Today’s salmon fried rice recipe proves that you should always keep some leftover rice in the fridge to make fried rice. The tender chunks of fish and veg are tossed with egg-infused fried rice, all sealed beautifully with a blend of soy sauce, sesame oil, and paprika.
Is Salmon Fried Rice Healthy?
Fried rice, when combined with a variety of ingredients, is one of the most nutrient-dense dishes you can make. Ours comprises salmon, eggs, rice, sesame oil and seeds, and a bunch of veggies, bringing you heaps of proteins, good fats, carbohydrates, and loads of micronutrients.
When eating dishes seasoned with salt, soy sauce, or anything sodium-rich, you’re likely to exceed the recommended amount of sodium.
You can easily monitor your sodium intake by controlling the size of each portion, which we’ve already done for you. This not only keeps the sodium within a safe range, but also keeps the calorie-count to a healthy level.
You can have a look at our healthy eating guidelines to learn more about these limitations.
Ingredients for Salmon Fried Rice
For this recipe you’ll need salmon, eggs, rice, some veggies, scallion, soy sauce, sesame oil, and several seasonings.
1. Salmon
If you have salmon trimmings or fillets that are too small or not very presentable, this fried rice recipe makes good use of them. We didn’t unfortunately, so we had to purchase a whole fillet, then cut it into bite-size chunks.
Regarding the skin, we only advise keeping it on when the fillet is seared or baked. Its texture doesn’t really match fried rice, in our opinion, but if you’re a fan, feel free to leave the skin intact.
2. Egg
With fried rice, eggs can be either mixed in with the rice before cooking, or after.
By mixing the eggs with the rice first, we’re looking for a golden color and a rich taste imbued nicely into each rice grain. This is what we’re going for today.
By stirring the eggs in later, your fried rice will have chunks of scrambled eggs and remain white in color. This method is normally only used when eggs are the only proteins, and of course, ours already has salmon.
3. Rice
As aforementioned, you’ll be mixing the rice with the eggs first. This step is more efficient to do by hand. With a pair of gloves, you can easily separate any rice clumps to ensure each grain is coated nicely.
We also added some paprika to the rice, so its color turns slightly orange.
4. Vegetables
The ones we used are typical for fried rice: bell peppers, green peas, carrots, basically anything firm, fresh, and can easily be cut into chunks. Other options we can think of are green beans, snap peas, and mushrooms.
5. Seasoning
Salmon and soy sauce go really well together, so our seasonings for today’s fried rice complement it well. There’s sesame oil, garlic, mirin, oyster sauce, sugar, and black pepper.
For even more flavor and to give the dish a spicy kick, we included some Cajun seasonings. If it’s not in your pantry, replace it with Tabasco, Sriracha, or any red powder (paprika, cayenne, red pepper powder).
6. Types of Rice for Fried Rice
Any type within the long-grain and medium-grain varieties would do. We’re looking for something that’s dry and doesn't release starch when stirred a lot, like risotto does.
Can You Cook Fried Rice With Leftover Rice?
Leftover rice from the fridge is a perfect material for fried rice. The end result will have separated grains, more concentrated flavors, and simply look better when plated.
Plus, since you’ll be using liquid seasonings, using freshly cooked rice can result in something with a congee-like texture.
How to Cook Rice for Fried Rice
Ideally, you’d want to cook your rice a bit drier than usual, but that can be difficult because different types of rice cook in different amounts of water. The easiest way is to cook your rice is as usual, then use our 1-hour method:
First, spread it out on a sheet and place it in front of a fan for 30 minutes to partially dry it out. Then, let it sit in the fridge for another 30 minutes, so the grains harden and separate more easily.
If you don’t need to use it right away, freeze it and it’ll turn out even better for fried rice.
How to Make Fried Rice With Salmon
Once you’ve got the rice prepped:
- Mix it with eggs and paprika.
- Cook the salmon and set it aside.
- Sauté the onions and cook the rice.
- Add the veg and stir to cook.
- Add the seasonings and stir to incorporate.
- Scatter scallion, sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes on top before serving.
For the best result, follow our printable ‘salmon fried rice recipe’ card located at the bottom of this article.
How to Reheat Fried Rice?
After sitting a few days in the fridge, fried rice can be reheated directly in a non-stick pan without any additional oil. Gently stir it over medium heat until heated through, which should take less than 5 minutes.
However, as this is a seafood stir-fry, you don’t want to keep it for more than 4 days.
What to Serve With Salmon Fried Rice
Fried rice is best complemented by something juicy, like a salad, a glass or drink, or a soup. Today, we’re pairing ours with this easy cabbage soup and sweet orange pineapple juice:
Their recipes will be visible once you scroll past the salmon fried rice recipe card down below.
A writer and entrepreneur, Luna’s day doesn’t start at the computer keyboard, but in the kitchen.
Half of her working hours are spent on mixing ingredients for her recipes. The other half involve working with the tech team to research and test the tools and appliances that promise to make kitchen work effortless and mess-free. From a kitchen knife or water filter to the Instant Pot, if it can help save time and effort for the home cook, Luna and her team are on it.
Luna’s extracurricular pastimes include camping, travel, and photography.