Make This: The Drake's salmon fried rice with XO sauce
With Taste of Toronto just around the corner, chef Ted Corrado shares his secrets for savoury, succulent salmon fried rice. Talk about comfort food made healthy...
Place dried shrimp in a medium bowl and cover with at least one inch of water. Repeat the process with the dried scallops, and let both stand overnight.
Drain both bowls in the morning; discard the liquid, then coarsely chop the rehydrated seafood.
Transfer the shrimp to a food processor and pulse until fine. Set aside.
Repeat the process with scallops, bacon and prosciutto, setting each aside once chopped.
Heat one cup of canola oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat.
Add shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent (about 30 seconds).
Add crushed red pepper flakes and cook one minute further. Add garlic, ginger, star anise and cinnamon, then stir to combine.
Increase heat to high, season with salt and add the soy sauce.
One at a time, stir in prosciutto, bacon, shrimp, and scallops.
Add the remaining ½ cup oil, reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring every five minutes, until oil is infused (about 30 minutes total).
Remove the sauce from the heat and let cool before transferring to an airtight container.
Fried rice
Dissolve brown sugar in the soy sauce in a small bowl. Set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add the diced red onion and sauté until lightly browned, about five minutes.
Lower the heat to medium, stir in the garlic and ginger, and cook for another minute.
Add the beaten eggs and stir until just cooked.
Then add the cooked rice and increase heat to medium-high and stir-fry for a couple more minutes.
Add peas, salmon, green onions, peanuts and soy sauce mixture. (Be gentle with the salmon so you don't break it up too much.)
Garnish with cilantro, pea tendrils, salmon roe and chicken skin. Serve on lettuce cups.