(Note: this recipe was developed before I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease and is NOT gluten free!)
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.
Notes
- Note: this recipe was developed before I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease and is NOT gluten free!
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!
Kelly Mitchem 12.18.2013
This look heavenly!
debtgirl 12.18.2013
You’re a natural! These look delish! I would eat them all up.
heather 12.18.2013
Fillo is a closer approximation to the actual Greek spelling. :)
These look like theyd make a great appetizer!
Jorie 12.18.2013
don’t laugh….. would imitation crab work just as well? (this looks amazing but I honestly have never cooked/purchased real crab legs before)
Iowa Girl Eats 12.18.2013
Trust me, I’d eaten my fair share of imitation crab meat before the real thing! It would definitely work. If you want to try the real thing – here’s a post and video explaining how to get the meat out of the legs! https://iowagirleats.com/2013/12/11/drunken-alaska-king-crab-legs-hy-vee-cooking-video/
Jorie 12.23.2013
Kristin, Made these for family Christmas get together, EVERYONE loved them, they were so easy and absolutely delish! Thank you!
Emily @ More Than Just Dessert 12.18.2013
Phyllo dough/shells have seriously changed my foodie life! haha I love how you can use them for anything! These look amazing.
Ali | Gimme Some Oven 12.18.2013
These are brilliant — I LOVE crab rangoon! And I adore your video. Great job!! :)
Christina @ The Beautiful Balance 12.18.2013
If someone brought these as an appetizer I would be hanging out by that table until they were gone haha!
AbbieD 12.18.2013
Pretty sure it’s open again…just FYI for your next date night! :)
Sarah @ Making Thyme for Health 12.18.2013
You’re adorable in the video! My favorite part is where you clean the mushrooms with the rag.
These are such a cute app idea for the holidays!
Cheryl 12.18.2013
Sad fact. The “new” Cafe Su is a shell of its former self. We went recently and were extremely disappointed. The hot sour soup (one of my all time favorite things) was so strange. It tasted like it had barbecue sauce in it and the entrees were very, very bland. Even the chocolate dipped fortune cookie was stale! So sad because we used to love that restaurant.
Chelsea @chelseasmessyapron 12.18.2013
You are such a natural in these HV clips! Way cute!
Cookbook Queen 12.18.2013
And now I’m obsessing over crab wontons at 8:30 in the morning. Totally normal.
Becky 12.18.2013
aw, man, I saw this before eating breakfast and now it’s all I can think about! Scrambled eggs isn’t sounding that great any more :)
I’ll find a reason to make these soon!
Erin | The Law Student's Wife 12.18.2013
Such fond memories of my high school Chinese joint favorite (Yen Ching) are coming to mind. We are crab rangoon kindred spirit–the filling must must be generous, or I feel I’m not eating real crab rangoon!
Tara 12.18.2013
Is there a recipe for the sweet and sour dipping sauce? I didn’t see it in the recipe or linked in the text. This looks amazing, and I can’t wait to try it!!!
Iowa Girl Eats 12.18.2013
Sorry, it’s kind of buried in the text above the recipe! I used Frank’s sauce: http://www.franksredhot.com/products/sweet-chili-sauce, but have also made this homemade recipe before:
Chelsea @ Designs on Dinner 12.18.2013
Gah! My husband and I are making crab rangoon dip with wonton chips for one of our appetizers for Christmas, but this is such a great idea, I think we might do this instead. Then I won’t use one chip for 8 helpings of crab rangoon dip. :)
Katie 12.18.2013
These look awesome! I can’t wait to try them.
Rebecca 12.18.2013
Cafe Su is open again in it’s old location. Haven’t been there yet to see if it’s as oodcas it used to be.
Jessie 12.18.2013
Can these be made up ahead of time and put in the fridge before you bake them? Or would you want to wait to fill the phyllo cups until you are ready to bake them?
Iowa Girl Eats 12.18.2013
You could definitely make the filling ahead of time. I’d wait to fill the cups before baking though!
erin @hooleywithaz 12.18.2013
those look absolutely amazing! i (almost) wish i had more holiday parties to bring appetizers to so i could fit this in…maybe new years eve?