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...

Serves 2

Preparation time 30 minutes

Cooking time 1 hour

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

Fried rice

  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • ⅓ cup peanuts
  • ⅔ cup diced red bell pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1-inch piece ginger, grated
  • 3 eggs, well beaten
  • 4 cups day-old cooked white rice
  • 1 cup fresh peas
  • 2 cups cooked salmon, in large chunks
  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced
  • Cilantro
  • Salmon roe

XO Sauce

  • ½ cup dried shrimp
  • ½ cup dried scallops
  • ½ cup coarsely chopped prosciutto
  • ½ cup bacon
  • 1½ cups canola oil 
  • 2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
  • ¼ cup crushed red pepper flakes
  • ¼ cup thinly sliced garlic
  • ¼ cup finely chopped fresh peeled ginger
  • 3 heads star anise
  • ½ cinnamon stick
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • Coarse salt

Method

XO sauce

  1. 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.
  2. Drain both bowls in the morning; discard the liquid, then coarsely chop the rehydrated seafood.
  3. Transfer the shrimp to a food processor and pulse until fine. Set aside.
  4. Repeat the process with scallops, bacon and prosciutto, setting each aside once chopped.
  5. Heat one cup of canola oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat.
  6. Add shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent (about 30 seconds).
  7. Add crushed red pepper flakes and cook one minute further. Add garlic, ginger, star anise and cinnamon, then stir to combine.
  8. Increase heat to high, season with salt and add the soy sauce.
  9. One at a time, stir in prosciutto, bacon, shrimp, and scallops.
  10. Add the remaining ½ cup oil, reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring every five minutes, until oil is infused (about 30 minutes total).
  11. Remove the sauce from the heat and let cool before transferring to an airtight container.

Fried rice

  1. Dissolve brown sugar in the soy sauce in a small bowl. Set aside.
  2. 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.
  3. Lower the heat to medium, stir in the garlic and ginger, and cook for another minute.
  4. Add the beaten eggs and stir until just cooked.
  5. Then add the cooked rice and increase heat to medium-high and stir-fry for a couple more minutes.
  6. Add peas, salmon, green onions, peanuts and soy sauce mixture. (Be gentle with the salmon so you don't break it up too much.)
  7. Garnish with cilantro, pea tendrils, salmon roe and chicken skin. Serve on lettuce cups.
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