Like a bowl of delicious confetti
The Drake’s salmon fried rice is a nod to T.O.’s Chinatowns
Looking at the Drake One Fifty’s salmon fried rice is a bit like looking at a bowl of confetti: Strips of yellow scrambled egg, shards of snow peas, dredges of amber XO sauce, torn bits of greens, cubes of coral-coloured salmon and little spheres of salmon caviar. It’s crunchy, salty, spicy and surprisingly portable when you think about it: just serve it in a cup and your hands remain sauce-free.
It’s no wonder then that corporate executive chef Ted Corrado serves this whenever the Drake pops up at events like the WayHome music festival in July or next week’s Taste of Toronto food event at Fort York.
The Drake has always had some iteration of fried rice on the menu since former head chef Anthony Rose, now of Rose and Sons and Big Crow fame, did a Chinatown-inspired menu at The Drake Hotel in West Queen West back in 2011. Chinatown, of course, is a staple in the diets of many Toronto chefs.
“I’ve been a Toronto boy my entire career and it was always about the city’s different flavours—Chinatown, Korea Town, Little Italy—so that’s what Toronto cuisine is for me,” says Corrado. ”It’s such a chef thing to go to Chinatown at the end of the night because that’s the only thing that’s open.”
Fried rice is considered to be a dumping ground for last night’s leftovers: vegetables, bits of meat and most importantly, last night’s stale rice. Add whatever you like into fried rice, but it is essential—as counterintuitive it may sound—that the cooked rice be old.
“You have to make the rice at least one day before,” says Corrado. “Leave it in the fridge and let it dry out so you can feel each grain of rice when you taste it, rather than getting a risotto texture.”
The Drake One Fifty will be serving the salmon fried rice (plus dumplings and ribs) during Taste of Toronto from Thursday to Sunday at Fort York’s Garrison Common.
Salmon Fried Rice
Star Tested You can buy XO sauce at Chinese supermarkets or even pick up Corrado’s XO sauce at the Drake General Store for $12 a jar.
3 tbsp (45 mL) soy sauce 1 tsp (5 mL) packed brown sugar 2 tbsp (30 mL) canola oil 1/4 cup (60 mL) diced white onion 2 cups (500 mL) fresh salmon, skin removed and cut into bite-sized chunks 2 minced garlic cloves 1 tbsp (15 mL) freshly grated ginger Salt, to taste 3 large eggs, beaten 4 cups (1 L) day- old cooked long-grain white rice 1 cup (250 mL) pea shoot or spinach leaves 1/3 cup (80 mL) roughly chopped snow peas 2 thinly sliced green onions 1/3 cup (80 mL) roasted salted peanuts, plus more for garnish XO sauce, to taste Chopped cilantro, for garnish Salmon roe, for garnish
In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce and brown sugar until dissolved. Set aside.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil. Add onion. Sauté for 1 minute. Add salmon, garlic and ginger. Season salmon with salt. Continue to cook until salmon is just about cooked, about 5 minutes.
Add eggs. Stir until eggs begin to set but are not fully cooked. Add rice. Stir to coat rice with eggs, careful not to break up the salmon too much. Add greens, snow peas, green onions and peanuts. Drizzle soy sauce mixture and gently stir to evenly coat rice. Transfer to serving platter. Garnish with cilantro, salmon roe, XO sauce, and more peanuts.
Makes 4 servings.