Monday, November 2, 2009

Recipe Box: Homemade Crabmeat Rangoons

I made these on Sunday with an Asian-style salad with chow mein noodles, mandarin orange slices and sesame dressing. They don't taste exactly like the kind you get from takeout, but they're infinitely cheaper and still oh-so-yummy! You may be able to get closer to the restaurant-style if you have a deep fryer; just deep fry them for 3-6 minutes at 375 instead of baking.




Makes about 52 Rangoons. I base the recipe on using up an entire package of wonton wrappers, since they don't store well once open. These are good in the fridge for a week (re-heat at 350 degrees for 4-6 minutes). I haven't tried freezing them yet, but cream cheese isn't known for freezing well. An alternative is to cut the filling in half and make a batch of spring or egg rolls at the same time to use up the extra wonton wrappers.

Ingredients:

1 12 ounce package of wonton wrappers
2 8 ounce package of cream or neufchatel cheese
1 pound of real or imitation crabmeat
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
spray canola oil (Pam, etc.) (you can brush on sesame oil instead for an interesting flavor)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
Mix cheese, crabmeat and chives in a large bowl until well blended
spray cookie sheet with canola oil, or lightly coat with oil using a paper towel

place 1 tablespoon of the filling in the center of a wonton wrapper.
bring the corners up and pinch together (if you're looking to do the "butterfly" style with the high corners, a small amount of water will make the wrapper stick to itself)

Place on the cookie sheet

Once the sheet is filled, spray the rangoons liberally (3-4 seconds) with canola oil, making sure to angle it from a few directions so that the sides are coated as well. Alternately, brush them lightly with oil using a pastry brush.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, checking every five minutes. They're done whenever the tips are browned. They'll be very hot right out of the oven, so let cool a bit before serving.

Note that the leftover filling is pretty awesome as a cracker spread or on a bagel. I actually make extra filling (using 3 packages of neufchatel and an extra half pound of crabmeat) just so that I have leftovers :-)

4 comments:

Boozy Tooth said...

Yum! Can't wait to try them. Bet they'd be a hit as an hors d'oeuvre for the Thanksgiving table! Thanks for the recipe!

April D said...

These sound super delicious! I will be adding them to my list of awesome fun snacks to try out thank you for the recipe!! :D

Lora said...

omg.
omg.
omg.

where do you get your wonton wrappers?

JoGeek said...

Lora: most grocery stores carry them now, Look in the produce area around where they would normally carry organic veggies, live sprouts, vegetarian substitutes, etc. They'll be refrigerated, so check the imported cheese display coolers if you don't find them in organics. If you're into the small-business specialty stores just look for one that carries asian food and cooking supplies; otherwise they have them at the Super-Walmart here as well as the local grocery chain.