Crab Rangoons - The Local Palate (2024)

FAQs

What's the deal with crab rangoon? ›

American Chinese crab rangoon is a 1940s crab-and-cream-cheese dip stuffed into a wonton and deep-fried—a pure distillation of tiki fusion weirdness. Crab rangoon is, after all, a preposterous dish.

Although the appetizer has the name of the Burmese city of Rangoon, now known by Burmese as 'Yangon', the dish was probably invented in the United States by Asian American chef Joe Young working under Victor Bergeron, founder of Trader Vic's.

Worst: Crab Rangoon

It's mostly cream cheese, wrapped in dough and deep-fried to create bite-sized calorie bombs. Because they're small, it's easy to eat more than one. Finish an order of 4, and you're likely to get more than half the calories and fat you should have in an entire meal.

What is the difference between crab wonton and crab rangoon? Crab rangoon is a type of fried wonton, so they are really very similar. The difference is all in the filling. Traditional wontons are not ever filled with cream cheese (which is one of the main components in crab rangoon recipes).

When paired with a little duck sauce or Thai chili sauce, it's hard to resist eating an entire order. But, if you do find yourself with either leftover crab rangoon or a frozen package that you're not sure how to reheat, there is one easy solution: the air fryer.

I love Panda Express' Crab Rangoons and they're so easy to make! Oddly enough, they don't use crab or imitation crab in their original recipe. Feel free to add some though, it's delicious! My local Panda Express offers 3 for $2.35.

Just like the name implies, imitation crab contains no crabmeat. Fish is, however, one of the main ingredients. It is made using surimi, which is a paste made of fish and a few other ingredients. Surimi is often made with pollock, which is also used to make fish sticks and breaded fish products.

Choose lean proteins

Some lean protein choices include chicken, lean ground pork and fish. These proteins are often used in Chinese main dishes such as Kung Pao Chicken with Bell Peppers. Plant-based proteins, such as tofu, are also found in Chinese dishes.

This recipe uses real crab, but the versions you enjoy at restaurants typically use imitation crab, or surimi, which are actually batons made from white fish. If you're having trouble finding crab meat for this recipe, you can sub in imitation crab meat if you like!

What is crab rangoon filling made of? ›

Combine cream cheese, crabmeat, green onions, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce together in a bowl. To prevent wonton wrappers from drying, prepare only one or two Rangoon at a time, keeping the other wrappers under a damp towel. Place 1 teaspoon crab filling onto the center of each wonton wrapper.

Before it appeared on Chinese restaurant menus, crab rangoon was conceived for Trader Vic's in the 1940s, Atlas Obscura reports. Victor Bergeron's tiki bar chain sold a kitschy, westernized version of Polynesian culture to American customers.

But as to why crab rangoon seems to have taken its place, Sweat suggested it's because of nostalgia. “Nostalgia is also a big factor in whether a meme can make a comeback, and food has a massive nostalgic factor to it for lots of people,” he said.

What are crab rangoons made of? Crab rangoon consists of wontons stuffed with a mixture of crab, cream cheese, garlic powder, green onions and Worcestershire sauce. The wontons are either baked or fried until golden brown and crispy and are often served with a dipping sauce.

While actual crab is not the primary focus of crab rangoon, either imitation crab or the real stuff adds necessary flavor. The best shape for crab rangoon is a four-pointed star: It concentrates the filling and maximizes surface area for more crunch.

Trader Vic's in San Francisco claimed the crab rangoon they served (first appearing on their menu in the 1950s) came from an old Burmese recipe, but food historian Herb Caen says that dish most likely was invented in the restaurant's own kitchen. In other words, crab rangoon is just as American as apple pie.