How to Make Crab Rangoon at Home

We all love those little crispy won tons filled with cream cheese and crab meat. What better combination right? And there is nothing better than going to a new buffet to find they have a hot tray full of fresh ones. Then we can sit for as long as we like chowing the little boogers down until we feel like our sides will split.

Well it is a lot easier than you might think to have this treat at home. I discovered by chance one night out of shear boredom how effortless it truly is. Also, this is a great recipe to make with your kids because of the simplicity of it.

What you will need:

One package of refrigerated won tons

One eight ounce package of cream cheese softened

One quarter to one half pound of imitation or real crab meat

(You can add as much as you like according to taste)

Deep fryer or large deep skillet or wok

Vegetable or canola oil (enough to immerse won tons in)

Small pastry brush

Small bowl of water

1) Making the filling for your won tons is very simple. You will want to chop up your crab meat. It is really up to you how course or fine you chop it up. Some people prefer bigger chunks and sometimes your mood will just change. I found that the more crab meat I use the finer I chop it up, and I use close to a half pound in my own.

2) After your crab meat is chopped fold it into the softened cream cheese. Make sure that it is mixed nicely so that there is no cream cheese that is missing the crab meat.

3) To assemble the won tons you will want to have a large area to lay out your completed won tons like a counter or cutting board. I also find it useful to use water with a small pastry brush for sealing the won tons. Take one of the won tons and put about 1 tsp. of your filling mix in the center of the won ton. You can fold them any way that you like, I usually just go for the triangles myself. Take your pastry brush and a small amount of water and brush the edge of the won ton and seal it up. Make sure that your edges are sealed tight to avoid leaking while frying.

4) Heat your oil to about 350 degrees. Depending on the size of what you are frying these in will determine how many you can cook at once. You will want to make sure that they can float without touching the others you have cooking. Watch them closely, they cook quickly.

5) It will only take about one minute per side to cook these. When they just start to look brown you will want to flip them over. When that side does the same you can pull them out. They will continue to cook a little while after you pull them out of the oil so you don't want to overdo it. You can cool and drain them on simply a few paper towels.

These can be a great appetizer to a meal or treat for the kids on movie night. Don't be surprised the first time you make them though, one package on won tons makes a lot of these little suckers.

If you end up with leftovers, which I rarely do, you can simply stick them in a zip lock bag and through them in the fridge. They never taste quite the same as fresh of course but can be a good little munchie to have laying around. To reheat them you can stick them in the microwave for a few seconds with a little bit of water sprinkled on them and a paper towel over the top, they hold up decently. You can also try a few cold, they are actually pretty good.

For a little bit different taste you can also try adding some of your favorite fresh herbs. One or two teaspoons is usually plenty. Really most fresh herbs go well with the cream cheese taste. I like chives the best myself but it is really up to you. If you really get daring you can also try making them with other meats or entirely different fillings. The possibilities are limitless, and inexpensive.