Crispy Crab Wontons with Spicy Plum Sauce

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Wonton wrappers stuffed with a creamy crab filling, sealed tight with a wet fingertip so nothing leaks, and fried to blistered gold in about two minutes. A five-minute spicy plum sauce made from jarred preserves does the dipping duty. Uses canned or imitation crab, so it's cheap enough to make a big batch on a weeknight.

Ingredients

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened at room temperature
• 6 oz imitation crab sticks, finely chopped, or 6 oz canned lump crab, well drained
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 1 tsp granulated sugar

• 28 square wonton wrappers (about half a 12 oz package), thawed if frozen
• 1 small bowl water, for sealing
• 5 cups neutral oil such as canola or peanut, for frying

• 2/3 cup plum preserves or plum jam
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 1/2 tsp sambal oelek or sriracha, plus more to taste
• 1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
• 1 clove garlic, finely grated
• 1/4 tsp toasted sesame oil

Instructions

1. Make the dipping sauce first so it has time to cool: combine the plum preserves, rice vinegar, soy sauce, water, sambal, ginger, and garlic in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium-low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, whisking, until the preserves melt and the sauce coats a spoon. If your jam has large fruit chunks, mash them against the side of the pan. Off the heat, stir in the sesame oil and set aside. Thin with a teaspoon of water if it tightens too much as it cools.
2. Pat the crab very dry with paper towels — wet filling is the number one cause of blowouts. Finely chop imitation crab sticks into 1/4-inch pieces, or press canned crab in a fine-mesh sieve to squeeze out liquid, then flake it.
3. In a medium bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with a sturdy spoon or rubber spatula until smooth and spreadable. Fold in the crab, scallions, soy sauce, Worcestershire, garlic powder, sesame oil, white pepper, and sugar until evenly combined. Refrigerate the filling for 15 minutes to firm up so it holds its shape while wrapping.
4. Set up a station: a sheet pan lined with parchment and lightly dusted with cornstarch or flour, a small bowl of water, and the stack of wonton wrappers under a damp (not wet) kitchen towel so they don't dry out.
5. Lay a wrapper on your palm or a dry board with one corner pointing toward you. Place a rounded 2 teaspoons of filling in the center — resist overfilling. Dip a fingertip in water and run it along all four edges, keeping a full 1/2-inch border wet.
6. Fold the wrapper into a triangle over the filling and press from the filling outward to push out every air pocket, then press the edges firmly together, sealing that 1/2-inch border completely. Air trapped inside expands in the oil and bursts the seam. For the classic four-point shape, dab water on the two long triangle points and pinch them together behind the filling. Transfer to the sheet pan without letting the wontons touch.
7. Pour the oil into a 4- to 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot to a depth of about 1 1/2 inches and heat over medium to 350°F on a thermometer. If you don't have a thermometer, a wrapper scrap should sizzle immediately and float within 3 seconds.
8. Fry 5 or 6 wontons at a time, turning once with a spider or slotted spoon, for 2 to 3 minutes total, until deep golden and blistered. Keep the oil between 340°F and 355°F, adjusting the burner between batches. Drain on a wire rack set over a sheet pan — paper towels will steam the bottoms soft.
9. Let the wontons rest 2 minutes before eating: the filling comes out molten. Serve hot with the spicy plum sauce for dipping.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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