🍽️ Crab Roe Xiaolong

Crab roe and meat filling, sweet-savory umami.

Crab Roe Xiaolong is a premium variety of Shanghai soup dumpling, defined by its autumn filling of crab roe and meat. The wrapper is made from unraised dough rolled paper-thin, almost translucent so the orange crab filling glows through. Inside goes a pork ball mixed with freshly rendered crab roe and crab jelly; once steamed, the filling melts into a brimming pool of broth. Lift the dumpling gently—the soup wobbles visibly through the skin. Bite first to sip: the rich, briny sweetness of crab roe blends with savory pork for a lingering umami finish, while the skin stays springy and smooth. It is a seasonal treat at its best in autumn when hairy crabs are fattest, a limited-time star of Shanghai's old teahouses, best enjoyed hot with ginger-vinegar dipping sauce.