How to Cook Crab Wontons
Like the fortune cookie, crab wontons, or crab rangoon as they are also called, are an American Chinese food, developed in the United States in the 20th century. Despite its western origins, crab rangoon has become a common offering in Chinese and other Asian-themed restaurants. If you've recently served crab legs or other whole or partial crab, crab rangoon is a good way to use leftover crab meat, but you don't have to use freshly shelled crab. Canned works just as well. You can even use fake crab sticks or pieces if you don't eat shellfish. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 8 oz. crab meat, shredded or cut into small pieces
- 1 package cream cheese, 8 oz., softened
- 48 wonton wrappers
- 4 green onions, diced
- Salt
- Pepper
- Garlic powder
- Large bowl
- Vegetable or canola oil
- Wok or deep fryer
- Tongs
- Kitchen paper
- Sauce, such as sweet and sour or plum sauce
Instructions
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Making the Crab Wontons
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1
Mix crab, cream cheese and green onion in a large bowl. Add salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste, roughly 1/4 tsp. salt and pepper and 1/2 tsp. garlic powder.
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2
Place 6 to 8 wonton wrappers on a clean, dry surface.
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3
Spoon about 1 tsp. crab mixture into center of wonton wrapper.
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4
Wet edges of wonton wrappers with water and bring opposite corners together over the center of the wonton. Seal the edges, creating a four-point star or cross. You can also fold the wontons in half to form triangles or bring all four corners together and twist to create a seal.
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5
Repeat with remaining wonton wrappers and crab mixture.
Cooking the Wontons
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6
Heat oil in wok or deep fryer to 350 degrees.
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7
Place wontons in hot oil a few at a time, being careful not to crowd them.
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8
Cook until the wontons turn a golden brown, about 2 minutes.
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9
Remove wontons from oil with tongs or a spider and place on kitchen paper to drain.
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10
Serve hot with sweet and sour sauce or your favorite sweet condiment. Plum sauce is a good choice, as is mango chutney.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Allow oil to come back up to temperature between batches for best results.
Crab wontons freeze well. If you plan to freeze your wontons and serve them at a later time, only fry them to about half done, or light brown. If you cook them all the way, they will likely burn when you reheat them.
Refrying is the best way to reheat wontons. A healthier alternative, however, is to bake leftover wontons at 400 degrees for 5 to 10 minutes.
References
Resources
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