Salmon Fried Rice (三文鱼炒饭)
Salmon fried rice is a delicious one-pan meal that you can quickly whip together using a few pantry ingredients. The juicy salmon, tender eggs, crisp veggies and buttery rice all work together to create a satisfying and healthy meal for your weekday dinner. {Gluten-Free Adaptable}To make the recipe gluten-free, use tamari to replace the soy sauce.
Servings: 3 to 4 servings
Ingredients
Marinating
- 8 oz (225 g) salmon , skin removed and diced into 3/4” (1 cm) squares
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Rice
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (or vegetable oil, or a combo of both) (*Footnote 1)
- 1/2 small red onion , small dice
- 2 cloves garlic , sliced
- 4 cups cold day-old jasmine rice (or medium grain rice)
- 1/3 cup frozen veggies of your choice (I used green peas and corn) (*Footnote 2)
- 1/2 red pepper , small dice (*Footnote 1)
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce (or seasoned soy sauce for seafood)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 3 eggs , beaten
- Sliced green onion for garnish (Optional)
Instructions
- Combine the salmon with the marinade ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix until evenly coated. Let marinate while preparing the other ingredients.
- Use your fingers or a fork to separate any clumps of rice before cooking.
- Heat 1/2 tablespoon of butter over high heat in a large skillet until hot. Spread the salmon into a single layer in the pan. Cook without moving until the bottom turns golden, 2 minutes or so. Flip to cook the other side until golden, another 2 minutes. Stir a few times, then transfer to a plate. (*Footnote 3)
- Add 1/2 tablespoon butter to the same pan and pour in the beaten eggs. Scramble the egg until just cooked, then transfer to the same plate with the salmon.
- Add 2 tablespoons of butter and the onions. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Add the garlic. Cook and stir until the edge of the garlic turns pale golden, 1 minute or so.
- Add the rice and turn to medium-high heat. Stir to separate the grains and coat the grains evenly with the oil. Let the rice toast, stirring occasionally, until the rice appears dry and crispy, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn to medium heat if the pan gets too hot.
- Pour in the soy sauce. Stir and cook until the rice is evenly coated.
- Add the frozen vegetables and pepper. Sprinkle the salt evenly over everything. Stir and cook until the vegetables are fully thawed and the excess moisture is cooked off, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the cooked salmon and eggs back into the pan. Stir to mix well. Turn to low heat and taste the rice. Adjust seasoning by adding more salt and pepper if needed. Garnish with green onion if using. Serve hot as a main or side dish.
Notes
- I prefer to use a mix of vegetable oil and butter for a buttery yet balanced taste. But feel free to use only butter or oil according to your taste.
- You can use many types of vegetables here, about 1 cup total combined. For example, 100% frozen veggie mix, or 1 red pepper. If using harder fresh vegetables such as carrot or green beans, you should dice them small. You can either add them during step 5, together with the onion. Or you can quickly cook them in the microwave until al dente, before adding to the fried rice.
- If you use sockeye salmon, make sure to cook until the pieces are just cooked through or slightly medium rare. And add them back to the fried rice at the very end after you turn off the heat. Sockeye salmon is quite lean and you should avoid overcooking it for the best texture.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 428kcal, Carbohydrates: 40.5g, Protein: 26g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 7.4g, Cholesterol: 202mg, Sodium: 526mg, Potassium: 463mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 2.1g, Calcium: 63mg, Iron: 3mg