It’s Dungeness crab season! The best season! Crab curry! Pasta with crab! Crab fried rice! This Thai version of fried rice, fragrant and spicy with lemongrass and chiles and flecked with chunks of Dungeness crab, is one of my favorite renditions of the classic dish that seems to be ubiquitous throughout the Bay Area come every winter.
For the prik nam pla:
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1 Thai chile, thinly sliced
For the fried rice:
- 3 1/2 cups lump crab meat, preferably from Dungeness crab
- 1 tablespoon minced lemongrass
- 1/2 teaspoon minced makrut lime leaves
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
- 4 large eggs
- 4 cups cold day-old cooked jasmine rice
- 3 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 4 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions, plus more for garnish
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- Cilantro leaves, for garnish
- Lime wedges, sliced cucumber, for serving
- Make the prik nam pla: whisk together all prik nam pla ingredients in a small bowl until well combined. Set aside until ready to use.
- Make the fried rice: heat oil in a large wok or large skillet over medium until shimmering. Add garlic, lemongrass, and makrut lime, and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 15 to 20 seconds. Crack eggs into wok; cook, undisturbed, just until edges of whites start to set, about 15 seconds. Stir eggs using a spatula until scrambled, about 30 seconds. Add rice and sugar; cook, stirring often, until rice is slightly caramelized, about 2 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in soy sauce, and fish sauce until incorporated, about 1 minute.
- Add reserved crabmeat to wok; cook, stirring constantly, until crab is heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Add green onions and pepper; turn off heat, and stir until green onions soften, about 1 minute.
- Garnish with cilantro and extra green onions, and serve immediately with lime wedges, sliced cucumber, and prik nam pla.