Crab and Corn Wontons with Tomato Butter Sauce
So… everyone knows that Fall doesn’t OFFICIALLY start until the autumnal equinox, right? Right!? Everyone on the internet is jumping way too fast into buckets of pumpkins and apples. When we very well have a solid two and half weeks of summer left! And for the rest of us in the Bay Area, Summer is staying much longer than that. Or maybe we don’t care and sipping on pumpkin spice lattes, burning a pecan pie candle, and watching Hocus Pocus on repeat until Halloween provides some much needed comfort in these weird times. If that’s what you need, then I say “YOU DO YOU”!
You know what gives me comfort though? DUMPLINGS. Especially very summery dumplings like these Crab and Corn Wontons. OMG, don’t even get me started on that tomato butter sauce… I would drink an entire bowl of that stuff if I didn’t want to live long. Before I dive into these wontons, I just wanted to state for the record that Reuben and I are trying to be carb free for the month of September and it’s REALLY HARD. I’m especially hangry right now because I haven’t had breakfast yet and I so desperately wish we had some bread to toast up! Yesterday I made a cauliflower fried rice and it tastes good but fake rice just doesn’t cut it for me. Anyways, pray for me and send me your favorite carb free meals! I’ll just be investing in cauliflower this month.
Summery Crab and Corn Wontons
Some people might read crab and immediately think it’s too fancy. Yes, crab meat can be a little pricey sometimes but you definitely don’t need to spend hours cooking fresh crab and plucking the meat out off the scary legs. My mom would always buy canned crab meat for her famous cheesey crab stuffed mushrooms, which inspired this wonton recipe from last year! The canned stuff actually tastes super good and saves you hours of your life that could be better spent eating dumplings. I bought 2 6oz cans from whole foods for about $6 each! Not bad honestly!
Once you get your hands on some canned crab meat you’re pretty much half way there to a super summery and flavor packed filling. All you do is add some fresh summer corn, scallions, and some simple seasonings and sauces. I tried this recipe with both charred and raw corn. When you have sweet in season corn it almost tastes better raw off the cob. I couldn’t stop snacking on it when I was cutting it up! The sweetness of the corns complements the natural salty brininess of the crab. Since everything in the filling is technically already cooked you can sneak in a quick bite before wrapper. So good!
How to Wrap a Wonton
Wrapping a wonton is actually pretty easy. It’s definitely a lot easier to watch someone wrap one than it is to write it out, but I will try! If you want to see some videos, I have some wrapping wontons videos saved on my Instagram story highlights!
Step 1 : Set up your station
Prepare a bowl of cornstarch and water, which will act as your glue for the wrappers. Set aside a baking tray to place formed dumplings. Position your filling and wrappers in a convenient spot on your work surface and get wrapping!
Step 2 : Place a wrapper in your non-dominant hand so that it looks like a diamond. Place a teaspoon of filling in the center of your dumpling. Dab your finger in the cornstarch water and then trace 2 adjacent edges of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper over to form a triangle. Pinch the edges closed so they are tightly sealed.
Step 4 : Dab a little more cornstarch water on the folded corners and then fold the corners towards each other so they overlap and pinch to seal. The wonton is supposed to look like a nun’s cap, but I see little boats sometimes. Place formed wonton on a lined baking tray and repeat with remaining wrappers.
At this point you can freeze them solid on a baking sheet for future dumpling emergencies or you can boil them in some hot water and enjoy with your favorite sauce!
Easy Tomato Butter Sauce
This sauce is beyond easy to made. At first I wanted to made a miso brown butter sauce but I thought everything would look too pale and the heirloom tomatoes I bought from the farmers market were calling to me!
You start by melting some butter in a skillet. Then throw in the chopped up tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Let everything simmer for 5 minutes. You’ll start to see the tomatoes break down. After 5 minutes smash the tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon or spatula. Now the sauce will have a jam like consistency. Add in some water to loosen up the sauce a bit. Season again and let it all simmer for 5 more minutes until the sauce has thickened.
Place some tomato butter sauce in a bowl, plop some dumplings on top, and enjoy!
Crab and Corn Wontons
serves 4
materials:
40 wonton wrappers
12 oz crab meat (about 2 cans of crab meat)
2 ears of fresh corn
3 green onion stalks - chopped
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp white pepper
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tsp sriracha
2 tbsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp water
steps:
To make the wonton filling, drain any excess liquid from the crab meat. Add crab into a medium mixing bowl. Cut the kernels off 2 ears of corn and add corn into the bowl with the crabs. Add in chopped green onions, salt, white pepper, cornstarch, oyster sauce, and sriracha. Mix to combine.
Mix together 2 tbsp cornstarch and 2 tbsp water in a small bowl. This is the glue for the wonton wrappers. Take one wonton wrapper and place a teaspoon of filling in the center. Dab your finger in the cornstarch water and then trace 2 adjacent edges of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper over to form a triangle. Pinch the edges closed so they are tightly sealed. Dab a little more cornstarch water on the folded corners and then fold the corners towards each other so they overlap and pinch to seal. Place formed wonton on a lined baking tray and repeat with remaining wrappers.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place a few wontons in the pot at a time and boil for 3-4 minutes or until they float to the top. Scoop out the wontons with a fine mesh sieve or spider. Place in bowls and serve with tomato butter sauce, soy sauce, or chili oil.
Tomato Butter Sauce
tomato butter sauce:
1 stick of unsalted butter
2 medium tomatoes - diced
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 1/2 cup water
steps:
Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes, until the tomatoes start to break down. Smash the tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon or spatula until smooth. Add water and continue to simmer for 5 more minutes until thick and smooth.