Twelve Days of Cocktails and Hors d’oeuvres (Third Day)

Remember in the last post I said the Thai Spiced Shrimp were the Hors d’oeuvres to fly off the platter? Well, I think I forgot about these Crab Wontons. I don’t eat fried food very often, so when I do it is an indulgence. The holidays are a perfect time to enjoy a little treat, and that is exactly what they are.

If you are a good planner, you will make these well ahead of time. They will keep in the freezer for up to one month. They are not hard to fold…just a bit tedious. If you have someone you like to cook with in the kitchen, enlist their help…it will make wrapping that much faster, and you will enjoy a nice conversation while working. My daughters love to help me wrap wontons (at least I think they do)…

Here are the folds, step by step:

Here’s a better look, after they have fried to a crisp golden brown, and are served with a plum dipping sauce.

Crab Wontons with Plum Dipping Sauce

6 ounces lump crab meat

4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

¼ red pepper, finely minced

4 water chestnuts, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 green onion, minced

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 16-ounce package of wonton skins

Vegetable oil for frying

Drain crab, squeezing out as much moisture as possible. Put in a mixing bowl and combine with the cream cheese, red pepper, water chestnuts, garlic, green onion, and black pepper.

Put 1 teaspoon of the filling in the center of each wonton wrapper. Dip your fingers in a bit of water and moisten all but the top edge of the wrapper. Fold the bottom edge of the wonton wrapper up to the top edge and seal together using your fingers to pinch. Next, fold each edge of wrapper in to the center and pinch at the top. The finished wonton should resemble the folds of an envelope. Place wontons on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and freeze. (Once frozen, can be transferred to zip-lock freezer bags and stored in freezer for 1 month prior to cooking).

Heat oil to 375 degrees in a heavy skillet, wok or deep fryer. Fry wontons in batches until they are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels and serve hot.

Note: Wontons can be fried ahead of time and reheated in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes.

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and serve with wontons.

Makes 50 wontons

And from Tokyo Terrace, look at this beautiful cocktail…

The Spicy Lemon