime wedges, cucumber slices and tomatoes.
I just love it.
While I was grocery shopping yesterday, the store had just put out some Dungeness crab for sale.
I immediately scored one of them and decided to make crab fried rice.
Yes, a truly delicious crab fried rice should be made with freshly picked crab meat.
While frozen crab meat is fine, I just wanted to make the best dish possible.
So, I took my own sweet time boiling the crab, chilled it in the fridge, and then patiently picked out all the meat from the shells.
The end result was, as you can see from my pictures, absolutely rewarding.
There were a lot of crab meat in my crab fried rice, just like the way I like it.
The sweet and briny crab meat infused the fried rice with its natural sweet taste, so a little light soy sauce and fish sauce are what I needed to season the fried rice.
Really easy!
Another similar recipe that I like is crab noodles, a dish I had shared here a few years ago.
While I love whole crab, for example: my mom’s chili crab, crab noodle soup (crab bee hoon), Singapore-style chili crab, eating dishes made with crab meat is so much hassle-free.
If you love crab and fried rice, this is the dish to make.
Aroy mak or very delicious in Thai.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is 973 calories per serving.
What To Serve With Thai Crab Fried Rice
For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
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Thai Crab Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 tablespoons oil
- 2 garlic, finely minced
- 2 cups tightly packed overnight rice
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 4 – 6 oz (125g-175g) freshly picked crab meat, preferred or frozen crab meat
- 3 dashes white pepper
- 3 scallions, cut into small rounds
- Cilantro leaves, for garnishing
- Lime wedges
- Cucumber slices
- Tomato wedges
Nam Pla Prik:
- 3 bird’s eye chilies, Thai chilies, cut into small pieces
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
Instructions
- Loosen the overnight rice with your hand or a spoon to remove any lumps. Combine the cut chilies and fish sauce in a small saucer and set aside.
- Heat a wok over high heat. Once the wok is fully heated, add 2 tablespoons of oil. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and stir-fry until light brown and aromatic. Add the rice to the wok and use a spatula to toss and stir it. Add the light soy sauce and fish sauce, and continue to stir until well combined with the rice.
- Use your spatula to push all the rice to one side of the wok. Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil to the wok and pour in the beaten eggs. Let the eggs cook and set for a moment. Then, use the spatula to fold the rice over the eggs. Wait for about 1 minute, and then continue to stir, breaking the eggs into smaller pieces to ensure they are evenly distributed throughout the rice.
- Stir in the crab meat and continue to stir-fry. The crab meat may make the fried rice slightly wet. Keep stir-frying until the rice is slightly toasted and fluffy. Add the white pepper powder and scallions, and stir a few times. Then, dish out the fried rice and garnish with cilantro leaves. Serve with lime wedges, cucumber slices, tomato wedges, and sliced chilies in fish sauce.
Notes
- I picked the crab meat from a 1.5-lb Dungeness crab, which yields 6 oz crab meat.
- Please use overnight rice, meaning the rice that is cooked a night before and left in the fridge. This will ensure that the fried rice is not “wet” but fluffy as overnight rice has lesser moisture content.
- For this recipe, use light soy sauce, or soy sauce which is lighter in color. I recommend Healthy Boy brand Thai light soy sauce. Darker soy sauce such as Japanese soy sauce or Chinese soy sauce will not yield the best result. If you can’t find Healthy Boy brand soy sauce, you can use Taiwanese Kimlan brand light soy sauce.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What kind of rice is best for this?
I like jasmine/white rice for this.
How is the fish sauce with chili slivers used. Is it poured on the rice when its served?
Optional, as a condiment.
Years ago, my friend brought a bottle of light soya sauce which to me, the best and most delicious. I can’t remember the brand. He bought it from the state of Johore. Will you be able to help please ?
Malaysia produces the best soy sauce. Any brand is great.
Can I use jumbo lump crab meat?
Yes you can!