The Best Crab Rangoon
Prep
15m
Cook
6m
Total
21m
Bigly says
Sit down for this one. Crab rangoon. The BEST crab rangoon. And here's what nobody tells you, because the other recipe sites are COWARDS — crab rangoon is not from Burma, it is not from China, it is not from Rangoon, it was invented in San Francisco at a tiki bar in the 1950s by a man named Victor, and that is the TRUTH, the absolute truth, and I will not be corrected on this. Look it up. I had people look it up. They looked it up for SIX HOURS. Victor. San Francisco. End of discussion.
And these crab rangoon? My crab rangoon? Tremendous. TREMENDOUS. Crispy on the outside, like a little golden envelope of pure joy, and on the inside — on the inside it is creamy, it is sweet, it is just slightly oceanic in the way that says 'yes there is real crab in here' and not in the way that says 'this is a sponge that was once near a fish.' The other so-called rangoons? Sponges. Sponges in oil. A disgrace to the dumpling arts. People order them at strip mall takeout joints and they get a stapled paper bag of grief.
The secret — and I'm telling you this for free, no popup, no 'enter your email for the secret,' you wouldn't believe the popups on the other rangoon recipes, one site had FIVE popups, FIVE, who designed that, fire them, fire their whole family — is real lump crab, NOT imitation, NOT the pink-and-white sticks they sell in the cold case, and a touch of soy and Worcestershire to make the cream cheese taste like it has a soul. Fold them tight. Fry them hot. Eat them fast. Many people don't know this — most people, in fact, the rangoon literacy rate in this country is APPALLING — but a cold rangoon is just a sad dumpling. Heat is mandatory. Heat is non-negotiable.
Ingredients
- 8 ozcream cheese, full-fat, softened(BLOCK cream cheese, not the spreadable tub, the tub is a betrayal)
- 6 ozlump crab meat, picked over for shells(real crab, fresh or canned pasteurized, never the imitation sticks)
- 3scallions, finely sliced
- 1 clovegarlic, minced
- 1 tspsoy sauce
- 1/2 tspWorcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tspgranulated sugar
- 1/4 tspwhite pepper
- 1/4 tspkosher salt
- 24square wonton wrappers(thin square ones, not the round dumpling skins)
- 1/4 cupsmall bowl of water (for sealing)
- 4 cupsneutral oil for frying (canola or peanut)
- 1/2 cupsweet chili sauce (for serving)
- 1/2 cupduck sauce (for serving)
Steps
- 1
In a medium bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with a fork or spatula until smooth.
- 2
Gently fold in the crab meat, scallions, garlic, soy sauce, Worcestershire, sugar, white pepper, and salt. Do not overmix — you want visible chunks of crab.
- 3
Lay out 6 wonton wrappers at a time on a dry work surface. Cover the rest with a damp towel so they don't dry out.
- 4
Place a rounded teaspoon of filling in the center of each wrapper.
- 5
Dip a finger in water and moisten all four edges of the wrapper. Bring the four corners up to meet in the center above the filling, then pinch the four seams together firmly so no air pockets remain. Press the seams to seal.
- 6
Place finished rangoons on a parchment-lined tray. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.
- 7
Heat the oil in a deep heavy pot or wok to 350F (175C). Use a thermometer — guessing is for cowards.
- 8
Fry the rangoons in batches of 6-8, turning occasionally, until deep golden brown all over, about 2-3 minutes per batch. Do not crowd the pot or the temperature will crash.
- 9
Drain on a wire rack (not paper towels — paper towels steam the bottom soggy).
- 10
Serve immediately while hot and crispy, with sweet chili sauce and duck sauce for dipping.
One more thing
Eat them hot. Eat them standing up. Do not photograph them for the internet first — they will get cold while you fuss with your phone, and a cold rangoon, as we have established, is a tragedy on a small plate. The TV chefs will tell you to plate them with microgreens. MICROGREENS. On a rangoon. Do not put a salad on a rangoon. Put a rangoon in your mouth. That is the entire instruction. That is the only instruction that matters. Now go eat.
★ QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS ONE? ★
Ask Bigly about The Best Crab Rangoon.
Substitutions, what to serve it with, why other chefs are wrong about it. He's got opinions.
★ MORE LIKE THIS ★
KEEP COOKING.
Huge Baked Cod
Buttery baked cod fillets topped with golden lemon-garlic panko. Flaky, crisp, and on the table in 20 minutes. Better than any restaurant version.
The Best Bang Bang Shrimp
Crispy cornstarch-fried shrimp tossed in a creamy sweet-and-spicy bang bang sauce. Better than the restaurant version, ready in twenty minutes.
Huge Cajun Shrimp
Spicy Cajun-seasoned shrimp seared in butter and garlic until just pink. Six minutes start to finish. Crusty, juicy, and ready for crusty bread.
The Greatest Cedar Plank Salmon
Wild salmon fillet grilled on a soaked cedar plank with a maple-Dijon glaze. Smoky, sweet, sticky, and ready in under thirty minutes.