Deep Fried Redemption - Seafood Rangoon Eggrolls

Last week I tried to deep fry ribs and nearly needed a smoke alarm sponsorship. They went from golden promise to charcoal regret in a blink, and the kitchen smelled like defeat and burnt ambition. But failure has a funny way of clearing the palate. If ribs were too heavy for the fryer, then maybe what we really needed was something lighter. Something crisp. Something that crackles when you bite into it and tastes like the ocean decided to party.

Enter lobster and crab egg rolls.

Still fried. Still bold. But this time the oil behaved and the filling knew its role. Sweet lobster, delicate crab, a little ginger, a little lime, wrapped tight and dropped into hot oil until shatteringly crisp. Street style, not fussy. The kind of thing you eat standing up, sauce dripping down your fingers, grateful that redemption can be deep fried too. And Old Bay, because, well, Old Bay!

INGREDIENTS

Sauce

1  cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup Thai sweet chili sauce

1 tablespoon sweet & spicy chili crunch or hot sauce

2 teaspoons  honey

1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning

Eggrolls

1.5 8 ounce boxes cream cheese, softened

1 -2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce see notes

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning

3-5 green onions, chopped

8 ounces crabmeat*

8 ounces cooked lobster

8-10 egg roll wrappers

Handful Bean sprouts

Vegetable oil for frying

METHOD

Mix the sauce ingredients, tasting as you go to adjust heat, etc. Set aside.

In a food processor, pulse cream cheese, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, and green onions several times until mixed. Stir in seafood.

* Crab Rangoon is typically made with imitation crab, but it goes against everything in me. You don’t have to buy jumbo lump backfin – we’re processing this.

Lay one egg roll wrapper out with a corner pointing towards you. Place about three rounded tablespoons in the center of each wrapper, making a short horizontal lump. Bring the corner that is closest to you up and over and gently tuck it in. Fold in the sides and roll the wrapper tightly. Use a small amount of water to secure the tip of the wrapper. (If you don’t know how to roll an egg roll, it usually shows on the package with pictures).

Heat oil in a heavy stockpot or saucepan to 375 degrees. Fry them 2-3 at a time (depending on the size of your pan) for 1-2 minutes or until lightly browned. Allow the heat to charge back up in between batches.

Place on paper towels or a rack to drain. Serve warm with the Bang Bang dipping sauce.

A few weeks ago I used a recipe with FlyByJing’s “Chengdu Crunch,” and readers have had a hard time finding it. I wrote to the company to ask why and the answer they gave was:

“The Xtra Crunchy Sichuan Chili Crisp (also known as Chengdu Crunch) is available in our bundles. We recently updated our jars with a new label design, but don’t worry, the formula hasn’t changed at all! It’s still the same product you know and love, now with a fresh new look!”