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This Ginger and Scallion Crab is packed with flavor and tastes just like the ones from Chinese restaurants. Using fresh Dungeness crab, it’s stir-fried with aromatic ginger and scallions for a simple yet incredibly delicious dish. It’s easier to make at home than you think!
Chinese Crab Recipe
Remember that scene in Pretty Woman when Julia Roberts tried to eat escargot, and it went flying across the table? Yeah, that was me at a Chinese restaurant recently—except with ginger and scallion crab. There I was, eyeing the last, perfectly cracked crab claw, the juiciest one of them all. I went in with my crab cracker, a little too eager, and—bam!—it flew across the table and landed in a dark corner. No waiter to save me this time!
The worst part? I had to sit there, staring at it, knowing exactly what I was missing. That juicy, plump crab claw, soaked in all that garlicky, gingery sauce… so close. Well, lesson learned. Now, I just make ginger and scallion crab at home. No flying claws, no regrets—just pure, finger-licking goodness.
Chinese Ginger Crab Recipe
When I was grocery shopping today and saw Dungeness crab on sale for $3.99 per pound, I knew exactly what I was making—ginger and scallion crab.
If you’ve been to a real Chinese restaurant in the U.S., you’re probably familiar with ginger and scallion crab (姜葱蟹). Crabs are usually prepared two ways: ginger and scallion or salt and pepper. Personally, I love the wok hei-infused ginger and scallion crab.
Ginger and scallion are a perfect match for Chinese stir-fries—whether it’s seafood like Ginger Scallion Fish, or even Ginger Scallion Chicken or Ginger and Scallion Beef. The flavors are simple yet incredibly aromatic, bringing out the natural sweetness of the crab.
Eating out, this dish can be pretty pricey, but I spent less than $6 making it at home. If you think it’s one of those dishes better served at Chinese restaurants, think again. The Chinese ginger crab recipe is super easy and only takes a few basic ingredients. As for me, not only did I get my fix, I had two crab claws all to myself. And no, they didn’t fly across the table this time.
Ingredients For Ginger And Scallion Crab Sauce
This easy recipe requires just a few simple ingredients to create the sauce:
- Oyster Sauce
- White Pepper Powder
- Sesame Oil
- Sugar
- Water
- Cornstarch
- Fish Sauce
That’s it!
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
How To Make Ginger And Scallion Crab
Go ahead and mix up all the sauce ingredients in a bowl, then just set it aside for later.
Start by cleaning the crab and cutting it into pieces. Once that’s done, pat them dry with paper towels—this helps them crisp up better later. Toss the pieces into a big bowl, sprinkle some cornstarch over the top, and give them a light coating.
Once the oil is nice and hot, carefully drop in the crab pieces and let them fry. You’ll see them turn a beautiful red pretty quickly—that’s your cue to take them out. Let the excess oil drain off, then set them aside.
Get your wok nice and hot, then add a tablespoon of oil. Toss in the ginger and give it a quick stir until it smells amazing. Now, add the crab pieces back in, give everything a quick toss, and pour in the sauce.
Throw in the chopped scallions and give everything a good toss so the crab gets nicely coated in all that flavorful sauce. Let it cook for just a few more seconds, then take it off the heat. Serve it up right away and dig in!
Frequently Asked Questions
Live Dungeness crab is the best choice for this recipe. It has sweet, tender meat and soaks up the flavors beautifully. If you can’t get Dungeness, blue crab or mud crab works too.
You can, but it won’t be as good. Raw crab gives the best flavor and texture.
You can, but fresh live crab is the best. If using frozen, make sure to thaw it fully and drain any excess moisture before cooking.
Yes, but fresh is always better. If you’re using frozen claws, thaw them completely and pat them dry before cooking.
Live crab, cut into pieces, is the way to go. Boiled crab works, but it won’t have the same depth of flavor.
This recipe is only 68 calories per serving.
What To Serve Ginger And Scallion Crab
For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
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Other Crab Recipes You Might Like
Ginger and Scallion Crab
Ingredients
- 1 crab, about 1 1/2 – 2 pounds (0.6 kg-1 kg)
- 2 inches (5cm) ginger, peeled and sliced into 10-12 pieces
- 3 stalks scallion, cut into 2-inch length (5 cm)
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch , for frying
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- oil , for deep frying
Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 2 dashes white pepper powder
- 1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 6 tablespoons water
- 3/4 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1/8 teaspoon fish sauce
Instructions
- Mix the Sauce ingredients and set them aside.
- Clean the crab and cut it into pieces. Pat dry with paper towels and place in a large bowl. Add the cornstarch to the bowl and lightly coat the crab pieces with it. Heat a wok and add cooking oil.
- When the oil is hot, add the crab pieces and deep-fry them. As soon as they turn red, remove them from the oil, strain off the excess oil, and set aside.
- Heat a wok and add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil. Add the ginger and stir-fry until aromatic. Then, add the crab pieces to the wok and stir briefly before adding the sauce.
- Add the chopped scallions and toss the crab in the wok a few times until well coated with the sauce. Dish out and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Finger lick-in’ Lip snackin’ Delicious!!!
I added a little coconut milk to the sauce and Tiger Shrimp with the Crab
Steamed broccoli and Carrots on the side with Cilantro-Lime Jasmine Rice
Yummmmmmmm💋
Hi Renee, sounds like a seafood feast. I am so glad you love my recipe. Please try more recipes on my site! Thanks for your rating and sweet comment. :)
Thank you for this amazing recipe! I’ve used it multiple times with both lobster and Dungeness crab, and it tastes even better than at a restaurant! 😊
Hi Pierre, thanks for your sweet comment and 5 stars ratings. Lobster, yes, it works. I am so glad you think it’s better than restaurants! Do try more recipes on my site!
This looks super easy to make can’t wait to try!!
Hi Tiffany, thanks for your wonderful comment and 5 stars rating. I am so glad you enjoyed my recipe. Please try more recipes on my site: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipes/
Followed this to the T and was so surprised it came out so bland. Tasted before plating and had to add soy sauce, oyster sauce and fish sauce.
Corn starch is mentioned in two different places for the ingredients and the sauce, yet corn flour is mentioned in Paragraph 2 of the recipe. Is it supposed to be both corn starch and corn flour, or just corn starch?
Corn starch.
Can you use steamed crabs?
Yes you can but won’t be as good. You should use raw crab.
Wondering if the recipe can be adapted to use frozen crab claws instead? Thank you!
Yes.
Really good. Changes I made were adding sherry 50/50 for sauce water. Plus 3 cloves sliced garlic cloves. No need for deep fryer. I used two woks.
Yummy!
Do you have to kill and cut up the crab 1st or can you used boiled crab?
You should use live crab, cut into pieces. Boiled crab can be used but won’t taste as good.
Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Would it work well instead of deep frying the raw crabs coated with flour, just pan fry them. After that, in a separate pan, fry finger, and garlic, and add the crabs, and the rest of the recipe should be the same as yours. Doing deep fry uses up too much oil, but pan fry minimizes amount of oil and it’s more healthy.
This recipe looks amazing! Can I use frozen crab for this recipe? Where can I find more of your recipes?
Frozen crab is not going to be nice. All my recipes are here: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/