Shanghai
Guided tour · 3 hours
Shanghai: 3-Hour Local Food Tasting Tour
Sample 10-15 traditional dishes from Shanghai on a tasting food tour in the former French Concession. Try some of the best dumplings in the city and...
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History
The Chinese mitten crab, known locally as dazha xie, ripens through the ninth and tenth lunar months, when female roe and male crab paste are at their richest, and crabs from Yangcheng Lake near Shanghai carry the strongest reputation for sweet meat. Wang Bao He, on Fuzhou Road near the Bund, began as a Shaoxing wine maker in 1744 and started steaming crabs to go with its wine after moving to its current address in 1936; today crab runs through its menu, down to the xiaolongbao and meatballs. Counterfeit Yangcheng Lake crabs are common enough that some sellers now use blockchain tracing and printed tags to prove a crab's origin before it reaches the table.
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Beijing
Guided tour · 3.5 hours
Beijing: Hidden Gems Guided Food Tour with Beer and Tastings
Get off the beaten path and eat where the locals eat on a walking tour in the oldest neighborhood of Beijing. Eat at local, family-run eateries that...
from$75Check dates
Common allergens: Shellfish
Make it at home
Ingredients
- 2 live hairy crabs
- 3 slices of ginger
- 1 spring onion
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- Chinese black vinegar, to serve
- Extra grated ginger, to serve
- Warm Shaoxing wine, to drink alongside
Method
- Scrub the crabs clean under running water, then tie the legs against the body with string so they hold their shape.
- Fill a steamer pot with water, add the ginger, spring onion and Shaoxing wine, and bring to a rolling boil.
- Steam the crabs belly side up for 12 to 15 minutes, until the shells turn bright orange red.
- Rest for 5 minutes before untying, then serve whole on the plate they were steamed in.
- Mix black vinegar with a little grated ginger for dipping the meat and roe.
- Crack the claws and body by hand at the table, working from the back shell inward to keep the roe intact.
Tip from the editors. Steam the crabs belly up so the roe sets against the top shell instead of running out, and never boil them or the roe turns watery.
Where to eat dazha xie (hairy crab)
Dazha xie (hairy crab) in Shanghai
Wang Bao He ★ 4.0
Wang Bao He on Fuzhou Road in Shanghai began in 1744 as a Shaoxing wine maker and moved here in 1936, when it started steaming crabs to go with its wine.
OrderOrder the wine-soaked crab and the fried bean curd jelly with crab paste, the kitchen's proudest dish.
TipAbout nine in ten dishes on the menu carry crab in some form, down to the xiaolongbao and the Lion's Head meatballs.
Vivant by Johnny Pham 1 ★ ★ 4.6
Vivant by Johnny Pham near People's Square holds one Michelin star for French cooking with Vietnamese roots inside the historic Far Eastern Hotel.
OrderThe tasting menu runs about ¥1,888 a head and folds in hairy crab, toothfish and Vietnamese chocolate.
TipChef Pham grew up in Lyon and trained at Michelin-starred L'Auberge de Fond Rose from age fourteen before moving to Shanghai.
More cities are in research. Want dazha xie (hairy crab) covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.