Cookin’ With Hoss – Crab Rangoon Filling

Have you ever ordered crab rangoon at your favorite Chinese restaurant? You get crispy little purses of cream cheese in a wonton skin with some sweet sauce to dip them in.  Although tasty, I’m not sure I’ve ever found any crab in one of them. It’s kind of like finding the pork in a can of pork and beans!

The reason for this is quite simple: crab meat is really expensive, and it always has been. The harvest over the last several years has been limited due to decreased quotas placed by governmental entities to ensure the future sustainability of the crab population, thereby causing a limited supply, which contributes to increased prices. So an already pricey product just gets pricier!

However, if you’d like to splurge and have a really indulgent treat, here’s my take on the crab rangoon. It takes a little artistic license, but it is also adaptable to be used in a variety of applications depending on what direction you would like to take. Also, any leftovers can be frozen and used at a later date.   

Crab Rangoon Filling

Ingredients

• 1 lb. cream cheese
• 3/4 c. finely diced celery
• 3/4 c. finely diced yellow onion
• 1 tbsp. Minor’s clam base (available online)
• 3 tbsp. Mae Ploy Thai sweet chili sauce, (available at Asian markets)
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 6 oz. blue crab special white or claw meat
• 1 tbsp. Hoss’s Cajun Seasoning

Instructions

• Let the cream cheese come to room temperature.
• Sauté the celery and onion until sweated and lightly caramelized. 
• Add the cream cheese, Mae Ploy, lemon juice, clam base, Cajun seasoning, and Worcestershire. 
• Remove from heat, whisk until blended, then add crab meat. 
• Fill wonton skins as desired and fry.

Note: Use this blend for traditional crab rangoon.

For crab rangoon dip:

Increase Mae Ploy to 1/3 cup and double lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce. Serve hot with wonton chips or pita chips.

For crab stuffing: 

Add 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs to basic crab rangoon filling, stuff shrimp or desired seafood, and bake.

Jim “Hoss” Koetting is a retired restaurateur/chef who enjoys gardening, good food, good bourbon, and good friends.