Shanghai Drunken Crab: A Delightful Main Dish in Shanghai

What is it

Shanghai Drunken Crab

Raw or lightly cured crab marinated in rice wine, soy sauce and aromatics.

At the table

How to eat it

This crab may be raw or only lightly cured, so confirm the preparation before eating if you avoid raw seafood, alcohol, or higher food-safety risk. Crack the shell carefully, remove the gills and stomach, and watch for sharp shell fragments as you eat.

Culture

The story behind the dish

Alcohol, soy sauce and aromatics cure the crab without fully cooking it, preserving a soft texture quite unlike steamed crab. “Drunken” refers to the rice wine in the marinade rather than a flambé or cooked wine sauce. Shanghai versions belong to a broader Jiangnan tradition of preserving crabs with wine and seasoning during crab season.

Reference

For reference

Every kitchen does it its own way. What follows is the typical version — ingredients, heat and price shift from city to city and from one restaurant to the next, so take it as a guide rather than a fixed recipe.

SpicinessNot spicy

Main ingredientCrab / Rice wine / Soy sauce

FlavourSalty, wine-forward, sweet

ContainsAlcohol · Shellfish

Usually servedCold

Good forSharing / Appetizer

Where it is fromShanghai and the Jiangnan region

Ordering tipAsk whether it is 生醉蟹 (raw-cured) or 熟醉蟹 (cooked before marinating), because the English menu may call both “drunken crab.” It is seasonal and often priced by crab or weight, so confirm the quantity and price before ordering.

If you have an allergy or something you can't eat, check with the staff before you order.

Last updated 2026-08-16

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