Hot Pot With Crab Wontons By Tyler Florence Recipes

STONE CRAB POTSTICKERS

Steps:

• Make the dipping sauce: In a small bowl combine vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil and ginger. Set aside and allow the flavors to develop.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg white, vinegar, and sesame oil; season it with salt and pepper. Add the ginger, shallot, scallion, and cilantro. Pick over the crab to remove any stray bits of shell and to break up any large pieces. Fold the crab meat into the egg white mixture. Place 1 tablespoon of the crab mixture in the center of a wonton wrapper. Moisten the edges with water and fold in half to create a half moon shape. Pleat the edges between your fingers, making about 4 or 5 pleats. Repeat with remaining filling and wrappers.
• In a medium sized, flat bottom skillet, heat 2 tablespoons peanut oil over medium-high heat. Add half the dumplings, pleat side up, and fry for 1 to 2 minutes, until bottoms are golden brown. Carefully add 1/4 cup water to pan, it can splatter. Cover and steam dumplings for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove cover and continue cooking until most of the water is evaporated. Clean out pan and repeat. Serve immediately with the dipping sauce.

CREAMY CRAB WONTONS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, crab and onion. Place 1 rounded teaspoonful in the center of each wonton wrapper. Moisten wrapper edges with water; fold in half lengthwise and press firmly to seal. , Keeping the filling in the center, again fold wonton wrapper lengthwise. Moisten the top of the short edges with water. Bring the two top edges from opposite sides together, overlapping the edges; press and seal (finished wonton resembles a nurse's hat)., In an electric skillet, heat 1 in. of oil to 375°. Fry wontons for 1-2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm.

CHEF JOHN'S CRAB RANGOON

Steps:

• Mix cream cheese, crab meat, green onions, garlic, soy sauce, fish sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, sesame oil, and cayenne pepper together with a fork until ingredients are blended thoroughly. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, 1 or 2 hours.
• Keep wonton wrappers moist by covering with a damp paper towel. Place a small bowl of water nearby on the work surface. With a wet fingertip, moisten surface of wonton. Place 1 1/2 teaspoons of crab filling in center of wonton. Fold 2 opposite corners toward each other over the filling but without touching tips together yet. Fold up the other 2 corners. Working gently from the bottom, squeeze out any air bubbles; pinch together the 4 seams from the bottom up to create a modified pyramid (or "warhead") shape. Place on a dry surface. Continue with remaining wontons.
• Heat oil in deep fryer to 350 degrees F. 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.

FRIED CRAB WONTONS

Steps:

• Combine in a food processor the ginger, shallots, carrot, green onion, cilantro, peanut oil and lemon juice. Pulse until fine. Put vegetable mixture in a mixing bowl, add the mayonnaise and the crabmeat and season with salt and pepper. Be careful not to mash the crabmeat, you want that texture when you bite into the wonton.
• Lay a wonton wrapper on a flat surface and brush with the beaten egg white. Drop 1 tablespoon of the crab filling onto the center of the wrapper. Fold the wonton in half, corner to corner, to form a triangle. Press around the filling to knock out any air bubbles, then press the seam together to seal so the filling doesn't seep out. You can leave them this shape or continue on by brushing the 2 side points with beaten egg white. Lay your index finger in the center so you have something to press up against, then fold the 2 sides into the center, slightly overlapping, and press the dough against your finger with your thumb to form a tight seal. Lightly dust the filled wontons with cornstarch to keep them from sticking together and place them on a cookie sheet. (When these are folded they look like Pope hats.)
• Heat 2 to 3 inches of oil in a deep heavy saucepan to 370 degrees F on a deep-fry thermometer. Add a few of the wontons to the oil and cook, turning them 3 or 4 times to get them nicely browned all over. Carefully lift them out of the pan with a slotted spoon and onto a paper towel-lined platter to drain. Keep going to cook all of the wontons.
• Stir together the dipping sauce and serve with the wontons.