It’s peak season for succulent autumn crabs, and the Ling Yuan offers exquisite cuisine::Ling Yuan Shanghai Cuisine::Six Lucky Palace::Taipei

What comes to mind when you think of delicious autumn eats? Surely it’s plump, juicy shrimp and crab dishes. Whether it’s Taiwan’s hairy crabs, Hokkaido’s snow crabs, or Japan’s mantis crabs, all reach their prime in autumn—when their shells are fat and their roe is rich—tempting foodies to “?” search for restaurants that can cook up delicious crab dishes to indulge in a feast of flavors.

Located on B1 of the Six Lucky Palace, the “Ling Yuan” restaurant serves Shanghai cuisine, specializing in premium seafood. Especially from October each year, it launches a series of “Crab Banquet” set menus, featuring fresh, high-quality crabs from various regions to satisfy customers’ cravings for something new.

This year, Ling Yuan presents the “Shanghai Crab Banquet,” featuring five creative single-order crab dishes and set menus. The ingredients include Hokkaido snow crabs, Japanese mantis crabs, Taiwan’s Pingtung hairy crabs, Sri Lankan king crabs, and Taiwan’s wild red crabs—so many autumn crabs it’ll make your mouth water.

Around the time after the Mid-Autumn Festival, autumn crabs hit their peak in late September. The most anticipated parts are the golden, plump roe and the sweet, firm meat. Ling Yuan’s head chef, Qiu Youbin, says the specially selected Japanese mantis crabs are known as the “queen of crabs,” with particularly plump and springy legs. He presents the mantis crabs in various forms such as spring rolls, deep-fried, wonton-style, and q grilled. As for the main dish, customers can choose based on preference—whether it’s steamed hairy crabs, Sri Lankan king crabs, Hokkaido snow crabs, or Taiwan’s wild red crabs—each with a unique texture.

Besides the above preparations, those who prefer stronger flavors or want to try something different shouldn’t miss out on Shanghai-style cooking techniques. Steaming, dry braising, garlic crisp, and sauce stir-fry are all distinct methods. Steaming preserves the original flavor, highlighting the freshness of the crab and its roe. Dry braising offers a uniquely sweet and spicy taste, requiring precise heat control for the perfect balance. Garlic crisp leaves a finger-licking aftertaste with its irresistible crispy texture. Finally, the popular Shanghai-style sauce stir-fry infuses the aroma of scallions, ginger, and garlic, making it not only extremely satisfying with rice but also stimulating even the pickiest palates.

• Autumn Exclusive – Ling Yuan’s Five Single-Order Autumn Crab Delicacies

◎ Fresh Crab Spring Rolls (NT$480 + 10%)

Fresh Crab Spring Rolls are filled with mantis crab leg meat, yam, seaweed, youtiao (Chinese fried dough), alfalfa sprouts, asparagus, and flat noodles. They’re refreshing with a bit of crunch, showcasing the delicate texture of the mantis crab meat without being too greasy.

◎ Shrimp and Crab Golden Box (NT$380 + 10%)

The Golden Shrimp and Crab Golden Box is presented deep-fried, using mantis crab leg meat, shrimp, pumpkin, and shiso. Its multi-layered texture is uniquely delightful, with the pumpkin adding sweetness and the shiso enhancing the flavor, further highlighting the sweet taste of the crab meat.

◎ Sesame Crab Hibiscus Stir-Fry (NT$350 + 10%)

The plumpest part of the mantis crab claws is first deep-fried to a golden appearance, then paired with egg tofu, shrimp, and sesame sauce to create a soft yet springy hibiscus stir-fry—a rare and creative dish.

◎ Crab and Shrimp Wonton Bowl (NT$500 + 10%)

The most mouthwatering dish is the Shanghai-style wontons filled with mantis crab meat and shrimp. Through the thin wrapper, you can see the luxurious pink crab and shrimp meat, paired with spicy-sauced silver sprouts and scallop crisps—crispy with a chewy bite.

◎ Golden Cheese Tomato Cup (NT$380 + 10%)

Another creative dish is the Western-style tomato cup, where mantis crab meat, bread, mushrooms, onions, and celery are stuffed into a hollow beef tomato, sprinkled with cheese and q grilled. It combines the textures of crab and cheese, loved by many female cheese-grill enthusiasts—for every bite, rich, juicy crab meat.