🦞 $1000 Seafood Challenge in Shanghai, China – I Got Gout!

From street-level seafood to luxury seafood experiences, today we attempt to spend over $1,000 on seafood in Shanghai. The challenge has two rules:

  1. Only seafood can be eaten.
  2. Each location must cost more than the last.

By the end, we experience a single shrimp costing over $200!

📍 Cheap Seafood

Our day begins with Shanghai’s affordable seafood, which already feels premium compared to other countries. Here’s what we tried:

  • Braised Eel – Soft, tender, meaty, with sweet-savory sauce over noodles.
    💸 ¥108 CNY / ~$15 USD
  • Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish – A stunning artistic dish where the fish is scored and fried to look like a squirrel, served with a sweet, thick sauce.
    💸 ¥108 CNY / ~$15 USD

These dishes show how even “cheap” seafood in Shanghai is prepared with incredible artistry.

📍 Crab King Garden

Next, we stepped up the price and quality at Crab King Garden, specializing in hairy crabs. A single platter requires breaking down 40 crabs, extracting body, claw, leg meat, and roe.

  • Assorted Crab Platter – Includes body meat, claw meat, roe, and head fat, served with rice and vegetables.
    💸 ¥850 CNY / ~$125 USD

Each bite had unique textures: creamy, sticky, rich, and buttery. Truly a luxurious mid-price seafood experience.

📍 Fresh / Live Seafood

Then, we visited a restaurant with live seafood tanks, featuring imports from around the world. Highlights:

  • Canadian Spotted Shrimp – Served raw with wasabi.
    💸 ¥380 CNY / ~$50 USD per shrimp
  • Australian Red Lobster – Lobster tail and legs stir-fried with Chinese white lily.
    💸 ¥1,520 CNY / ~$200 USD

The lobster is cooked with multiple steps including blanching, ice bath, frying, and careful seasoning. Absolutely decadent.

📍 Expensive Seafood / Michelin-Starred

Finally, we experienced Shin Rong Ji, a Michelin-starred seafood restaurant.

  • Mantis Prawn – Soft Center Drunken Fortune Prawn – A $222 shrimp filled with crab paste, perfectly cooked with firm yet tender texture.
    💸 ¥1,700 CNY / ~$236 USD
  • Yellow Croaker – A fish steak with delicate, flaky flesh in a rich, slightly sweet savory sauce.
    💸 ¥1,700 CNY / ~$236 USD

These dishes exemplify top-tier Shanghai seafood, with elegant preparation and presentation.

💰 Total Spend

  • Total for the Day: $971 USD
  • Favorite Dish: Mantis Prawn ($222)
  • Honorable Mention: Ketchup Squirrelfish

🌏 Summary

From $15 street-style eel to $222 mantis prawn, Shanghai offers seafood that is both artistic and luxurious. This $1,000 challenge was a journey through flavors, textures, and culinary craftsmanship like nowhere else.