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Air-Fried Crab Sticks
Today is two days to Chinese New Year (Year of Goat – 19 Feb 2015). Later tonight, I will be making these air-fried crab sticks as gifts for my family. I like to make them so near to the first day of the lunar new year, so that they taste fresh during the start of the festival. The reason I can do so confidently, is because this is a truly simple recipe, requiring only 2 ingredients – crab sticks and cooking spray (oil).
See Also:
- Crispy Crab Sticks (Deep Frying) Recipe
- Honey Cornflakes Cups Recipe
- Chinese New Year Recipes
- Air Fryer Recipes
I used to deep fry them, and the result was great. But anything that requires deep-frying always give me a lot of resistance to start. This year, I experimented with using the air fryer to make crispy crab sticks. My verdict? They are crispy and less oily, plus (a BIG plus!) I don’t have to worry about oil splatters or air drying them for hours before cooking. The thin and flat layers of the crab sticks, just like vegetarian goose or “zai er”, meant that they are a great candidate for air frying. If you have an air fryer, you should try this out!
I also experimented with using the oven, but baking took too long with lackluster results so the oven option was not worth pursuing for me. Now I know how simple it is to make these addictive goodies, I can make them anytime of the year, not only during CNY. Check out the following photos for air frying crab sticks.
Step-by-Step Pictures
I’m using DoDo brand of crab sticks due to their nice flavour. There is no need to season them any further. Remove the plastic sheet for each crab stick. I use them straight from the packet.
Find the edge of each crab stick and start peeling to unroll.
You should be able to unroll it to a nice flat sheet.
Tear the crab stick sheet to 1 cm width.
Spread out the peeled crab sticks on large plates.
Spray with coating oil, then use tongs to coat them evenly in the oil.
This is the cooking spray I used. I bought it from Cold Storage (Singapore). It’s usually at the baking section.
Cook in air fryer according to the temperature and timing as stated in the recipe on the next page. This is what the crab sticks look like after 7 minutes. They require 3 more minutes to finish.
If you are tearing them to thin shreds instead (note: they may fall through the basket holes), halve the cooking time. When cooled, store crispy crab sticks in air-tight containers.
I deep fried my crabstick. It is less crispy and soggy. Do you have any reason why it didnt crisp?
probably the oil is not hot enough; or the crab sticks are not fully dried. Check out the pictures at https://noobcook.com/crispy-crab-sticks/
Hi, do you know how long can they last? I’m planning to make a big batch and worry I can’t finish them in time.
Can i use oven instead of air fryer?
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Hi, May I know how to preheat the air fryer? Sorry I am new to air fryers…
Thanks – Sherry
Preheat for 5 minutes. The instruction is at the printable recipe on page 2.
What if I bought those Japanese fresh Crab Stick instead of those that come in roll form like bobo? Can I use them?
I think as long as the crab stick can be rolled out like shown in the photos, u can use it. Though I personally have not tried it with Japanese crab sticks before.
Hi
First I preheat air fryer to 160 for 5 minutes. I am new the airfryer.
I dont undertstand what you meant : – Cook for 4, 3 followed by 3 minutes. the airfryer remain as 160 degree?
4, 3 followed by 3 minutes refers to each interval where you pull out the basket and shake the contents for even cooking.
yes the temperature remains at 160c throughout.
Have you ever experimented with spicy crispy crab stick? :)
I love using pan spray to help making air-fried foods even crispier. I’ve never thought to make fried crab sticks in my air fryer and I’m going to make these as soon as I grab another pack of crab sticks! Thank you for sharing.