Shrimp Fried Rice
虾仁蛋炒饭 (Xia Ren Dan Chao Fan)
Fried rice has long been a dish designed to use up leftovers. Got some old rice, some leftover protein, vegetables, and eggs? With a bit of technique they can be transformed into a delicious meal. Shrimp fried rice, however, is perhaps the most elevated form of this humble dish. Unlike many fried rice varieties, this recipe does not feature a large list of ingredients. It instead calls for freshly prepared seafood and is only lightly seasoned, leaving the cook nowhere to hide. A well-prepared example should be fragrant and savory, with juicy, perfectly cooked shrimp [1]. Shrimp fried rice has become a common menu item at high end Chinese restaurants [2], but it is not too hard to make at home!
Ingredients
3 cups cooked rice
1 lb small-medium sized shrimp
4 eggs
4 scallions, chopped
1 tsp white pepper
Vegetable oil
1 tbsp pork or duck fat (optional)
Salt to taste
Fried rice is generally made from leftover rice, and we’ll be using three cups of cooked rice for this recipe. If you are making rice specifically for this recipe, 1 cups of uncooked rice will make about 3 cups of cooked rice. Make the rice on the drier side, to emulate leftover rice, and be sure the rice has had the chance to cool before using it in the fried rice. Otherwise, the freshly cooked rice will bring too much moisture to the dish, resulting in an unpleasant and mushy texture.
We can now turn our attention to our shrimp. Small to medium sized shrimp work best for this recipe, since we will keep the shrimp whole in the fried rice. If your shrimp have shells or tails, peel and devein the shrimp.
An optional step is to use the shrimp shells to make a shrimp oil. Cooking the shells in oil will release many oil-soluble flavor compounds, producing a fragrant oil which will help flavor the rice. To make shrimp oil, simply combine the shrimp shells with a few tablespoons of vegetable oil in a cold saucepan. Heat the saucepan over low heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. We keep the heat low because we do not want the shrimp shells to burn, which will make the oil bitter, and we also don’t want any water released by the shells to splatter. The shells will soon turn red and the oil will become very fragrant. When the shrimp oil is ready, strain it to remove the shells and set it aside. If you have leftover shrimp oil after making this recipe, keep it in the fridge! It is great for drizzling over ramen or for adding additional flavor to other seafood dishes.
Next, we will cook the shrimp. Heat about 1 tablespoon of fat in a wok or skillet over high heat. If I happen to have pork or duck fat available, I prefer to use it here—these flavorful fats will make the shrimp fried rice taste richer and more savory. If you don’t have any available, vegetable oil will do just fine. When the oil is up to temperature, add the shrimp in a single layer. Sear the shrimp for about 30 seconds to 1 min per side, depending on the size of your shrimp, or until the shrimp is just cooked through. Remove the cooked shrimp from the wok or skillet and place in a heatproof bowl.
Next we will cook the eggs. Add about 1 tbsp shrimp oil (or regular vegetable oil) to the wok or skillet. Beat the 4 eggs together, and pour the beaten eggs into the wok. There are a couple of ways to break up eggs for fried rice, but the style of fried rice we are making today we want to produce small, tender bits of egg. Fold the egg curds constantly with a spatula, as you would do when making scrambled eggs.
After the eggs have been in the skillet for 1 minute and before they set, add the cooked rice straight into the eggs. Press the rice into the egg mixture with a spatula and then begin breaking the rice up. This motion will simultaneously break up the egg curds. Add the white pepper and chopped scallions to the wok, then toss with the rice and eggs until the rice has warmed through, the grains have separated, and the strands of egg have cooked. This should all take about 2 minutes.
Once the eggs are done, turn the heat down to low to prevent the rice from burning. Add the shrimp back to the skillet and toss together until all of the ingredients are warm and well distributed, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and white pepper and serve.
Substitutions
You can use either white or brown rice in this recipe, as long as it is relatively dry. Short and medium-grain rice varieties work best, but long-grained rice can also be used. If you prefer small bites of shrimp, you can chop the shrimp into pieces before cooking. Additional finely diced vegetables such as onions, carrots, or corn can be added if desired.
Some restaurants in the United States will serve a variety of shrimp fried rice with some Western influences, which is slightly different but also delicious! To do this, substitute the vegetable oil for butter, add a bit of minced garlic when cooking the shrimp, and season with black pepper instead of white pepper.
[1] Many species of shrimp can be found in markets around the world. For the most up-to-date information on sustainable sources of wild or farmed shrimp, refer to the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Shrimp Guide.
[2] One of the restaurants with a well-known shrimp fried rice is Din Tai Fung, a Michelin-starred Taiwanese restaurant that now has locations around the world. Their rice dishes play second fiddle, however, to their famous soup dumplings!
Recipe
Prep Time: 10 min Cook Time: 10 min Total Time: 20 min
(+10 min if making shrimp oil)
Difficulty: 2/5
Heat Sources: 1 burner
Equipment: rice cooker (optional), skillet or wok
Servings: 6
Ingredients
3 cups cooked rice
1 lb small-medium sized shrimp
4 eggs
4 scallions, chopped
1 tsp white pepper
Vegetable oil
1 tbsp pork or duck fat (optional)
Salt to taste
Instructions
1. Peel and devein the shrimp.
2. Optional: make a shrimp oil by combining the shrimp shells with a few tablespoons of vegetable oil in a cold saucepan. Cook at low heat for 5-10 min, or until the oil is fragrant. Strain and set aside for later.
3. Heat 1 tbsp pork fat, or duck fat, or vegetable oil in a wok or skillet over high heat. When the fat is hot, add the shrimp in a single layer, working in batches if necessary. Cook the shrimp for 30-60 s per side, depending on the size of the shrimp, or until the shrimp are just cooked through. Remove the shrimp from the heat and set aside in a bowl.
4. Add 1 tbsp shrimp oil or vegetable oil to the skillet or wok, and let the oil come to temperature. Beat the 4 eggs. When the oil is hot, pour the eggs into the skillet. Cook for about 1 minute, folding the curds constantly with a spatula.
5. After the eggs are partially cooked but not completely set, add the cooked rice to the skillet. Break up the rice and press it into the skillet with a spatula, breaking up the eggs simultaneously.
6. Add the chopped scallions and white pepper to the skillet. Toss the rice with the eggs until the rice has warmed through, the grains have separated, and the egg is evenly distributed, about 2 minutes.
7. Turn the heat to low and shrimp mixture back to the pan. Toss the ingredients with the rice until well combined and the other ingredients have warmed through, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and serve.
