Airfryer (Philips Airfryer!),  Snack,  Under $1

Air Fried Crab Sticks

February 12, 2014 /

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This recipe is just in time for Chinese New Year!

I’ve been seeing deep fried crab sticks disguised as Chinese New Year goodies these couple of years and am intrigued by the ingenuity of the sellers. I mean, this is such a simple thing to prepare and takes no effort, and you’re selling it at the same price as pineapple tarts? No way am I gonna fork out $16-$18 for a bottle of this! I decided to make my own this CNY.. 3 heaped plates of the above for $1.90? My wallet (and principle) says “Yes!”

This is super easy to make and it turned out crispy and fragrant. I didn’t even pat them dry nor do anything extra. My aunt even said these taste better than prawn crackers. If you’d like, you can do Cajun flavoured or curry flavoured ones… just sprinkle lightly with seasoning! Small tip: I didn’t face the problem of the crab sticks flying everywhere, but if you do, you can place a steamer rack over – I think it will help a bit.

Note: I tried out another popular brand, Li Chuan crab sticks from Sheng Siong and didn’t like it. Although they were crispy, it was because of the higher ratio of flour:fish paste. It lacked fragrance and was also dry. I don’t recommend it. There are also two types of DODO crab sticks – one frozen and one from the chiller section. Although they taste the same, I found the ones from the chiller easier to unroll. Recently, I’ve tried out air frying at 160C for a longer time (instead of at 180C) and prefer it this way! I have updated the recipe’s temperature below :)

Air Fried Crab Sticks
Total cost: $1.90

What I used:
1 packet DODO crabsticks
2 teaspoon oil or sesame oil, to toss
(Optional) Seasoning powder of your choice, like Cajun or curry

Steps:
1. Set your airfryer to 160 degrees and preheat for 5 minutes.
2. Break the crab sticks length-wise and shred into smaller, even pieces. Be sure not to overdo the shredding. 1.5 to 2cm width would be nice. To achieve a more even width you can unroll each crab stick, layer one on top of the other and cut equally.
3. Place in a bowl and drizzle oil over. Toss well to combine.
4. Airfry for 12 minutes until golden brown. No need to lay in single layer so lehceh! Open the tray every few minutes and use a pair of tongs to toss so that they will cook evenly.
5. (Optional) Sprinkle lightly with your choice of seasoning if you like.

p/s- I suggest you don’t skip step 3 although you might have better luck than me. The oil is to prevent the crab sticks from sticking together. I got lazy once and didn’t oil, and when I opened the tray to toss, I laughed out loud cos they were frying in one layer, like pancake. I managed to salvage them though, with some oil spray!

How much I spent:
$1.90 for DODO crabsticks

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28 Comments

  • Katherine

    April 27, 2014 at 8:02 pm

    I’ve tried with other brands. It didn’t turn out well. Very hard instead if crispy. So far only works with DODO crab stick.

  • Sara

    January 12, 2015 at 9:52 pm

    Hi, I made the same crab sticks using air fryer. And when I had them again the next day it has gone soggy despite having them cooled and stored in an air tight container. Do you have the same problem too?

    • Chrissy@budgetpantry.com

      January 12, 2015 at 10:17 pm

      Hi Sara! I didnt have this problem. My guess is that they were not cooled down completely enough but I could be wrong. I covered mine with a food ‘basket’ and blew fan at them for hours before storing. Good luck!

    • Corina

      January 10, 2016 at 8:57 pm

      Mine too Sara! Did u manage to salvage it in the end? My first batch that I made 1 week back was ok but what I made yesterday turned out the same as yours.. Could it be that there was too little oil?

  • shane

    January 13, 2015 at 2:08 pm

    Hi !! Want to ask what temperature u set to air fry the crabsticks? CNY is coming and would like to try this out!! Thanks in advance!! =)

  • shane

    January 13, 2015 at 2:15 pm

    Lol I missed reading that line about temperature you set!! So paiseh!! Gonna try this recipe out tomorrow!! Thanks for sharing this!!

  • Sharon

    March 12, 2015 at 10:31 am

    Hi! Just tried this thought after cny. Lol! I used “kami” lobstie brand. Already pre-shredded. Turned out well too! :) I haven’t seen “dodo” brand in Malaysia.

  • Ade

    January 9, 2016 at 12:25 am

    hihi! thank you for sharing your recipe! looking forward to try it again, but first I gotta ask… how do you prevent the shredded crab sticks from flying about when air frying? I first did it few months back, but failed terribly cos it was just everywhere and wouldn’t stay in the basket…

  • Rayne

    January 15, 2016 at 11:22 pm

    Thanks for the recipe! It turned out awesome!! I further fried it for 3 minutes at 180C as it was not crispy enough after 12 minutes. Perhaps it was personal preference. No issue on storage cos my family finished it while it was still warm. lol.

  • Karen

    February 2, 2016 at 10:42 pm

    Hi, are your crabsticks crispy once you take them out of the airfryer? Mine has been there for more than 15 mins and still not crispy but was rather hard. Should I leave it longer in the fryer or should have taken it out before they were crispy? Will they turn crispy after cooling?

    Thanks!