Mexican Fried Rice

This is one of my favorite meals! Mexican fried rice, shrimp, and a grilled snapper are what we used to get every couple months at a restaurant in Houston called Tampico. When covid-19 hit hard in Texas, and I was scared to go to any restaurants, I was craving this meal. I decided to try and make it myself.

It look quite a bit of internet research to learn about Mexican seafood, the combination of flavors, and the evolution if it in Houston. Now I am lucky that I live right down the interstate from a fish monger, so I am able to buy extremely fresh seafood whenever I want. Grilling the red snapper is amazing, but my favorite is the shrimp. They get fried in the shell with the seasoning and oil on a super hot grill in a cast iron pan. It creates a wonderful flavor. It’s not spicy at all, but the flavors are big and bold.

When you go to Tampico, the seafood is served with a side of Mexican fried rice. This is something I never heard of before, but just like America, Mexico also has a melting pot of cultures and cuisines. It tastes very similar to regular fried rice, but you get a pop of that chili powder taste that brings it up to another level. My recipe is super basic and is just a building block for adding more ingredients. You could throw in more veggies (like corn, spinach, or peas), add beans, and/or tomatoes. You can add what you want to make it for your diet and lifestyle. You can also sub out the rice for brown rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice.

I highly recommend trying this for your next family meal. It’s makes a lot of food, so make sure everyone is hungry!

The spice mix can be used for just about any Mexican dish. I use it for chicken, ground beef, beans… but it’s the best on the seafood.

Mexican Seasoning Mix:

¼ cup chili powder (I use a blend of generic, chipotle, and ancho, but use what you have)

2 tablespoons garlic powder

2 tablespoons onion powder

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon coriander

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon pepper

½ tablespoon cayenne pepper

Mexican Fried Rice:

2 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon neutral oil (like vegetable)

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon minced ginger

1 jalapeno, finely chopped

½ onion, finely chopped

½ cup baby carrots, chopped into rounds

¾ cup green beans, chopped into ½ inch pieces

1 cup stock

2 eggs

4 cups cooked rice (day old is best)

2 tablespoons Mexican seasoning mix

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon sriracha (optional)

Heat oil in the largest skillet you own over medium high heat. Sauté onion and jalapeno until it starts to soften and brown about 5 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and sauté for about a minute until fragrant. Add carrots to pan and cover with ½ cup water or stock. Reduce until almost all the liquid is evaporated. Add green beans and another ½ cup of liquid. Once all the liquid is evaporated and the carrots are tender, move everything to the edges of the pan. Add about a teaspoon of oil to the center and crack the eggs into the center of the pan. Scramble the eggs until done and incorporate everything together. Add rice to the pan and mix everything together. Add seasoning mix, soy sauce, and sriracha and mix together well. Take pan off heat and enjoy!