Crab Rangoon Canape (crab won tons) - a tutorial

Early last week I posted some appetizer recipes, thinking they'd come in handy for Super Bowl Sunday. I got a big response regarding the crab Rangoon canape, or crab won tons, so I thought I'd show you how easy it is to make them.

In a perfect world, I'd have posted this sooner, but the truth is, I made these about two hours before the Super Bowl started. :-)

CRAB RANGOON CANAPE

2 7-ounce cans crab
2 3-ounce packages softened cream cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 package won ton wraps
oil for frying

Thoroughly mix together all ingredients except won ton wraps. Place a rounded teaspoon of mixture in middle of each won ton wrap and fold to form a triangle. Seal edges with a pastry brush (or your finger) dipped in water.

Fry in hot oil 1/3 inch deep until lightly browned. May be served right away, or after canapes have cooled, may be frozen and heated in oven just before serving at a later date.

Serve with sweet & sour sauce.

Makes about four dozen.


Here's what you need. The recipe calls for 7-ounce cans of crab meat. I could only find 6-ounce cans. Close enough. The recipe calls for two 3-ounce packages of cream cheese. I had an 8-ounce package on hand. Close enough. :-) Because I was using a little less crab meat and a little more cream cheese, I said what the heck and threw in a third can of crab. I'm pretty sure there's no such thing as too much crab meat. :-)


I've never seen won ton wraps anywhere but in the produce department. They're not frozen, but they must be refrigerated. All they really are is squares of pasta dough. You'll probably see two sizes of them. The larger ones are meant for making egg rolls, so make sure you get the smaller size. The package will probably say either "won ton wraps" or "egg roll wraps."

By the way, these are also great for making homemade ravioli.

You need to drain the crab meat. I drained it and then I used the back of a large spoon to press out any remaining liquid.


Just mix the cream cheese and crab meat and season it to taste with salt and pepper. At this point you can add anything you like. Perhaps garlic powder or minced scallions. I like the kind of bland but sweet taste of just the cream cheese and crab meat, but of course you can get creative if you want to.


The brand of won ton wraps I was able to get included directions for the right way to fold a won ton.


You can see that they came in two stacks of fairly small squares of dough. They're floured and don't stick together unless you get them wet.


Just place a teaspoon of the crab mixture in the center of the wrap....


dip your finger in water and wet all four edges....


and fold it over, into a triangle. Doesn't have to be perfect. My wraps actually weren't perfectly square, but it's like working with pie dough - very easy to gently stretch and mash it all together around the edges.


Pull the two bottom points down, wet the tips and press them together. You'll get the hang of it very quickly.

I did discover it was better to make about four at a time, keeping the rest of the dough covered with a damp cloth, because it dries out quickly. Again, if they dry out a little and try to crack, just wet them with water and press them together.


I fried mine in vegetable oil over medium heat. They're going to start popping a little so watch out for that. :-) I turned them once, to brown them lightly on both sides.


Place them on paper towels to drain.

This part goes quickly. So I make all the won tons at once and then fry them in small batches. Once you start frying them, you won't have time to run over and assemble more of them.


If you really want to, you can make your own sweet and sour sauce. But if you're like me, looking for the quickest way to do this, just buy a bottle.


I ended up with about four and a half dozen crab won tons (not counting the two I ate while I was cooking). I used all the won ton wraps in the package and had a little of the crab mixture left, so of course I grabbed a spoon and took care of that! :-)

These are fast and easy (just a little over an hour start to finish) and everyone loves them. They're a great appetizer for just about any kind of get together.

And remember, if you have any left over, which isn't likely, just put them in a ziplock and freeze them. They're easy to reheat in the oven just before you're ready to serve them. If you're planning a party, this is one thing you can definitely make days ahead of time and simply freeze.

They impress people, too, because everyone assumes they're tricky to make. Nothing could be easier. So have fun!