CRAB PUFFS - The Recipe Place

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Crab Puffs

Ingredients

1 6-oz. can crab meat
1 4-oz. package cream cheese
1/2 to 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp. garlic salt
wonton skins
1 egg, beaten well
oil for frying

Directions

Have cream cheese at room temperature, or soften in microwave. Drain crab meat well, and pick through for any bits of shell and membrane you need to discard. In a medium-size bowl, blend together crab meat, softened cream cheese, Worcestershire sauce and garlic salt until well-mixed. In a separate small bowl, beat egg well with a whisk or fork. Open packet of wonton skins; keep the stack covered with plastic wrap or a damp cloth so they don't dry out.

Peel off one wonton skin. Lay flat on work surface. Place about 1 teaspoon or less of crab filling in center. (Don't overfill - they'll leak, and all the filling will come out while deep-frying. The filling spatters quite a lot when it does that, as well, so watch it!) Dip a finger into the beaten egg, and run it around outer edges of wonton skin to *lightly* coat all edges; this helps you seal it shut. Fold wonton into a triangle, and press down along edges firmly to seal. Tuck the two points at either end of the fold under a bit, and pinch so they stay like that, with the very tips just sticking out. This makes the 'crab' shape. Keep filled wontons covered with plastic or damp cloth while filling the rest.

In deep pot, heat 2-3 cups oil to frying temperature. (I have no deep-fryer thermometer, so I have no idea how hot this is. I use a 1" cube of regular bread to test. When it fries to a light gold in 1 minute, the oil's hot enough.) Use a slotted spoon to *gently* slide crab puffs into oil, about 3-4 at a time. Fry just until slightly gold on both sides, turning as necessary; be careful not to overcook, as they'll get tough. When done, remove with slotted spoon and add next batch. Drain on paper towels. Keep fried crab puffs warm in 200 degree oven until entire batch is finished. Serve hot, with or without various dipping sauces.