Crab Rangoons with sweet & spicy dipping sauce
I’ve been working this one up for awhile. I can’t tell you how many times I've tested different ingredients and amounts in order to land on what I feel is the perfect, simple crab rangoon recipe. It was a tough job eating all of those rangoons…but someone had to do it! These are EASY to make at home, and the filling is bursting with flavor and texture, unlike some rangoons which leave you wondering if there’s even any crab in it. This 50/50 mix of coarsely chopped crab and cream cheese blend with other simple Asian flavors to give you a rangoon to make you swoon. Pair them with the sweet and spicy dipping sauce in the instructions for the perfect appetizer. The only worry I have for you all is that…you might eat too many!
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Level: Easy
Ingredients - serves 4 as appetizer
4 oz. imitation or real crab chunks (NOT lump crab in can)
4 oz. cream cheese, soft at room temperature
3-4 stalks of green onion
1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. soy sauce, separated
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 small pack of wonton wrappers
1 tbsp. garlic chili sauce
1 tbsp. rice vinegar
1 tbsp. brown sugar
About 2-3 cups frying oil, like vegetable or peanut oil
We’ll start by making our filling. Be sure your cream cheese has set out for a few hours to soften up. Add to a medium sized mixing bowl.
Cut the green onions (both greens and whites) into thin rounds. Set aside about 1 tbsp. of the greens in a small dish that we’ll use for the dipping sauce. Add the rest to the mixing bowl with cream cheese.
The imitation crab needs to be cut up small. About pea-sized will do. Use imitation crab or real crab if you’re lucky enough to have access. The lump crab in the can is not as good! This imitation crab has more flavor and texture which makes this rangoon recipe the best I’ve come up with. Add chopped crab to the mixing bowl with the cream cheese and green onion.
Finish the filling by adding 1 tsp. of the soy sauce and 1/2 tsp. of garlic powder. Stir until mixed together evenly.
To make the rangoons: place about 1 tbsp. of the filling in the center of each wonton wrapper. Lightly wet the edges of the wrapper and fold together to seal in a triangle shape. Be sure it’s sealed so there are NO air pockets. They can burst when in the hot oil. Repeat until you run out of filling! You should make about 12-15 rangoons.
To fry: heat up the bath of oil over medium heat. The oil should be about 1/2 inch deep. Do not add the wontons until they sizzle upon entering - the oil will take 8-10 minutes to fully heat up. Once hot, add wontons in, spaced out, and fry on each side until golden brown (45 seconds - 1 minute per side seems good usually). When done, place them on a towel or paper towel to cool. Run as many batches as needed.
Make the dipping sauce: add the other tbsp. of soy sauce, the rice vinegar, the garlic chili sauce, and the brown sugar to the small bowl with the green onion greens. Whisk together. Enjoy!
Notes:
You can make these to freeze! Freeze BEFORE frying on a greased plate or baking sheet for 30 minutes, then add frozen rangoons to a bag. To cook: cook from frozen beginning at step 6, just increase frying time a bit.
You can also bake these (…but it’s not as tasty). Bake on a greased baking sheet on 350 for 16-18 minutes or until golden brown.