Crab Rice

By JJ Johnson

Updated Sept. 24, 2025

Crab Rice
Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne.
Total Time
30 minutes, plus rice cooking time
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes, plus rice cooking time
Rating
5(219)
Comments
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Crab rice is a prized dish of the Gullah Geechee people of the Carolina Lowcountry, a region of the United States that is synonymous with seafood. “My kids beg for crab rice all the time,” says Sallie Ann Robinson, a Gullah chef and food historian, “and just like my mother did with us girls, I make them help me pick the crabs. We sit out on the porch or around the kitchen table, spread some newspapers, and go to pickin’. The more hands we’ve got, the sooner we’re ready to cook.” Tender lump crab meat gives you sweetness in every bite of rice, mingling with the zesty lemon and the aromatic flavor of onion and celery. Traditional versions of this recipe often include bacon, but this recipe, from my cookbook “The Simple Art of Rice” (Flatiron Books, 2023) calls for smoky Creole seasoning. Carolina Gold rice is the classic choice for this dish: Because of its high starch content, this fluffy rice sticks to the crab and absorbs all the flavors beautifully.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • 5tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1large sweet onion, such as Vidalia, finely chopped
  • 2celery stalks, finely chopped
  • 1green bell pepper, finely chopped
  • 1cup sliced scallions (from 5 scallions, white and light green parts)
  • 1tablespoon minced garlic
  • 4cups cooked Carolina Gold or jasmine rice
  • 1pound fresh lump blue crab meat, carefully picked over for shells and cartilage
  • Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • 1teaspoon kosher salt (preferably Diamond Crystal)
  • 1tablespoon Creole seasoning (store-bought or homemade)
  • ¼cup finely chopped chives
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

640 calories; 11 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 109 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 24 grams protein; 767 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large (12-inch) skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion, celery, bell pepper, scallions and garlic. Cover the pan and let the vegetables cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they have softened but not browned.

  2. Step 2

    Add the rice to the skillet, breaking up any clumps with a wooden spoon. Cover the pan and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, until the rice is heated through, stirring once or twice.

  3. Step 3

    Meanwhile, in another large skillet, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the crab meat, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and Creole seasoning and stir to coat. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the crab is heated through and fragrant.

  4. Step 4

    Fold the crab meat mixture and half the chives into the rice and serve immediately, sprinkled with the remaining chives.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
219 user ratings
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Comments

Miz

@Quigg As an Alaskan and now living in WA where Dungeness is readily available, I can’t imagine NOT using canned. This recipe is perfect for canned crab. Using fresh crab seems like a waste. I don’t know how much crab costs in the rest of the country but even here it’s expensive. Unless you catch it yourself. Seems like almost a crime to sully fresh crab this way. We all eat our fresh crab by dipping it in bowls of melted butter. I use canned crab for most other recipes. Melts. Salads. And crab rice.

Quigg

Possible to use canned crab without ruining the dish?

John M.

Be sure and watch the short video, folks. It reveals a few tips not noted in the recipe.

Donna

Absolutely fantastic! I didn’t change a thing and used the Creole seasoning recipe in the link.

V.L. Brunskill

Two pan method makes sense. Watched the video. Yum. Low country comfort food that kids will love.

Ammiatx

Excellent video and I have leftover crab, so this is dinner for my Christmas! I bought your cookbook too!

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Credits

Adapted from “The Simple Art of Rice” by JJ Johnson with Danica Novgorodoff (Flatiron Books, 2023)

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