Appetizer Recipe: Crispy Crab Rangoon

Crab rangoon is probably one of my favorite appetizers at any Chinese restaurant. The combination of the crispy wonton with the somewhat sweet filling of crab, cream cheese, and of course a few other essential additions for flavoring somehow makes this simple dish open to a variety of changes you could think of for the filling.

For our rangoon we combined crab meat and cream cheese with garlic, onion, and Worcestershire sauce. The trick to making this recipe best is to use fresh crab meat if you can. If you can't find it, that's okay. You'll just want to drain and flake the canned crab meat first, and use the weight of the drained crab meat in the recipe. Keep reading below for this excellent recipe...

Crab Rangoon

(makes 6 servings)

Ingredients

• 2 cups vegetable oil
• 5oz crab meat
• 4oz cream cheese at room temperature
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 green onion, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon red onion, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon Worcetershire sauce
• kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 24 2" won ton wrappers

Directions

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium high heat.
2. In a large bowl, combine the crab meat, cream cheese, garlic, green onion, sesame oil, Worcestershire sauce, red onion, white pepper, and salt and pepper.
3. Place the wonton wrappers on a work surface. Spoon 1 1/2 teaspoons of the crab mixture into the center of each wrapper. Use your fingers to rub the edges of the wrappers with water. Fold two corners of the wonton wrapper together. Fold the other two ends to make a tiny parcel (pictured above). Pinch to seal tight and make sure there is no leakage.
4. Working in batches, add wontons to the Dutch oven and fry until evenly golden brown and crispy (about 1-2 minutes). Transfer to a paper towel lined plate.
5. Serve immediately with sauce.
6. Enjoy!

Savory Seafood Recipe: Maryland Crab Cakes

You don’t need to be from the Chesapeake to appreciate a Maryland-style crab cake. With a hint of Old Bay seasoning – which you can omit or substitute with seasoned salt or a pinch of cayenne for added kick – and fresh crab, you can’t go wrong serving these crab cakes for dinner.

If you’re a crab cake aficionado, then you know everyone’s got a preference – things like breadcrumbs vs. crackers in the filling, or sautéing vs. baking vs. frying when you’re cooking. We wouldn’t turn down a crab cake made any of these ways, but this recipe gives instructions on the skillet and in the oven, depending on what you’d like.

To keep the crab cakes from falling apart while you’re cooking them, you’ll want to refrigerate them for a bit before cooking. Keep that prep time in mind when making these crab cakes, and you’ll be good to go.

Maryland Crab Cakes

Ingredients:

• 1 pound jumbo lump or backfin lump crabmeat, fresh or pasteurized
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise (or sour cream)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cups breadcrumbs, ideally fresh from white or sourdough bread
• 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• Lemon wedges for serving

Directions:

1. Decide whether you’d like to sauté or bake the crab cakes. If you want to bake them, preheat the oven for 400 degrees F.
2. If necessary, drain the crabmeat and pick through it for shells (shells won’t be in jumbo lump crabmeat). Put the crab in a medium-size bowl and set aside.
3. Get a small bowl and whisk the egg, mayonnaise, mustard, Old Bay seasoning (or substitute), lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and salt. Pour the mixture on top of the crab and gently mix until well-combined – be careful to gently break up lumps with your fingers and not to over-mix.
4. Add the breadcrumbs and parsley to the mixture, and gently mix them until well combined. You want the mixture to still have a loose, meaty texture – not mashed together too much.
5. Cover the crab cakes with plastic wrap and let them refrigerate for one to three hours.
6. Mold the crab mixture into eight crab cakes – each should be about an inch thick.
7. If you want to sauté the crab cakes, heat the butter and olive oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Once the butter is frothy, add the cakes to the pan and cook on one side for four minutes – about when the underside will be golden-brown. Then, flip the crab cakes and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook the cakes for another four minutes, or until the other side is golden-brown.
8. If you want to bake the crab cakes, then melt extra butter and brush a baking sheet with it. Put the crab cakes on the sheet. Then, melt the 2 tablespoons of butter and the olive oil together, and brush the tops of the crab cakes with it. Bake them for 20 minutes.
9. Serve with lemon wedges and your choice of side dishes.
10. Enjoy!

Recipe: Crab and Roasted Red Pepper Bisque

Indulgences don’t always have to be sweet – for instance, this savory soup is quite the comforting treat. Whether you use fresh or canned crab, the flavor paired with classic seafood seasonings like Old Bay/Cajun spices and cayenne – not to mention a little sweetness from the roasted red peppers – is perfect. Serve with some crostini on the side for dipping, and you’ll be glad you indulged in this recipe!

Crab and Roasted Red Pepper Bisque

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 12-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 pound fresh lump crabmeat or canned crab 
• 1 teaspoon Old Bay or Cajun seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons salt

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat and sauté the onion until tender and translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute.
2. While the onion is cooking, melt the butter over medium-high heat in a large pot. Once the butter is melted, whisk in the flour until smooth and cook for a minute (or until the mixture starts to brown).
3. Then, add the chicken broth, red peppers, tomato paste, crabmeat (if you want to garnish the soup with crabmeat, reserve a few ounces), Old Bay, cayenne pepper, and onion to the pot. Let the mixture simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until smooth.
4. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth (you could also use an electric blender and puree in batches, returning the soup to the pot when it is pureed).
5. Add the heavy cream, red wine vinegar, and salt to the pot and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes, or until heated all the way through.
6. Garnish with crab meat, if you reserved any, and/or a swirl of half and half if desired.
7. Enjoy!