Crab Rangoon Egg Rolls Crab Rangoon Egg Rolls (2024)

Stuffed with crab and cream cheese, and rolled into an egg roll wrapper, these Crab Rangoon Egg Rolls are deep fried until golden and crispy. The filling is warm and super creamy, and it is flavoured with green onions, Worcestershire sauce, mayo, vinegar, and seasonings. I bet you can’t eat just one – it’s a bet I never lose!

The very first time I had a crab rangoon, it was not in the form of an egg roll. It looked more like a wonton. There used to be a very small Chinese buffet-style restaurant within walking distance of where I used to live about 20 years ago. They were delicious and I wanted to make them at home. After some fussing and not being about to form a nice wonton shape, I gave up and rolled them instead. That was when Crab Rangoon Egg Rolls were born and the rest, as they say, is history!

WHAT’S YOUR SPECIALTY?

I think everyone is known for something when it comes to cooking or baking. What I mean is that everyone who loves to bake and cook has a specialty item; don’t you agree? In my case, I think it’s scones. I have a few scone recipes and I can make them with my eyes closed! But, if you ask others what my specialty is, you would get a different answer.

While writing this, I took a moment to ask John.e what was one thing he feels I can cook or bake really well. His answer went something like this: “You make everything well. (Liar!) Maybe your chili or your zucchini muffins; or maybe those cookies that you make that just melt in your mouth. (I have no idea which cookies he’s talking about, because I have so many cookie recipes!) He then goes on to say that it’s my pasta sauce recipe that he loves most. Needless to say, he wasn’t much help!

Over the years, I think my most requested recipe has been for these rolls. I remember one particular summer, I must have made them a dozen times! That was back when I was married and we used to live in a townhouse complex. We met a couple of families who quickly became friends and would gather at our home, because we had the most spacious corner lot. We had many potlucks that summer and my contribution was most always these Crab Rangoon Egg Rolls. Even the dog that was as big as a horse, and wasn’t on a leash liked them. But, that’s a story for another time!

THIS IS WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

• Crab – Actually, it’s imitation crab! I love it and I’m not ashamed to say so! (Send your hate mail to idontcare@noonecares.com!) Ha!
• Cream Cheese – I have found that the brick-style cream cheese is better. It will hold up much better to the heat of the oil and not run out all over the place when it’s hot.
• Mayonnaise – Any type will do, even the less fat or fat free kind.
• Ground Black Pepper – Lots of it! No salt is used, because imitation crab is already seasoned, and the mayonnaise is salty too.
• Worcestershire Sauce – Again, this has salt too, so no extra salt is needed. This adds so much flavour, so don’t be tempted to omit it!
• Rice Vinegar – For a bit of tartness and to help mellow out the richness of the cream cheese and mayonnaise.
• Celery Salt – This is a seasoning blend made with salt and ground celery seeds.
• Green Onions – This adds both flavour and freshness.
• Cornstarch – This isn’t a part of the actual recipe, but acts as a glue only to seal the rolled egg roll before placing it into the hot oil.
• Egg Roll Wrappers – These are my favourite brand. They might be available only in Canada, but you can buy similar products everywhere.

IMITATION CRAB

There is nothing wrong with imitation crab. There, I’ve said it! I have been buying imitation crab for almost twenty years. Would I prefer real crab meat? Of course I would! But, I’m far from rich, and I live nowhere near an ocean. Depending on where you live, crab meat can be very expensive. And, to be honest, imitation crab is quite good!

You might need to try a few brands to find the right imitation crab for you. I’ve tried a few that I didn’t care for too much at all. Sometimes, they can be too salty, and sometimes, they can taste like nothing. I mean that! In the past, I have purchased imitation crab that had absolutely zero flavour. So, before you give up on it, try a few brands first.

My favourite brand,Sea Quest, is luckily the most recognizable and easily found imitation crab. Here in Ontario, it’s available in almost every grocery store. From my experience, flaked imitation crab tastes better than stick imitation crab. If you’re new to imitation crab, start with flaked crab first. It always has a better flavour and texture. And, when you use it in these Crab Rangoon Egg Rolls, it’s even better!

HOW TO GET THE MOST FLAVOUR INTO YOUR ROLLS

Once you have mixed all of your ingredients together, there is one more thing that you can do to get the best results. It’s simply and costs no money at all. All you need to do is to cover the mixture well, and store it in your fridge for at least two hours. This will give the ingredients time to get to know one another and marry together.

The mixture will keep in your fridge for a day or two so it’s a great way to cut down on some of the time. You can make the filing ahead of time and then just roll them up when ready to fry. Don’t be tempted to roll the filling into the egg roll wrappers ahead of time. The wrapper dough will get soggy and they won’t crisp well when fried.

If you plan to make the filling ahead of time, remember to toss it well before filling the egg roll wrappers. Some of the sauce mixture might have settled to the bottom, so you will want to get it mixed through well before proceeding.

HOW TO MAKE CRAB RANGOON EGG ROLLS:

This recipe comes together in three stages. The first, which is probably the most obvious, is the mixing of the filling. And, that couldn’t be easier. The first thing to do is the break down the flaked imitation crab. Even though the label says flaked, the piece are quite large. Use your fingers to loosely shred each piece and transfer to a bowl.

Next, in a separate bowl, beat together the cream cheese and mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, ground black pepper, rice vinegar, and celery salt with a hand-held mixer. This should be creamy and smooth. Transfer the cream cheese mixture to the bowl with the crab, along with the green onions. Use a spatula to combine everything well. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

When ready to assemble the rolls, mix the cornstarch with the water in a small bowl and set aside. In the meantime, fill a heavy-bottomed pot, such as a Dutch oven or a deep, cast iron skillet with at least three inches of oil. Heat the oil to 350 degrees. It’s a good idea to use a thermometer to get the oil to the right temperature. This will prevent the egg roll wrapper from browning too quickly.

To assemble the rolls, remove one wrapper from the package and lay it onto a flat surface, like a cutting board, in a diamond shape. Spoon two heaping tablespoons of the filling onto the lower half of the wrapper. Lift the corner closest to you over the top of the filling, fold in the left and right sides, and roll the egg roll wrapper up to almost the end; dip your index finger in the cornstarch mixture and moisten the tip of the only remaining exposed corner; continue to roll to the end. The water will act as a glue and keep the roll tight.

Once all of your egg rolls are assembled, gently lower one roll at a time into the hot oil. Fry for 2-3 minutes per side; remove from oil and drain on paper towels.

WHY ARE THEY CALLED RANGOON?

As you know, Dear Reader, I love food trivia! We often hear the name of a recipe or a food item and just take it at face value. We never question why it is called what it is, or where the name came from. But, I do! I’m too curious about things like that and have to do some sleuthing to figure it out.

In the case of rangoons, I learned that a crab rangoon is not Chinese at all; it’s American. The recipe uses cream cheese and a wonton or egg roll wrapper as its main ingredients. The mixture is wrapped inside the wrapper and deep fried until crispy. Although crab rangoon can be found in almost all North American-based Chinese restaurants, the dish has nothing to do with authentic Chinese food.

The word rangoon refers to the name of a city – Yangon, the former capital city of Burma. Although the origins of the rangoon was probably Burmese, crab rangoon was probably invented by a Hawaiian restaurant in San Francisco in 1950s. Cream cheese is nonexistent in authentic Chinese food, therefore, it is unlikely that this dish was invented by the Chinese!