Fried Crab Wontons

Credit goes to Tyler Florence. These are such decadent wontons. I love these as an appetizer to an authentic Chinese meal. You can serve these alone or with a dipping sauce of your choice (I like a sweet and sour sauce).

• Ready In: 45 mins
• Yields: 36 wontons

Ingredients

•  peanut oil, for frying
• 1  inch  piece fresh ginger, grated
• 1  shallot, finely chopped
• 1⁄2 carrot, finely chopped
• 12  ounces  dungeness crabmeat, picked through for shells
• 1  green onion, finely chopped (white and green parts)
• 2  tablespoons  finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 2  tablespoons mayonnaise (I prefer Hellmans)
• 1⁄2  lemon, juice of
• 1  egg white
• 1  teaspoon cornstarch
• 1⁄4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 (12 ounce) package  square wonton wrappers
• 1  egg white, lightly beaten
•  cornstarch, for dusting wontons

Directions

1. Heat a skillet over med. heat and put in a 1 count drizzle of oil.
2. Saute the ginger, shallot and carrot for 2 minutes, to soften.
3. Put the crabmeat in a bowl and scrape in the ginger mixture.
4. Fold in the remaining ingredients (up to the wonton wrappers) and season with salt and pepper. Please don't mash the crabmeat - you want the bigger pieces!
5. Lay a wonton wrapper on a flat surface and brush with the beaten egg white.
6. Drop 1 T. of the crab filling onto the center of the wrapper - then fold the wonton in half, corner to corner, to form a triangle.
7. Press around the filling and ease out any air bubbles. Then press the seam together to seal, so the filling doesn't seep out when fried.
8. Lightly dust the filled wontons with cornstarch to keep them from sticking and then put them on a cookie sheet.
9. In a heavy pot - or wok - heat 2 to 3 inches of peanut oil over med-high heat. The oil should take about 15 minutes to heat up.
10. Sprinkle a tiny bit of cornstarch in the hot oil; if it sizzles, it's ready! (It should be about 350 degrees F.).
11. Drop about 5 wontons into the oil, one at a time so they don't stick together, and fry for about 5 minutes, until crisp, turning frequently.
12. Remove with a strainer or slotted spoon and drain on a plate lined with paper towels.
13. Let the oil come back up to temperature and fry the remaining wontons.