On Monday, we drove north to have dinner with Gramma and Poppop, and their plan was to make Crab Cakes. She normally also makes a complete array of side dishes, so this time we offered to pitch in and bring one. She accepted, and we then began to think about things that might go well with crab cakes.
We pretty quickly decided to attempt to build a side based on Old Bay, the classic crab spice blend. Because Old Bay is fairly salty, we figured we’d try to use it in lieu of Soy Sauce in a fried rice type dish! Cooking it this way really accentuated the celery seed flavour notes, and the rice was quite interesting (in a good way…if you like Old Bay).
We served our rice with the aforementioned Crab Cakes and steamed snap peas! However, we think it would go well with broiled or pan fried mild white fish like Tilapia, Cod, Halibut, or Grouper.

Time: 30 Minutes
Ingredients:
- Rice (about 1/4 cup dry per serving)
- Water (2x the rice by volume)
- Oil
- Onion
- Peas
- Shredded Carrots
- Old Bay Seasoning
Method:
- Dice your onion, and sautee in a large pot with some oil until it turns opaque.
- Add a little more oil to your pot, and add your rice in. Stir to combine and coat your rice in the oil. Let sit for a minute or two.
- Add in your peas and carrots, and sprinkle in a copious amount of your Old Bay. Stir to combine.
- Pour in your water, cover loosely, and let simmer until your rice fully absorbs your water.
- Optional: Heat a little oil in a wok. Add and stir fry your rice to finish it off and give it a mild crunch.
- Plate, devour, and enjoy!




