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Crab fried rice is a flavorful dish filled with tender crab meat, fluffy eggs, and perfectly cooked rice. This easy Thai crab fried rice recipe is quick to make and just like it came from your favorite Thai spot!
Thai Crab Fried Rice
If you’ve had Chinese Fried Rice, then Thai fried rice is going to blow your mind! Chinese fried rice is savory and mild, with soy sauce, simple veggies like peas and carrots, and that delicious smoky wok flavor.
Thai fried rice, on the other hand, is all about bold, vibrant flavors. Made with fragrant jasmine rice, it’s the perfect balance of savory, sweet, tangy, and sometimes spicy, thanks to fish sauce, sugar, lime, and chili. It’s usually served with lime wedges, tomato wedges, and a side of fish sauce with chili, or nam pla prik—trust me, you’ll want to try it!
Characteristics Of Thai Fried Rice
Chinese fried rice and Thai fried rice differ in flavors, ingredients, and presentation. Here are the top five reasons why I love it!
- Rice: I love fragrant jasmine rice which is slightly sticky and aromatic.
- Flavor: A balance of savory, sweet, tangy, and spicy, with fish sauce, soy sauce, Thai chilies and lime.
- Aromatics: Includes garlic, scallion and cilantro.
- Protein: Often made with shrimp, crab meat, or chicken.
- Garnishing and accompaniments: Fresh lime wedges, tomatoes, and cucumber slices offer a refreshing texture, and the Nam Pla Prik adds an exciting kick to complete the dish.
Crab Fried Rice Recipe
I’m so excited to share this recipe with you! My crab fried rice is loaded with plenty of sweet, briny crab meat—just the way I like it. The crab brings so much natural flavor to the rice that all I needed was a bit of light soy sauce and fish sauce to season it. It’s super easy to make and ridiculously tasty!
If you’re into both crab and fried rice, you’ve got to give this one a try. Aroy mak—so delicious in Thai! Check out my tips below to get that perfect Thai fried rice with crab every time.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Overnight rice – Day-old rice is perfect for fried rice because it’s drier and fries up nicely without turning mushy. If you don’t have leftovers, just cook some fresh rice, spread it out to cool, and pop it in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.
- Bird’s eye chilies – If you can’t find bird’s eye chilies, fresh Thai red chilies could work in a pinch!
- Fish sauce
- Oil – Use vegetable oil or canola oil.
- Garlic
- Light soy sauce
- Eggs
- Crab meat – Freshly picked crab meat is the way to go. While frozen crab meat works fine, I wanted to make the best dish possible, so I took my time boiling the crab, chilling it in the fridge, and patiently picking out all the meat from the shells. For a cheaper option (though it won’t be quite as authentic), you can use imitation crab (surimi).
- White pepper
- Scallions
- Cilantro leaves
- Lime wedges
- Cucumber slices
- Tomato wedges
Please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full details on each ingredient.
How To Make Crab Fried Rice
First, break up the overnight rice with your hands or a spoon to get rid of any clumps. For the Nam Pla Prik, just chop up the chilies and pop them into a small saucer. Then, pour in the fish sauce and give it a quick mix. Set it aside for now.
Heat up your wok on high until it’s nice and hot. Then, add 2 tablespoons of oil. Once the oil’s hot, toss in the garlic and stir-fry it until it turns light brown and smells amazing. Next, throw in the rice and give it a good toss with a spatula. Add the light soy sauce and fish sauce, then keep stirring until it’s all mixed in nicely.
Alright, now push all the rice to one side of the wok with your spatula. Add the rest of the oil (about 1/2 tablespoon) to the empty side, then pour in the beaten eggs. Let them cook and set for a bit, then fold the rice over the eggs with your spatula. Give it about a minute, then stir it all together, breaking up the eggs into smaller pieces so they mix in nicely with the rice.
Now, toss in the crab meat and keep stir-frying. The crab might make the rice a little wet, but just keep at it until the rice gets that nice toasty, fluffy texture. Sprinkle in the white pepper and throw in the scallions—give it a few more stirs. Then, dish it out and garnish with fresh cilantro leaves. Don’t forget to serve with lime wedges, cucumber slices, tomato wedges, and a side of sliced chilies in fish sauce for that extra kick!
Secrets To The Best Crab Fried Rice
- For the best fried rice texture, make sure to use overnight rice—cook it the night before and store it in the fridge. This helps reduce moisture, making your fried rice nice and fluffy instead of soggy.
- When it comes to soy sauce, opt for a light soy sauce (lighter in color). I recommend Healthy Boy Thai light soy sauce for the perfect flavor. Avoid using dark soy sauces like Japanese or Chinese varieties, as they won’t give the best result. If you can’t find the Healthy Boy brand, Taiwanese Kimlan light soy sauce is a great alternative!
- You can’t make authentic Thai food without fish sauce; just a splash adds so much depth to the fried rice.
- I always push the rice to one side of the wok and scramble the eggs on the other side. This way, the eggs stay fluffy and get evenly mixed in with the rice.
- I let the rice get a bit toasted in the wok. That little bit of char adds a smoky flavor that takes the fried rice to the next level.
Frequently Asked Questions
I recommend sticking to jasmine rice for its fragrant, fluffy texture. But if you’ve got another type of long-grain rice, that’ll work too—just avoid short grain rice like sushi rice, Korean rice or Calrose rice. Skip the sticky rice completely, it won’t work.
You can use brown rice if you really want to, but I wouldn’t recommend it for this recipe. Brown rice has a denser texture and takes longer to cook, so it won’t give you that light, fluffy fried rice you’re after.
Absolutely! Just make sure you’ve got a big enough pan or wok to cook everything evenly. If not, you can always cook it in batches.
If you’ve got leftovers, just store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 2–3 days. When you’re ready to reheat, do it gently in a pan with a little oil or water to keep it from drying out.
This recipe is 973 calories per serving.
What To Serve With This Recipe
For a wholesome Thai meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for new updates.
Other Recipes You Might Like
Crab Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 2 cups tightly packed overnight rice
- 2 1/2 tablespoons oil
- 2 garlic, finely minced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fish 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
- Break up the overnight rice with your hands or a spoon to get rid of any clumps. Prepare the Nam Pla Prik by combining the cut chilies and fish sauce in a small saucer. 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
- For the best fried rice texture, make sure to use overnight rice—cook it the night before and store it in the fridge. This helps reduce moisture, making your fried rice nice and fluffy instead of soggy.
- When it comes to soy sauce, opt for a light soy sauce (lighter in color). I recommend Healthy Boy Thai light soy sauce for the perfect flavor. Avoid using dark soy sauces like Japanese or Chinese varieties, as they won’t give the best result. If you can’t find the Healthy Boy brand, Taiwanese Kimlan light soy sauce is a great alternative!
- I swear by fish sauce for that authentic Thai flavor. Just a splash adds so much depth to the fried rice.
- I always push the rice to one side of the wok and scramble the eggs on the other side. This way, the eggs stay fluffy and get evenly mixed in with the rice.
- I let the rice get a bit toasted in the wok. That little bit of char adds a smoky flavor that takes the fried rice to the next level.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Great recipe, simple and tasty. I used surimi for the very first time and I love it. Thank you.
Hi Patrick, yes, surimi will work just fine for this recipe.
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!