I’m baaack!
Now that we’re back in the Bay Area, I had to go visit the Saratoga Farmer’s Market that Nate mentioned in a previous post. One of the usual things I always get there is the salmon collars that we’ve blogged about before. They’re still there and even though the price has increased to $5/lb, they are still a good deal and I snagged a few bags.
My whole family enjoyed eating them in the way I usually prepare them (broiled with a simple seasoning of salt and pepper) but, having been away in Asia for so long, our appetites were smaller and we actually had some leftovers. The leftovers weren’t really enough for another whole meal on its own so I decided to try something new. I decided to go with fried rice.
Salmon Fried Rice
Strange as it may seem, I had never made salmon fried rice before. I usually stick to my spam fried rice when I need to fry rice because it’s quick and easy and my kids really enjoy that. But since I had a little bit of leftover rice, salmon and stir-fried spinach, I decided this would be just as easy.
I got the kids to pick the salmon flesh off the bones of the leftover salmon collars.
It actually turned out to be a lot of leftover salmon!
I even had some minced garlic ready and waiting for me in the fridge. And with some seasoned seaweed sprinkled on top, this repurposed leftover meal had an even better reception from the family than the original broiled salmon (which they had eaten with much appreciation). We ended up fighting for the last of the fried rice and I knew this would become a mainstay in my kitchen.
Do try this out for a quick weekday meal. You don’t even have to have leftovers to do it, any cooked salmon will do (though king salmon tastes best of course)!
Salmon Fried Rice
Prep Time: 30 minutes, Cook Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
3 Tbsp olive oil
3-5 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups cooked salmon meat (if you can get salmon collars, the meat there is so oily and perfect for fried rice)
A large handful of spinach leaves, torn up
6 cups cooked rice (overnight rice is best)
1/2 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp oyster sauce
salt and black pepper to taste
1/3 cup chopped cilantro (optional but adds a nice herbal flavor)
Method:
1. In a large frying pan, or wok, add olive oil and heat over medium high heat. Add garlic and saute till light brown.
2. Add spinach and saute lightly, then add the salmon meat and saute. Season with a little salt and fry till spinach is bright green and salmon has gotten a little crusty, about 3-4 minutes.
3. Add cooked rice and mix with salmon and spinach. Add fish sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and salt and pepper. Toss to mix so that seasonings coat all the rice. Fry the rice for about 5-7 minutes or until rice has lost most of its moisture.
4. Add cilantro and mix again. Taste and adjust seasonings (adding more salt or pepper if needed).
5. Plate up and garnish with more cilantro and seasoned seaweed.
Enjoy!
Cheers, Annie
See expanded pics from this post on our Facebook Fan Page
Check out these other ways to use picked salmon meat:
Salmon Patties by Kalyn’s Kitchen
Salmon Macaroni Salad by Simply Recipes
Salmon Rillete by David Lebovitz
Southeast Asian Salmon Rice Cakes with Sriracha Mayo via The Kitchn
Salmon Burgers by Green Lite Bites
Oooh, love this riff on fried rice. In fact, I think this might become my new favorite version. I can never resist salmon. 😉