Super Easy Crab Puffs Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between crab puffs and crab rangoon? ›

Are crab puffs and crab rangoons the same thing? Yes, crab puffs and crab rangoons are the same things.

Preparation. The filling is made with a combination of cream cheese, crab meat or imitation crab meat, scallions or onion, garlic, and other flavorings. A small amount of the filling is wrapped in each wonton wrapper.

It consists of cream cheese, sometimes sweetened, plus, usually, very small bits of imitation crab, stuffed into a wonton wrapper and deep-fried, served with a syrupy, neon sweet-and-sour dipping sauce. It is, essentially, deep-fried cheesecake with fake crab in it—as sweet as any dessert, but served as an appetizer.

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.

In this decadent crab puff recipe, wonton wrappers are filled with crabmeat and cream cheese and deep-fried. Dip them in your favorite Asian-style sauce and loosen your belt buckle!

So, what exactly is this yellow stuff you find in crabs? This substance is known as “crab mustard” or “tomalley” in culinary terms. It's not mustard, though, nor is it related to the condiment we all know. Tomalley acts as the crab's liver and pancreas, which might sound a bit odd at first.

Fry wontons in batches until golden brown and crispy, gently moving them around in the oil with a strainer to brown each surface, about 3 minutes. Let cool about a minute before eating. Serve with the dipping sauce. Whisk ketchup, rice vinegar, brown sugar, and sriracha sauce together in a bowl for the dipping sauce.

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.

One of the biggest clues in the makeup of crab rangoon that this dish is American over Asian in origin is the cream cheese. Cream cheese was a staple in 1940s and 50s America but this is not an ingredient you'll have found in China or Burma or Polynesia.

Although crab Rangoon can be found in almost all the Chinese restaurant in the United States, again, this dish has nothing to do with Chinese food. The word “Rangoon” in the name “crab Rangoon” is really an old name of Yangon, the largest in Myanmar.

Why does my crab taste fishy? ›

Unless your seafood is literally catch of the day, chances are it will taste and smell a bit fishy, thanks to a compound found in nearly all seafood called trimethylamine oxide, or TMAO.

If you plan to boil or steam your crab legs, your first option is to use the water to impart extra flavor. Don't be shy about adding salt, pepper, lemon juice and lemon rinds, or the classic Old Bay seasoning to your pot before boiling or steaming your crab legs.

Can you eat imitation crab raw? Yes. It is pre-cooked, so you are able to eat it straight from the package. Many people use it as part of a larger recipe though, adding it to cream of crab soup, crab Rangoon or crab salad.

Crab rangoon pairs a creamy filling with a crunchy wrapper and has a slightly sweet, tangy flavor, but wontons are meatier and more savory, with a thinner, tender dough.

Two Styles of Crab Cake

These are the boardwalk style and restaurant style. The restaurant style is also known as the gourmet style and does not rely on breading; at the very least, it's not supposed to. Instead, they are broiled over open flames or cooked in a buttered pan.

Crab rangoons, if you've never had them, originated at Trader Vic's restaurant in San Francisco in the 1950s and are crispy, fried wontons filled with cream cheese, imitation crab, and seasonings.