Recipe: Crack Rice

Crack Rice from the Beetlebung Farm Cookbook. Photograph© Gabriela Herman

Chris Fischer is the chef and farmer behind

Beetlebung Farm, a 5 acre parcel of land on Martha’s Vineyard where his family’s roots date back twelve generations. In

The Beetlebung Farm Cookbook he documents a year of hauling in lobster pots, cultivating vegetables and butchering his own meat.

This recipe makes use of the beautiful raw scallops available on Martha’s Vineyard, but also taps into the island’s thrifty ethos. Bay scallops can sometimes cost as much as $30/lb so Fischer found a way to use them sparingly in this dish; plus, it’s a great way to use leftover cooked rice. The name, of course, comes from the fact that Fischer and friends “couldn’t stop eating it.”

Crack Rice

Serves 4

2 oz pancetta or bacon, slivered

2 1/2 tsp minced garlic

2 tsp coriander seeds

crushed red pepper

6 oz bay scallops, diced

4 cups cooked long-grain rice

lemon juice

salt

cilantro

Heat a big skillet (or a wok if you have one) over medium-high heat. Add a trace of oil — olive or canola — then 2 ounces of slivered pancetta or bacon.

When the pork begins to render its fat and become crisp, add about 2½ teaspoons minced garlic and 2 teaspoons coriander seeds (fresh if you can find them!).

Keep everything in the pan moving and cook until the garlic is fragrant (a minute or so), then add a big pinch of crushed red pepper, and about 6 ounces diced bay scallops.

Give everything a stir and cook just long enough to make sure all the scallop pieces are touched by the heat of the pan — they will start to whiten — then add 4 cups cooked long-grain rice. Continue cooking, keeping the contents of the pan moving as you heat (without browning) the rice.

Season the rice with lemon juice and salt, finish with a handful of fresh cilantro leaves, and serve to 4 deserving friends.

Recipe Courtesy Little, Brown and Company

Copyright © 2015 by Chris Fischer