Weird Chinese Food › Insects & Bugs
Fried Scorpion
炸蝎子 · zhá xiēzi
Bravery rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️· Very brave
What does fried scorpion taste like?
Mostly crunch. Deep-fried scorpions taste like a salty, slightly nutty shell — closer to a crisp shrimp head or fried chicken skin than anything 'venomous'. The flavour comes from the oil, salt, chili and cumin they are tossed in. The tail is the crunchiest part; the body can be a little bitter.
Footage: Aqiang Eats China on YouTube
Where to eat it in China
Insect stalls in Yunnan (Kunming and the Xishuangbanna region) and night-market snack stands in tourist streets. Beijing's famous Wangfujing snack street, long the place tourists went for skewered scorpions, closed its snack alley years ago, so don't plan a trip around it.
How much does it cost?
Prices vary by size and by how touristy the street is, so ask before they fry it.
⚠️ Safety tips
The venom is destroyed by thorough cooking — it should be fried until fully crisp. Skip it if you have a shellfish allergy: insects and scorpions share allergens (tropomyosin) with shrimp and crab. Avoid live or barely cooked 'show' scorpions.
🎥 Watch us eat it
Fried scorpion skewers in Kunming, Yunnan (starts at 27:05)
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FAQ
Is it safe to eat a scorpion?
A properly deep-fried scorpion is generally considered safe; heat breaks down the venom. People with shellfish allergies should avoid it.
Are the scorpions on sticks still alive?
At some tourist stalls the display skewers are live for show. The ones you eat should be fried right in front of you until crisp.
Where did you eat it?
In Yunnan — watch the full video below.