Crabtivating Veggie Feast—Dinner for 4
Crabtivating Veggie Feast is a Chinese-inspired dinner dish featuring succulent crabs and an assortment of vibrant vegetables. This seafood delight is cooked in a flavorful sauce, offering a harmonious balance of taste and texture, perfect for a satisfying and nutritious meal.
Meal Type
Dinner
Cuisine
Chinese
Servings
4
Food Stars
Crabs, vegetables
Health
Variations
Diets
Variations
Do This With That Stuff
- Clean and chop the 1 lb of fresh crabs on the cutting board using the chef’s knife
- Heat 2 tbsp of vegetable oil in the large wok over medium-high heat
- Add 3 cloves of minced garlic and 1 tbsp of minced ginger to the wok, stir-fry for 30 seconds using the wooden spoon
- Add the chopped crabs to the wok, stir-fry for 5 minutes until cooked through
- Remove the cooked crabs from the wok and set aside in a small bowl
- In the same wok, add 1 cup of sliced bell peppers, 1 cup of trimmed snow peas, 1 cup of halved baby corn, and 1/2 cup of julienned carrots, stir-fry for 3-4 minutes until vegetables are tender-crisp
- Return the cooked crabs to the wok with vegetables
- Add 1/4 cup of chopped green onions, stir well to combine all ingredients in the wok
- In a measuring cup, combine 1/4 cup soy sauce, 2 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tbsp hoisin sauce, 1 tsp sugar, and 1/2 tsp white pepper powder; mix well
- Pour this sauce mixture over crab and vegetables in the wok; stir to coat evenly with sauce
- In a small bowl, mix together 2 tsp cornstarch with 3 tbsp water to create a slurry; pour this slurry into the wok while stirring constantly to thicken sauce
- Cook for an additional minute or until sauce has thickened
- Serve hot as a dinner meal for four servings
Obvious and Not So Obvious Variations and Pairings
☕ Bitter
- Add 1 cup chopped bitter melon
- Add 1/2 tsp ground mustard
- Increase soy sauce to 1/3 cup
- Decrease sugar to 1/2 tsp
🧂 Salty
- Increase soy sauce to 1/2 cup
- Add 1 tbsp fish sauce
- Add 1/2 tsp salt
- Replace hoisin sauce with 2 tbsp black bean sauce
🍋 Sour
- Add 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- Add 1/4 cup tamarind paste
- Reduce hoisin sauce to 1/2 tbsp
- Replace sugar with 1 tsp honey
🌶️ Spicy
- Add 1 tbsp Szechuan peppercorns
- Add 2 tsp red chili flakes
- Increase ginger to 2 tbsp
- Add 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
🍬 Sweet
- Increase sugar to 2 tsp
- Add 1/4 cup pineapple chunks
- Add 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
- Replace hoisin sauce with 2 tbsp plum sauce
🍄 Umami
- Increase soy sauce to 1/3 cup
- Add 1 tbsp fish sauce
- Add 1/4 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced
- Add 1 tsp sesame oil
🍸 Alcoholic
- Tsingtao Beer: The light and crisp flavor complements the seafood and vegetables in the dish
- Riesling: The wine’s acidity and slight sweetness balance the savory flavors of the sauce
- Plum Wine: The fruity notes enhance the Chinese cuisine flavors and pair well with crab
🥤 Non Alcoholic
- Lemon Iced Tea: The citrusy flavor complements the seafood and balances the richness of the dish
- Chrysanthemum Tea: The floral notes provide a refreshing contrast to the savory flavors in the recipe
- Sparkling Water with Lime: The effervescence and hint of lime cleanse the palate between bites
🥓 Keto
- Remove baby corn
- Replace carrots with 1/2 cup zucchini, julienned
- Replace soy sauce with 1/4 cup coconut aminos
- Replace hoisin sauce with 1 tbsp sugar-free hoisin sauce
- Remove sugar
- Replace cornstarch with 1 tsp xanthan gum mixed with 3 tbsp water
🍆 Mediterranean
- Replace fresh crabs with 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
- Replace vegetable oil with 2 tbsp olive oil
- Remove hoisin sauce
- Replace soy sauce with 1/4 cup lemon juice
- Replace oyster sauce with 2 tbsp tomato paste
- Add 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved
- Add 1 tsp dried oregano
- Add 1 tsp dried basil
- Remove white pepper powder
🥑 Paleo
- Replace vegetable oil with coconut oil
- Remove baby corn
- Replace soy sauce with coconut aminos
- Remove oyster sauce
- Replace hoisin sauce with 1 tbsp almond butter and 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- Remove sugar
- Replace cornstarch with arrowroot powder
🐟 Pescatarian
- No changes needed.
🌱 Vegan
- Replace 1 lb fresh crabs with 1 lb oyster mushrooms, chopped
- Remove 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- Add 2 tbsp vegan oyster sauce
🥦 Vegetarian
- Replace 1 lb fresh crabs with 1 lb firm tofu, cubed
- Remove 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- Add 2 tbsp vegetarian oyster sauce
🥩 Whole30
- Replace soy sauce with 1/4 cup coconut aminos
- Replace oyster sauce with 2 tbsp coconut aminos
- Replace hoisin sauce with 1 tbsp almond butter mixed with 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- Remove sugar
- Replace vegetable oil with 2 tbsp avocado oil
- Replace cornstarch with 2 tsp arrowroot powder mixed with 3 tbsp water
🧠 Brain Health
- Replace vegetable oil with 2 tbsp olive oil
- Add 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- Add 1/4 cup chopped almonds
- Replace sugar with 1 tsp honey
- Replace soy sauce with 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
🌾 Celiac Disease
- Replace soy sauce with 1/4 cup gluten-free tamari
- Replace oyster sauce with 2 tbsp gluten-free oyster sauce
- Replace hoisin sauce with 1 tbsp gluten-free hoisin sauce
- Replace cornstarch with 2 tsp arrowroot powder mixed with 3 tbsp water
💩 Crohns Disease
- Remove fresh crabs
- Replace vegetable oil with 1 tbsp olive oil
- Replace bell peppers with 1 cup zucchini, sliced
- Remove snow peas
- Remove baby corn
- Decrease carrots to 1/4 cup, julienned
- Decrease green onions to 2 tbsp, chopped
- Decrease garlic to 1 clove, minced
- Decrease ginger to 1/2 tbsp, minced
- Replace soy sauce with 2 tbsp coconut aminos
- Remove oyster sauce
- Remove hoisin sauce
🩸 Diabetes
- Replace soy sauce with 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- Replace oyster sauce with 2 tbsp low-sodium oyster sauce
- Replace hoisin sauce with 1 tbsp sugar-free hoisin sauce
- Remove 1 tsp sugar
🍞 Gluten Intolerance
- Replace soy sauce with 1/4 cup gluten-free tamari
- Replace oyster sauce with 2 tbsp gluten-free oyster sauce
- Replace hoisin sauce with 1 tbsp gluten-free hoisin sauce
- Replace cornstarch with 2 tsp arrowroot powder
🫀 Heart Disease
- Replace vegetable oil with 1 tbsp olive oil
- Replace soy sauce with 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- Replace oyster sauce with 2 tbsp low-sodium oyster sauce
- Eliminate hoisin sauce
- Decrease sugar to 1/2 tsp
❤️ Heart Health
- Replace vegetable oil with 1 tbsp olive oil
- Decrease soy sauce to 2 tbsp
- Replace oyster sauce with 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- Replace hoisin sauce with 1 tbsp low-sodium teriyaki sauce
- Remove sugar
🧂 High Blood Pressure
- Replace soy sauce with 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- Replace oyster sauce with 2 tbsp low-sodium oyster sauce
- Replace hoisin sauce with 1 tbsp low-sodium hoisin sauce
- Eliminate sugar
- Decrease white pepper powder to 1/4 tsp
🍔 High Cholesterol
- Replace fresh crabs with 1 lb imitation crab meat
- Replace vegetable oil with 2 tbsp olive oil
- Replace oyster sauce with 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- Replace hoisin sauce with 1 tbsp low-sodium teriyaki sauce
🦠 Immune System
- Replace soy sauce with 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- Replace sugar with 1 tsp honey
- Add 1/2 cup chopped shiitake mushrooms
- Add 1/2 cup chopped bok choy
- Add 1 tsp turmeric powder
🚽 Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Replace soy sauce with 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- Replace oyster sauce with 2 tbsp low-sodium oyster sauce
- Replace hoisin sauce with 1 tbsp gluten-free hoisin sauce
- Remove garlic
- Replace ginger with 1/2 tbsp ginger powder
- Replace green onions with 1/4 cup chopped chives
💧 Kidney Disease
- Replace soy sauce with 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- Replace oyster sauce with 2 tbsp low-sodium oyster sauce
- Omit hoisin sauce
- Decrease sugar to 1/2 tsp
🐄 Lactose Intolerance
- No changes needed as the recipe is already lactose intolerance friendly.
🍺 Liver Disease
- Replace fresh crabs with 1 lb cooked crab meat
- Decrease vegetable oil to 1 tbsp
- Decrease soy sauce to 2 tbsp
- Replace oyster sauce with 1 tbsp low-sodium Worcestershire sauce
- Omit hoisin sauce
- Decrease sugar to 1/2 tsp
- Decrease white pepper powder to 1/4 tsp
🤰 Pregnancy
- Replace fresh crabs with cooked crab meat
- Decrease soy sauce to 2 tbsp
- Replace oyster sauce with 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- Replace hoisin sauce with 1 tbsp honey
Beti’s Reflections
It was a bustling night at my favorite local Chinese market when I stumbled upon the inspiration for this Crabtivating Veggie Feast. The vibrant colors of fresh crabs and an array of vegetables caught my eye, and I knew I had to create a Chinese-inspired dish that would showcase these beautiful ingredients. And so, the Crabtivating Veggie Feast was born!
This delightful recipe serves four people and is perfect for those who love seafood and crave a nutritious meal packed with flavor. However, if you have any shellfish allergies or dietary restrictions, please be cautious before indulging in this dish.
The star of our Crabtivating Veggie Feast is 1 lb of fresh crabs, cleaned and chopped to perfection. These succulent crabs are accompanied by a medley of vibrant vegetables: 1 cup bell peppers, sliced; 1 cup snow peas, trimmed; 1 cup baby corn, halved; and 1/2 cup carrots, julienned. To bring out the flavors of these ingredients, we’ll also need 1/4 cup green onions, chopped; 3 cloves garlic, minced; and 1 tbsp ginger, minced. The flavorful sauce consists of 1/4 cup soy sauce, 2 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tbsp hoisin sauce, 1 tsp sugar, and 1/2 tsp white pepper powder. Finally, we’ll use a mixture of 2 tsp cornstarch with 3 tbsp water to thicken the sauce.
To prepare this easy Chinese seafood dish: Clean and chop the fresh crabs on a cutting board using a chef’s knife. Heat up your wok with vegetable oil over medium-high heat before adding minced garlic and ginger for a quick stir-fry. Add the chopped crabs to the wok next and cook until they’re done. Set aside the cooked crabs in a small bowl while you stir-fry the vegetables in the same wok until they’re tender-crisp. Return the cooked crabs to the wok, add green onions, and mix well. Combine soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, sugar, and white pepper powder in a measuring cup before pouring it over the crab and vegetables. Thicken the sauce with a cornstarch slurry while stirring constantly. Cook for an additional minute or until the sauce has thickened.
And there you have it – a Crabtivating Veggie Feast that’s perfect for a Chinese seafood dinner! This crab and vegetable stir-fry is not only delicious but also nutritious, making it an excellent choice for a satisfying meal. So go ahead and treat yourself to this fresh crab with veggies dish – you won’t be disappointed!
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