Once upon a time there was an adorable local Chinese restaurant called Cafe Su. They decorated the window sills with pink roses, played Norah Jones softly over the speakers, and had vintage bras hanging in the bathrooms (really.) They basically made it a point to be as unique of a Chinese food joint as possible, and it totally worked.
My friends and I flocked to Cafe Su in high school for their cravable twists on take-out classics. Ben and I delighted in cracking open the chocolate-covered fortune cookies they served after every meal. And the bright, tiki-inspired bar was always a nice place to perch and enjoy a glass of wine.
Above all else was Cafe Su’s signature Crab Rangoon which were crisp on the outside and positively stuffed with creamy crab deliciousness on the inside. Each one was the size of my hand, and they were the very first thing I’d order anytime I made a visit. Su’s version set the bar very high for all other orders of crab rangoon. The little pucks most restaurants serve that are 90% wonton with a wee dollop of filling with no crab to be found on the inside just make me angry!
What, inadequately stuffed crab rangoon don’t get your pulse a-poundin’?
Anyway, Cafe Su closed it’s doors a few years ago so the owner could open up another restaurant (sad face) but I’m hearing rumblings that it might open back up again soon. That’s how beloved this place was! In the meantime, I thought I’d channel Cafe Su’s perfect Crab Rangoon for my next recipe featuring Alaska King Crab with Hy-Vee.
Crab Rangoon Bites are crispy, pre-made frozen phyllo shells stuffed with a creamy, crab-packed filling. These babies will knock your socks off. They are my new go-to appetizer and are perfect for the holidays!
The filling is based off a baked crab rangoon recipe I posted a few years back, except I introduced chopped Alaska King Crab into it. The color…the flavor…all the things – sublime! Dolloped with a scoop of sweet and sour dipping sauce, these bites will go insanely fast at your next party or get-together.
Start with 1lb Alaska King Crab Legs, which come cooked and frozen at Hy-Vee/your local grocery store. Let them thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then snip up the smooth side of the legs to get to the sweet meat inside. Here’s a video demo showing you exactly how to do it >>Â
You’ll get about 6oz crab meat which you’ll want to give a rough chop. That bright pink color gets me every time. So pretty!
Ok time to make the crab rangoon filling. Add 8oz 1/3-less fat cream cheese at room temperature (very important!) and 1/2 cup sour cream to a bowl. You could use low-fat sour cream, but not fat-free sour cream…or anything, ever, besides cottage cheese and milk.
To the cream cheese and sour cream, add 2 chopped green onions.Â
And 1 teaspoon each sugar and worcestershire sauce, and 1/4 teaspoon each garlic powder and ground ginger. Mix everything up until smooth.
Finally, add the chopped crab and fold it in. Filling = done!
Next grab 2-15-count boxes Mini Fillo Shells (don’t ask me why they’ve chosen to spell phyllo “fillo”!) from the freezer. I found these next to the frozen puff pastry at the grocery store. They are AWESOME. I’ve used them before to make Easy Spanakopita Bites, which are just as addicting as these Crab Rangoon Bites.
Place the shells onto a baking sheet then scoop a Tablespoon of the crab filling inside each one.
Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees, then pop away! You can serve these bites hot or warm, and be sure to set out a dish of sweet and sour dipping sauce to dollop on top. I used Frank’s version but have also made this recipe before. Gotta have it!
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Crab Rangoon Bites
Description
Crab Rangoon Bites are crispy phyllo shells stuffed with a creamy crab filling. The perfect party bite!
Ingredients
- 1lb Alaska King Crab Legs, thawed then meat removed and roughly chopped (about 6oz)
- 8oz 1/3-less fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 30 frozen phyllo shells (2-15 count packages)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add cream cheese, sour cream, green onions, sugar, worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and ground ginger to a medium-sized bowl then stir until smooth. Fold in chopped crab then spoon 2 teaspoons of the mixture into each mini phyllo shell. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until mini cups are golden brown around the edges.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
The flavor of fresh crab in here is unbeatable, and is something that made Cafe Su’s version so special, too. Top with a few sliced green onions for color, and I’m telling you, people will flip for these bites. Enjoy!
These sound awesome, but, I don’t know where you get your crab legs from — but here in Virginia, King Crab is over $50 for a pound! I’m sure claw meat will taste just as great! :)
It is SO expensive! Usually it goes on sale here during the holidays!
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Have you ever made your own phyllo cups using the phyllo dough?
I haven’t!
Love Crab Rangoon, LOVED these!!! Can you freeze the crab meat mixture???
I’ve never tried, but I’m sure you can!
I made these for Christmas and they were wonderful. The only thing I did different was add a little sirachi for a little more punch.
I will have to try this. For some reason I have not been able to find Crab Rangoon in the restaurants we have been to in the Twin Cities. That is one thing I miss from the various places we have lived. Thanks
[…] Crab Rangoon Bites are crispy, frozen phyllo shells stuffed with creamy crab filling. They’re so much easier than stuffing and frying traditional crab rangoon, but just as delicious. […]
Can I substitute Greek yogurt for the sour cream? I have a bit of lactose intolerance but can handle a little dairy just so I don’t go crazy. I figure the cream cheese will be okay if I sub the yogurt.
I’ve never tried, so unfortunately I can’t tell you for sure how it would taste. Greek yogurt is a bit more tart than sour cream, but they’re close enough in taste that you could probably get by with it!
I made these for Christmas. Crab wasn’t on sale at the fish counter so I mulled it over and went with canned lump crabmeat which was on sale(the one by the tuna section), the LUMP kind!!! Because it was in a baked filling, fresh crabmeat wasn’t the necessity it would be like it would be for making, say, crab cakes. This was super easy to make and I was interested to note it filled exactly 30 fillo shells, the perfect amount. I moved this into my “re-make” binder, thanks Kristin!
I made these for my New Year’s Eve party and they were delicious! I splurged for the crab legs and wasn’t disappointed! Thanks for the great recipe.