{{Short description|American Chinese dumpling appetizers}} {{About|the culinary dish|the album by MU330|Crab Rangoon (album)}}{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2025}} {{Infobox food | name = Crab Rangoons
| image = Crab_rangoons_on_a_plate.jpeg | image_size = 250px | caption = | alternate_name = | country = United States | region = | course = Appetizer | type = Dumpling | served = | main_ingredient = Wonton wrapper, cream cheese, crab meat or imitation crab meat, scallions, garlic | variations = | calories = | other = }} {{Infobox Chinese |c = {{linktext|蟹|角}} |l = Crab horn |p = xiè jiǎo |y = háaih gok |t2 = {{linktext|炸|蟹|角}} |l2 = Fried crab horn |p2 = zhá xiè jiǎo |y2 = ja háaih gok |t3 = {{linktext|蟹|仰光}} |l3 = Crab Rangoon |p3 = xiè yǎng guāng |y3 = háaih yéuhng gwōng |showflag=py}} '''Crab Rangoon''', sometimes called '''crab puffs''',<ref name=SeriousEats>{{cite web | url = http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/04/crab-rangoon-crab-puffs-recipe.html | title = Crab Rangoons (Crab Puffs) With Sweet and Sour Sauce Recipe | first = J. Kenji | last = López-Alt | date = 2011 | work = Serious Eats | publisher = Serious Eats Inc. | access-date = December 13, 2017}}</ref> '''crab rangoon puffs''', '''crab ragoons''', '''cheese wontons''', or '''cream cheese rangoons''',<ref name=RasaMalaysia>{{cite web |url=http://rasamalaysia.com/crab-rangoon/ |title=Crab Rangoon (Cream Cheese Wontons) |date=March 5, 2015 |work=Rasa Malaysia |publisher=Bee Interactive Corp. |access-date=December 13, 2017 |first=Bee |last=Yinn Low}}</ref> are filled crisp dumpling appetizers<ref name="Parkinson 2003 p. 36"/> served primarily in American Chinese restaurants.<ref name=SeriousEats /><ref name=RasaMalaysia />
==Preparation== The filling is made with a combination of cream cheese, crab meat or imitation crab meat, scallions or onion, garlic, and other flavorings.<ref name="Parkinson 2003 p. 36">{{cite book | last=Parkinson | first=R.L. | title=The Everything Chinese Cookbook: From Wonton Soup to Sweet and Sour Chicken-300 Succelent Recipes from the Far East | publisher=F+W Media | year=2003 | isbn=978-1-60550-525-1 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DGZKVjrPa9sC&pg=PA36 | access-date=November 5, 2016 | page=36 }}{{Dead link|date=December 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name="Rossiter 2011 p. 178">{{cite book | last=Rossiter | first=M. | title=Anti-Inflammation Diet For Dummies | publisher=Wiley | year=2011 | isbn=978-1-118-14542-5 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H-ybf37kv2gC&pg=PT178 | access-date=November 5, 2016 | pages=178–179}}</ref><ref name=TheChew-Symon>{{cite web | url = http://abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/crab-rangoon-michael-symon | title = Crab Rangoon | first = Michael | last = Symon | work = The Chew | publisher = ABC Television Network | access-date = 10 December 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171211053529/http://abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/crab-rangoon-michael-symon | archive-date = 11 December 2017 | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref name=Nasoya>{{cite web | url = http://www.nasoya.com/healthy-tofu-recipes/crab-rangoon/ | title = CRAB RANGOON | work = Nasoya Recipes | publisher = Nasoya Foods USA, LLC | access-date = 10 December 2017 | archive-date = 11 December 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171211053606/http://www.nasoya.com/healthy-tofu-recipes/crab-rangoon/ | url-status = dead }}</ref> A small amount of the filling is wrapped in each wonton wrapper. The dumpling is then shaped by either folding the wrapper over into a triangle,<ref name=SeriousEats /><ref name="Parkinson 2003 p. 36"/><ref name=TheChew-Batali>{{cite web | url = http://abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/crab-rangoon-mario-batali | title = Crab Rangoon | first = Mario | last = Batali | work = The Chew | publisher = ABC Television Network | access-date = April 27, 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180427184252/http://abc.go.com/shows/the-chew/recipes/crab-rangoon-mario-batali | archive-date = April 27, 2018 | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref name="Emeril">{{cite web | url = http://emerils.com/126201/crab-rangoon-pot-stickers-hot-mustard-sauce | title = Crab Rangoon Pot Stickers With Hot Mustard Sauce | first = Emeril | last = Lagasse | author-link = Emeril Lagasse | work = Emeril Lagasse | publisher = Emerils.com | access-date = April 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221028011737/http://emerils.com/126201/crab-rangoon-pot-stickers-hot-mustard-sauce|archive-date=October 28, 2022}}</ref><ref name=SkinnyBrooke>{{cite web | url = https://brookeanddaron.com/healthy-baked-crab-rangoons/ | title = Healthy Baked Crab Rangoon | first = Brooke | last = Farmer | publisher = brookeanddaron.com | access-date = August 6, 2019}}</ref> by creating a four-pointed star,<ref name=SeriousEats /><ref name=RasaMalaysia /> by gathering it up into a flower or purse shape,<ref name=SeriousEats /><ref name=TheChew-Symon /> or by twisting it into the traditional wonton shape.<ref name=Nasoya />
The appetizers are cooked to crispness by deep-frying in vegetable oil or by baking.<ref name="Parkinson 2003 p. 36"/><ref name="Rossiter 2011 p. 178" /><ref name=TheChew-Symon /> They can be served hot or cold.<ref name="Parkinson 2003 p. 36"/><ref name=TheChew-Symon /> In North America, crab rangoon is often served with a sauce for dipping such as soy sauce,<ref name=Nasoya /><ref name=WeightWatchers>{{cite web | url = https://www.weightwatchers.com/us/recipe/crab-rangoon-2/5626a5eda6d5b396106fea2d | title = Crab Rangoon | work = weightwatchers | publisher = Weight Watchers International, Inc. | date = 2018 | access-date = April 27, 2018 | quote = Notes: Serve with reduced-sodium soy sauce mixed with chopped scallions or prepared sweet-and-sour or duck sauce, if desired. Just make sure to account for any increase in SmartPoints values.}}</ref> plum sauce,<ref>{{citation | title = Menu: Dim Sum | url = https://www.pfchangs.com/menu/main/dim-sum | publisher = P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Inc. | date = 2017 | access-date = April 27, 2018 | quote = Hand-Folded Crab Wontons » Creamy crab filling, bell pepper, green onion, spicy plum sauce | archive-date = April 27, 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180427184042/https://www.pfchangs.com/menu/main/dim-sum | url-status = dead }}</ref> duck sauce,<ref name=WeightWatchers /><ref>{{cite web | url = http://wcfcourier.com/features/lifestyles/how-to-make-crab-rangoon-without-the-deep-fry/article_8aeedffb-ea62-59a6-b18c-2a290c10d7b0.html | title = How to make Crab rangoon — without the deep fry | first = J.M. | last = Hirsch | date = April 25, 2007 | work = The Courier | publisher = Lee Enterprises, Incorporated | access-date = April 27, 2018}}</ref> sweet and sour sauce,<ref name=SeriousEats /><ref name="Rossiter 2011 p. 178" /><ref name=TheChew-Batali /><ref name=WeightWatchers /> or a hot mustard sauce.<ref name=Emeril /><ref>{{cite web | url = http://emerils.com/126202/hot-mustard-sauce | title = Hot Mustard Sauce | first = Emeril | last = Lagasse | author-link = Emeril Lagasse | work = Emeril Lagasse | publisher = Emerils.com | access-date = April 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221028011753/http://emerils.com/126202/hot-mustard-sauce|archive-date=October 28, 2022}}</ref>
==History==
Crab Rangoon was on the menu of the "Polynesian-style" restaurant Trader Vic's in Beverly Hills in 1955<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/traders-trader-vics-1955-vintage-menu-1896514681 | title=The Traders Trader Vic's 1955 Vintage Menu Beverly Hilton California Tiki | #1896514681 }}</ref> and in San Francisco since at least 1956.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Escobosa |first=Hector |date=August 1956 |title=Ask the Man Who Knows |url={{Google books|8htUAAAAYAAJ|page=41|plainurl=yes|keywords=crab rangoon}} |magazine=Town & Country |pages=38–39 |via=Google Books |volume=110 |id={{ProQuest|2133385809}} |quote=Victor Bergeron, or The Trader, as he is affectionately known to thousand of San Franciscans, opened his first restaurant in Oakland in 1934... The traditional beginning for any meal at Trader Vic's is barbecued spareribs, cooked to a king's taste in a 550°F Chinese oven. These may be taken with your before-dinner cocktail and be varied with Cosmo Tidbits (fried shrimp, spareribs, crab rangoon, sliced pork) or Malayan Tidbits (Rumaki, cheese balls, curry puffs). |number=4405}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Caen |first=Herb |url={{Google books|RToXAAAAIAAJ|page=100|plainurl=yes|keywords=crab rangoon}} |title=Herb Caen's guide to San Francisco |publisher=Doubleday |year=1957 |page=100 |via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Cronin |first=Ned |date=January 16, 1957 |title=Cronin's Corner |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |page=c3 |id={{ProQuest|167063622}} |quote=Anyhow, Abe has become a gourmet. An epicure, no less... For the entree, there's the wiener schnitzel at the Frankfurt Hof in Frankfort; the incomparable roast beef at Toots Shor's; the Cornish game hen at Ernie's in San Francisco and the Crab Rangoon at Trader Vic's in Oakland...}}</ref> Although the appetizer has the name of the Burmese city of Rangoon, now known by Burmese as 'Yangon',<ref name="obscura3">{{cite web |last1=Nosowitz |first1=Dan |date=August 14, 2019 |title=What the Heck Is Crab Rangoon Anyway? |url=https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/what-is-crab-rangoon |access-date=January 3, 2020 |website=Atlas Obscura |language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207032445/https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/what-is-crab-rangoon|archive-date=December 7, 2022}}</ref> the dish was probably invented in the United States by Chinese-American chef Joe Young working under Victor Bergeron, founder of Trader Vic's.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-20 |title=Sink Your Fangs into This Sinfully Tasty Crab Rangoon Recipe! |url=https://www.notquitenigella.com/2023/10/20/crab-rangoon/#:~:text=It%20was%20suggested%20that%20the,or%20faux%20crab%20is%20used.}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Walkup |first=Carolyn |date=March 6, 2006 |title=Trader Vic's to resume U.S., foreign expansion |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3190/is_10_40/ai_n16101641/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120630045322/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3190/is_10_40/ai_n16101641/ |archive-date=June 30, 2012 |access-date=May 21, 2009 |work=Nation's Restaurant News}}</ref><ref name="obscura3" /> Trader Vic's featured a menu that included American Chinese cuisine, which could have led to the invention of the crab rangoon when working with wonton wrappers.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Martinez |first1=Erica |title=The Origin of Crab Rangoon Goes Further Back Than You'd Think |url=https://www.foodrepublic.com/1494147/chinese-american-origin-story-crab-rangoon/ |access-date=September 19, 2024 |website=Food Republic|date=January 25, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240803064631/https://www.foodrepublic.com/1494147/chinese-american-origin-story-crab-rangoon/|archive-date=August 3, 2024}}</ref> A "Rangoon crab a la Jack" was mentioned as a dish at a Hawaiian-style party in 1952 but without further detail and so may or may not be the same thing.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lesh |first=Anne Ryan |date=May 24, 1952 |title=National President Entertained by Engineers Auxiliary |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=RQwNAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ymoDAAAAIBAJ&dq=rangoon-crab&pg=3465%2C754593 |newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |page=5 |via=Google Books}}</ref>
Although cream cheese was a staple of 1940s and 1950s American cuisine, it is not found in Chinese or Burmese cuisine.<ref name="obscura3" /><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Debczak |first=Michele |date=March 17, 2023 |title=The Puzzling Origins of Crab Rangoon |url=https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/what-is-crab-rangoon |magazine=Mental Floss}}</ref>
==Names== They may be referred to as crab rangoons, crab puffs, crab pillows, crab cheese wontons, or cheese wontons.{{Cn|date=February 2025}}
==Gallery== <gallery mode="packed" heights="150px"> File:Fried wontons, crab rangoon, dipping sauces (4739410312).jpg|Triangular fried crab rangoons File:Crab rangoon with some nice dipping sauces (4411368535).jpg|In the wonton shape, surrounded by dipping sauces File:Crab Rangoon (4739415788).jpg|Inside, showing the crisp shell, white filling, and golden dipping sauce. </gallery>
==See also== {{Portal|United States|Food}} * Chicken Kiev * Crab puff * Curry beef turnover * List of crab dishes * List of deep fried foods * List of hors d'oeuvre * List of seafood dishes * Yau gok
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Dumplings}}
Category:American Chinese cuisine Category:Hors d'oeuvres Category:Dumplings Category:Crab dishes Category:Surimi Category:Deep fried foods of the United States Category:Tiki culture Category:Cream cheese dishes