Xinguang 新光酒家 @ Shanghai (2023)

It’s the most wonderful to visit Shanghai because it’s time for hairy crab. This is the place to go for the annual crab feast for me.

「秋风起、蟹脚痒」When the autumn winds start to blow, gourmets around Shanghai know that it’s time for hairy crabs. Xinguang Restaurant was the originator of Shanghai’s innovative Fang Liang crab feast 方亮蟹宴, and now it bears the name of the founder Mr Fang Liang. 

Crab Legs with Asparagus 芦笋蟹柳

This course has been nicknamed “Green and Black Jades” 翡翠墨玉, after the two most sought after types of jade from Qaraqash and Khotan in the Uyghur Province as the two distinctly coloured ingredients danced around each other.

The taste was very delicate, with the crisp freshness of the asparagus and the sweetness from the crab legs. The crab legs were slight more intense, but more tender like a piece of tofu. Lightly sautéed together, it was meant to be the palate cleanser before what were to come.

Crab Roe with Mung Bean Noodles 蟹膏银皮

Next came the piece de resistance of the “Four Dharmas” – “The Dragon Across the Galaxy” 银河龙液. A plate of crab milts and roe sautéed with mung bean noodles glistening with the crab oil, this was a cholesterol bomb.

And because this was after October, the plate had more milt than roe, which explained the sticky feeling. Strange texture aside, each mouthful was full of the umami of the crabs sexual organs, which sounded gross but absolutely heavenly when consumed. It was still a rather generous portion for two person, as one cannot eat more than two or three spoons of this ultra-rich dish.

Crab Meat Soup Dumpling 蟹粉小馄饨

And the finale to the crab banquet was Crab Meat Wantons 蟹粉小馄饨 (wantons in Shanghai are dumplings) with a filing of crab meat and pork. The soup base was chicken and pork stock, and the crab meat filling in the wantons provided the umami.

九雌十雄 September Female, October Male

The hairy crab is famed for its orangey roe (female) and rich milt (male). It’s conventional wisdom to have the female crab before the lunar month of September, and male crab after the lunar month of October. Male milt is softer and smoother than the female roe, but some like the female roe more because they could not stand the idea of eating milt (which is a nice way to call crab semen).

The best way to enjoy these hairy crabs was to use your own hands to crack open the crustaceans and deconstructs the parts you have enjoyed previously in reverse order – crab shell, flesh, legs and finally craws.

And promptly after one has finished the crab, the customary ginger tea with brown sugar was consumed to drive away the “coolness” of the crab.

Mrs Fang helmed this shop in Huangpu, while Mr Fang ran the newer branch in Hongqiao. When the season for hairy crab is here, diners from all over the world rush to Shanghai and Xinguang has been the No.1 choice. The waitresses and chefs have been here for many years, so as long as 25 years. It’s always good to see a familiar face every time I come here.

Xinguang Restaurant 新光酒家方亮蟹宴(黄浦店)
中国 上海市 黄浦区天津路512号
Tel : +86 21 63223978

Visited Dec 2023