Crab Rangoon
Crab Rangoon is a popular Chinese takeout appetizer, and this recipe recreates the authentic flavor right in your own kitchen!
Believe it or not, we made it the whole way through college without ingesting any Chinese takeout. Maybe it was just the group of girls that we hung out with, but we were always way more interested in pizza than Chinese. We tasted it once or twice after that, but it just never did anything for us. Perhaps our taste buds were temporarily defective or we somehow managed to get it from the worst place in the area, because now we can’t get enough of it! During one of our visits to the DC area to see our Chief Culinary Consultant a few years ago, he suggested we get some Chinese takeout while we watched a hockey game. We balked (he must have thought we were nuts!), but he insisted we try General Tso’s and crab rangoon. We were immediately smitten with both, and now we have to get crab rangoon anytime we order Chinese. The good news is now that we've conquered them in our own kitchen, we don’t need to wait for takeout out to enjoy them!
If you’ve never had the pleasure of eating crab rangoon, let us explain. It is a combination of crab meat and cream cheese, along with some additional flavorings, that are folded up in a wonton wrapper and deep fried. Traditionally, they’re served with duck sauce, but you could also have them with soy sauce or nothing at all. Basically, they’re heaven in a fried triangle.
We love the creamy center contrasted with the crispy fried exterior of the rangoon. Dipped in sweet duck sauce, you just can’t beat it. We're always thrilled when we can recreate a restaurant favorite at home, and this one totally hits the spot.
What are some of your favorite takeout dishes?
One year ago: Mississippi Mud Cake
Two years ago: Hot Cross Buns
Three years ago: Rock n’ Roll Baby Onesie Cookies
Crab Rangoon
Yield: 24 crab rangoon Crab Rangoon is a popular Chinese takeout appetizer, and this recipe recreates the authentic flavor right in your own kitchen!- 4 ounces (113.4 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 3 ounces (85.05 g) canned crabmeat, drained and picked over for shell fragments
- 2 scallions, green parts only, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) salt
- 24 wonton wrappers
- 2 to 3 quarts (1.89 to 2.84 l) peanut or canola oil, for frying
- In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese and crabmeat. Stir in the scallions, sesame oil, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and salt.
- Heat 1 inch of oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat until it registers 350 degrees F.
- While the oil heats, assemble the rangoons. On a flat surface, lay out a wonton wrapper with one corner pointed toward you. Place 1 tablespoon of the filling into the center of the wonton wrapper. Dip a finger into a glass of water and wet the edges of the wonton wrapper. Fold the top corner down to meet the bottom corner to form a triangle. Press out all of the air and seal the edges by pressing them together. Place finished crab rangoons on a platter underneath a damp kitchen towel to keep them from drying out.
- When ready to fry, line a baking sheet with a double layer of paper towels. Carefully lower crab rangoons into the oil, about 6 at a time, and fry, until they are golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes, turning them over once halfway through the cooking time. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on the prepared baking sheet. Allow the crab rangoons to cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- You can substitute 3 sticks imitation crab meat, finely diced for the canned crabmeat
- You will need approximately half of a package of wonton wrappers for this recipe.
- Yield: 24 crab rangoon
- Prep: 25 minutes
- Cook: 20 minutes
- Total: 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 4 ounces ( 113.4 g ) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 3 ounces ( 85.05 g ) canned crabmeat, drained and picked over for shell fragments
- 2 scallions, green parts only, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon ( 0.25 teaspoon ) salt
- 24 wonton wrappers
- 2 to 3 quarts ( 1.89 to 2.84 l ) peanut or canola oil, for frying
Method
- In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese and crabmeat. Stir in the scallions, sesame oil, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and salt.
- Heat 1 inch of oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat until it registers 350 degrees F.
- While the oil heats, assemble the rangoons. On a flat surface, lay out a wonton wrapper with one corner pointed toward you. Place 1 tablespoon of the filling into the center of the wonton wrapper. Dip a finger into a glass of water and wet the edges of the wonton wrapper. Fold the top corner down to meet the bottom corner to form a triangle. Press out all of the air and seal the edges by pressing them together. Place finished crab rangoons on a platter underneath a damp kitchen towel to keep them from drying out.
- When ready to fry, line a baking sheet with a double layer of paper towels. Carefully lower crab rangoons into the oil, about 6 at a time, and fry, until they are golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes, turning them over once halfway through the cooking time. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on the prepared baking sheet. Allow the crab rangoons to cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
You can substitute 3 sticks imitation crab meat, finely diced for the canned crabmeat
You will need approximately half of a package of wonton wrappers for this recipe.
