Crab Wontons

Growing up, I despised shellfish. This is weird, because I'm originally from Massachusetts, where everyone loves lobster. It's an unspoken rule that everyone from New England is supposed to love all things seafood. Not me. I thought that shellfish generally had an odd texture. Couldn't eat it without wanting to gag. Yep, I'm the weirdo that used to shudder at the thought of lobster, shrimp, and crab.

Then I moved to Maryland and met Jake. On one of our first dates, he decided to 'treat' me to some steamed jumbo crabs, smothered in Old Bay. You know, the way true Marylanders eat crab. It was too early in our relationship for me to break it to him that I wanted to vomit just looking at those bright red crabs sitting on the table, ready to be cracked open. I sucked it up and dug into those crabs. 

Needless to say, I didn't vomit. And wouldn't you know, 3 years later, I LOVE crab. I can honestly say I haven't tried lobster in about 10 years, but I'd be more willing to give it a whirl now. 

I found this recipe for baked Crab Wontons, and had to try it. It worked out perfectly, since I had some leftover wonton wrappers from the last time I made Lasagna Cupcakes. This recipe is a healthier version of those delicious crab rangoons you can get at any Chinese food restaurant. 

Ingredients:

•  wonton wrappers
• 2 Tbs ricotta cheese*
• 8 oz. soft cream cheese
• 1 scallion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 cup crab meat, drained**
• glass or shallow container with some water

How to:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray generously with cooking spray.
• Combine ricotta, cream cheese, scallion, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and sugar in a medium sized bowl. Mix until smooth.
• Fold in crab meat.
• Place a wonton wrapper on a working surface. Place 1-2 tsp of the crab mixture in the center of the wrapper.
•  Dip your finger into your water, and wet two adjacent sides to the wonton wrapper. 
• Fold the wonton wrapper up on itself so you form a triangle.
• Push the air out by pressing around the filling.
• Seal the sides together by pressing them together.
• Place crab wonton on prepared cookie sheet.
• Repeat with remaining wonton wrappers and filling.
• Lightly spray the tops of the wonton wrappers with more cooking spray.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are browned. 

*The original recipe calls for sour cream, but I substituted ricotta, as I didn't have any sour cream on hand. I think my version came out pretty good! Alternatively, I believe mayonnaise would have also been a suitable alternative, if you don't have sour cream on hand. 

**I used a 4 oz. can of crabmeat, which you can find in the aisle with canned tuna fish. Ideally, I would have like to use fresh lump crab meat like a true Marylander, but I didn't have any. Blasphemous, I know.

I served these Crab Wontons with my Sweet and Sour Dipping Sauce. They were delicious! The baked wonton wrappers are so light and crispy, and they taste SO good with the dipping sauce. These would make a hot great appetizer for any party!

The original recipe can be found here.

Enjoy!