This easy-to-make Thai Crab Fried Rice is arguably one of the most popular fried rice dishes in Thailand. It’s simple, not fussy and can be thrown together in one pot in under half an hour.

Ingredients

Crab: Use fresh or canned crab for this recipe. Fresh crab will yield a better, more flavorful product, but canned crab is more accessible.
Jasmine Rice: Use about 2 cups of cooked jasmine rice.
Garlic: One of the critical aromatics to this recipe is garlic! This recipe calls for 3 cloves but add more if you’re a Garlic Lover.
Scallions: Adding green onions will add freshness and a slight onion flavor to this recipe.
Yellow Onion: Add in sliced yellow onion to add texture and some zest to the dish.
Egg: Any good fried rice need an egg scrambled into it.
Thai Chili: Add more (or omit completely) depending on your spice preference.
Oyster Sauce: A staple of Thai cuisine, Oyster sauce tastes nothing like oysters. It’s a sweet and tangy sauce that compliments the flavors of fried rice well.
Thai Soy Sauce: A typical ingredient found in many Asian dishes, soy sauce is added to this crab fried rice.
Fish Sauce: A classic staple of Thai cuisine, fish sauce is a powerful ingredient that will make homemade cooking taste more authentic.
Cilantro: Using a bright herb with a fresh flavor, cilantro is added just at the end of cooking.
Cucumber: Garnish your crab fried rice with slices of cucumber.
Lime: Use slices of lime to garnish your fried rice.

How to Make this Easy Thai Crab Fried Rice

Making this Thai-style Crab Fried Rice is quite easy – it’s simply throwing all the ingredients together.

The key to making a good fried rice is making sure everything is prepped and ready to go before you start cooking.

First, start with some neutral cooking oil in a hot pan. It’s best to use a wok, but if you don’t have one (I don’t) use a large stockpot like a dutch oven.

Once the oil is hot, add the sweet yellow onion and the whites of the green onion. Toss in the oil until fragrant and then add the garlic.

Push the garlic and onion to the side and then add the egg and quickly scramble it.

Once the egg is scrambled, add in the cooked jasmine rice and mix well.

Add the crab meat and mix again. Combine with cilantro and the greens of the green onion. Toss until combined, and then allow the rice to “toast” for about 10 seconds and then toss once or twice more, allowing the rice to “toast” evenly.

Serve your fried rice with lime wedges and cucumber slices.

Thai Chilis

Saying that these little red Thai pepper packs a powerful punch is an understatement.

This chili starts out as a green pepper and then turns a florescent red when it is mature. The more mature a Thai chile is, the hotter you can expect it to be.

The pepper ranges in spice, from 50,000 to 100,000 Scoville. You can assume the green peppers will be on the lower end of the spicy scale, while the brightly-colored red pepper will be closer to 100,000 Scoville.

When compared to a standard Jalapeno, which is anywhere between 2,500 and 8,000 Scoville, the Thai pepper is about 15 times hotter than your average Jalapeno.

Trinity of Thai Sauces

In many Thai dishes, there are three sauces that you can almost always expect to see: soy sauce, fish sauce and oyster sauce.

Sometimes called the “Trinity of Thai Sauces” these three sauces are staples in Thai cuisine. I suggest purchasing Red Boat fish sauce, as it will yield the best flavor in your cooking and looking for a Thai soy sauce for your Thai cooking at home.

Prik Nam Pla

This popular Thai condiment is easy to make with simple ingredients.

This optional Thai dipping sauce is a popular Thai condiment. Use it on your fried rice or for dipping egg rolls into.

For this side dish, add the fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, garlic and Thai chili to a small bowl. Mix well and serve.

Prik Nam Pla is often made with palm sugar, something that is not used often in Western cooking. Palm sugar is a bit sweeter than cane sugar.

How to Deepen the Flavor

If you’re wondering how to make your Thai fried rice just like your favorite take out? The key is to allow the rice to “toast” for a couple of seconds at the end of cooking.

Toast the rice by letting your fried rice sit for about 10 seconds at the end of cooking, before serving. This will brown the rice that is sitting at the bottom of the pan and open up the kernels of rice, allowing for more flavor to seep in.

Toasting the rice is very similar to how you brown a grilled cheese before taking it out of the pan and serving it. You don’t have to toast every single grain of rice, but I recommend tossing and toasting your rice to finish your fried rice 2 to 3 times.

Make this Thai Crab Fried Rice for an easy weeknight dinner.

Commonly Asked Questions about Thai Fried Rice

Do I have to use day-old rice?

A common myth that is often circulated about making fried rice is that you have to use day-old rice. This is not entirely true! You can easily use fresh rice for your fried rice. Since many folks put too much water into their rice, simply add a little less water. A drier rice will yield a better fried rice and keep it from getting mushy.

How to toast rice?

At the end of cooking, turn the heat to medium-high and allow the rice to sit undisturbed for 10 to 15 seconds. This will allow the rice to toast, similar to how you would toast a piece of bread in a pan. Toss the rice and toast the other side of the rice. It will add texture and a deeper flavor to the rice.

What garnishes should I use for crab fried rice?

Crab fried rice is traditionally served with Thai cucumber and lime wedges. Serve with as much cucumber and lime as a refreshing way to cleanse the palette while eating your fried rice.

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