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}
Fried rice is such a staple in Chinese cooking and it’s one of those things I never get tired of. No matter whether you’re looking for a quick dish using leftover rice or you want something filling and hearty, fried rice always fits the bill.
Salmon fried rice is a step up from your simple five-ingredient egg fried rice. It uses large salmon bites to create a scrumptious fried rice that is colorful, satisfying to eat, and full of healthy protein. It is perfect for a one-pan dinner during the week or for meal-prep ahead of time.
Salmon fried rice ingredients
What cut of salmon to use
You can use any variety of salmon in salmon fried rice. For the best mouthfeel, king salmon and coho salmon are my top choices. The fattier cuts of fish provide a melt-in-your-mouth buttery texture once cooked. On the other hand, sockeye salmon provides a great source of high quality lean protein and has a stunning appearance due to its beautiful red color.
The best rice for fried rice
Jasmine rice or any other medium grain rice is always my top choice for fried rice. Compared to short grain rice, it’s less starchy and easier to separate and get crispy. And it holds together better than long grain rice.
When it comes to fried rice, the older the rice, the better the result. For “day-old” rice, it means leftover rice that has been refrigerated or even frozen (and then thawed) for at least a day or longer. When the rice stays in the fridge for days, the grains lose moisture and become drier. So they will separate easily and create a crispier result when made into fried rice.
Set up
When you’re ready to cook, your table should have:
- Rice, fluffed by hand
- Marinated salmon
- Eggs
- Butter
- Vegetables (frozen and / or cut fresh vegetables)
- Sliced garlic
- I am willow
- Red onion, diced
- Sliced green onion for garnish (optional)
How to cook salmon fried rice
Cooking salmon fried rice is super easy:
- Pan fry the salmon until just cooked
- Scramble the eggs
- Cook the onion in butter
- Lightly saute the garlic
- Toast the rice until heated through
- Season with soy sauce
- Cook the vegetables
- Add back the salmon and eggs
The most important thing, if you want to cook great salmon fried rice, is to not overcook the salmon. The marinade in this recipe helps protect the salmon from overcooking. But you should still be careful and not leave the salmon in the hot pan for too long. Especially if you are using sockeye salmon, which is quite lean and can get quite dry if overcooked.
How to serve salmon fried rice
Even though fried rice is often a side dish on the Chinese dinner table, you can totally serve this salmon fried rice as a one-bowl meal. It is balanced and quite satisfying for lunch or dinner. You can also serve it with a simple appetizer, vegetable or soup for a quick meal. You can cook this pickled cucumber or pickled cabbage ahead of time and serve it with the fried rice. Simple soups such as tomato egg drop soup and bok choy soup are great as well.
Other delicious salmon recipes
Salmon Fried Rice
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
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Combine the salmon with the marinade ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix until evenly coated. Let marinate while preparing the other ingredients.
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Use your fingers or a fork to separate any clumps of rice before cooking.
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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)
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Pour in the soy sauce. Stir and cook until the rice is evenly coated.
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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.
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Add the cooked chicken 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
