Crab Rangoon | 炸蟹角

Daniel
Jan 31, 2023
3 min read

Updated: May 21

Initially, I was very skeptical about mixing cream cheese with crab wrapped in a wonton wrapper and then deep fried. I could not wrap my head around that. I mean, seafood with cheese is bad enough and to deep fried all of that in a wonton wrapper? Sounds bizarre right?

Eventually, I gave in to my curiosity; this is the 2nd American Chinese dish I learned from my friend. According to him, you can almost find this in every Chinese eatery in the USA, especially San Francisco.

As soon as I took that 1st bite, I was hooked. The fillings just make perfect sense as they exploded in my mouth. Metaphorically, eating those Xiao Long Bao aka Soup Dumplings. It is creamy, cheesy, crabby and with an onion backdrop plus that crispy crunchy eggy wrapper = party in my mouth.

To complement the crab rangoon, I serve them with some chili oil. The combination is life-changing. Anyway, I hope you will give this recipe a try. Ask your kids to join in the fun and help you shape these crab rangoon. It will be a blast!

Ingredients:

(Serve 8)

Fillings:
Yellow Onion, 1
Cream Cheese Softened at Room Temperature Preferably Philadelphia, 454g
Unsalted Butter, 2 TBSP
High Quality Crab Meat Fresh or Frozen, 100g
Granulated Sugar, 1 TBSP
Sea Salt, Pinch
Black Pepper, Pinch
Mushroom Powder, Pinch
White Sesame Seeds, Pinch
Black Sesame Seeds, Pinch
Crab Rangoon:
Square Egg Wonton Wrappers, 30 Pieces Less or More
Egg Lightly Beaten, 1
Rapeseed / Sunflower / Canola / Peanut Oil, For Frying
Chili Oil Homemade, For Serving

Equipment:

Dutch Oven

Directions:

Please visit my "How To Make Chili Oil" page for the recipe.
Prepare the Fillings
Grate onion onto a lint-free kitchen towel.
Squeeze out as much juice as possible.
Optional: Use the juice and peels for onion tea by simmering with 500g water and 3 tea bags.
Transfer the grated onion to a large bowl.
Add the rest of the filling ingredients.
Fold and mix until well combined.
Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 30 mins.
Assemble the Crab Rangoon
Beat an egg with a splash of water to make an egg wash.
Lightly brush the edges of a wonton wrapper with the egg wash.
Scoop about 1 tsp of the filling into the center.
Fold the wrapper in half to form a rectangle.
Pinch the center and stretch both ends to shape like a crab rangoon.
Press the edges tightly to seal.
Tip: Do not overfill or the filling may leak during frying.
Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.
Fry the Crab Rangoon
Heat about 3 inches of oil in a dutch oven over medium heat.
Use a wooden chopstick to test the oil—if bubbles form around it, the oil is ready.
Gently place the crab rangoons into the oil.
Fry until golden brown and crispy on all sides.
Transfer to a wire rack or paper towel-lined plate to drain excess oil.
Repeat until all the crab rangoons are fried.
To Serve
Serve immediately with chili oil for dipping.
Let me know if you'd like the onion tea or chili oil recipe formatted the same way!