I’ve wanted to make these yummy little wontons since the success of my Pork & Ginger Potstickers. I saw a recipe on the inside of the wonton wraper package for cream cheese filled wontons and that set the wheels in my head into motion. IMHO, these wontons are tastier, WAY easier to make and don’t smell as bad (no cabbage) as the Pork and Ginger Potstickers.
I found some really great imitation lobster at Whole Foods which contains a mix of pollock and real lobster (so it’s real fish, just not 100% lobster) and decided to add that into the filling. I also added some green onions and a splash of Sriracha hot sauce. I only added a smidge of Sriracha so there would be a hint of flavor without any real heat. The flavor balances the sweetness of the “lobster” perfectly. If you want them hot, simply add more. An egg was also added to the filling to act as a binder. The egg solidifies when it’s cooked so that you don’t have runny cream cheese spilling out of the hot wontons.
These little guys were so insanely delicious that I couldn’t stop popping them into my mouth while they were cooking. They take a little time to fill and fold (about 30 minutes) but it’s so worth it. Although they were noticeably more delicious right after cooking, I still snacked on them happily throughout the week!
Lobster & Cream Cheese Wontons
Lobster & Cream Cheese Wontons
Servings 8Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese or Neufchatel ($2.99)
- 8 oz imitation lobster or crab ($2.99)
- 1 large egg ($0.12)
- 1/2 bunch green onions ($0.25)
- 1 pkg 42 wonton wrappers ($2.39)
- 1/2 tsp sriracha hot sauce ($0.05)
- non-stick spray as needed ($0.15)
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the cream cheese, green onion, egg and Sriracha until well combined. Add the lobster and break the chunks up slightly as you stir it in.
- Get a small bowl of water to help seal the edges of the wonton wrappers. Working in groups of about 6 wontons at a time, place about one teaspoon of the cheese filling in the center of each wonton square. Using your fingers, wet the wrapper all along the four sides. Fold them diagonally corner to corner and pinch the wrapper together to seal. Try to squeeze the air out as you make the first fold. Bring the two opposite points of the triangle together around front and squeeze together to seal. See the photos below to see how this is done.
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Working in groups of about 8-10 wontons, drop them into the boiling water and remove them once they begin to float (about 3 minutes). Place the boiled wontons on a cooling rack placed over a baking sheet so the excess water can drain off. The wontons skins should now look nice and transparent.
- Once all of the wontons have been boiled, heat a large non-stick skillet coated with non-stick spray oil over medium-high heat. When it is nice and hot, place about 8 wontons in at a time. “Fry” the wontons on each side until they are golden brown, blistered and crispy in some spots. You may need to spray more non-stick spray as you go, it will help crisp up the wontons.
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Nutrition
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Step By Step Photos
Combine the cream cheese, green onions, egg and Sriracha in a bowl and stir until well combined.
This is the “imitation” lobster that I used. It’s really lobster just mixed in with some less expensive fish. It’s pretty delicious and quite healthy. You can use crab instead if you’d like.
Stir in the lobster chunks and break them up slightly (large chunks won’t fit in the wontons).
Place about one teaspoon of the filling in the center of each wonton wrapper. Wet the wrappers all along the four edges. Fold them diagonally, corner to corner, pressing out all of the air as you pinch the seams closed. Bring the two points of the triangle together and pinch closed. It may take a few before you get the hang of how much filling you can put in without it oozing out all over you as it folds.
Here are all of my folded, uncooked wontons. I wouldn’t suggest stacking them on a plate like this because they’ll stick together (as I found out). As you fold them, place them in a single layer on a baking sheet or cutting board.
Boil the wontons in batches of about 8 until they float (about 3 minutes). Remove them from the boiling water to a rack to drain. Again, keep them in a single layer so they don’t stick to each other.
Pan fry the wontons in a non-stick skillet coated with non-stick spray until they are golden and crispy in some spots. THEN EAT!
Could these be cooked in an air fyer instead?
Unfortunately, I don’t have an air fryer so I’m not familiar with which recipes do well with them.
how many pieces in a serving, please?
Do you think these would do well deep fried?
How many in a serving and overall?
They look awesome. Can they be steamed instead of pan fried?
Yes. :)
I have been following you for quite a while.. Thank you for such delicious budget bytes..
do you think you could use shrimp instead?
Probably, although you might want to precook it just to make sure.
Your site is a gold mine. I love what you’ve done here. I’ll be visiting again and again.
When I came here from Pinterest, I wondered about why you did all the photos, because it was only biscuits. But then, I remembered that I learned by watching it done when I was young. So many people don’t have someone to teach them as I was. Now, here’s a recipe that no one has taught me, and I’m grateful for all the tips and hints with them. lol
Now, with the internet, we have so many opportunities learn, it’s difficult to find the best ones. Congratulations on a job so well done, and thank you for the inspiration.
Thank you! :)
These tasted really good, but I wasn’t a fan of the egg added to the cream cheese mixture. It gave the filling a ricotta-cheese like texture that I associate with Italian food. There are a lot of recipes on the internet and most don’t use egg, next time I plan on leaving it out. Also, I put mine on a baking pan, sprayed with oil and baked at 425 for 12 minutes. Much easier than boiling then frying.
These look great! Just wondering, since you mentioned you ate them throughout the week, what’s the best way of reheating them? And how long can you refrigerate them before there’s a noticeable degradation in quality?
You can probably just sautรฉ them up in a skillet with a small amount of oil to reheat, that way the outside will crisp up again. If you don’t care about that part, a quick nuke in the microwave will also do the job. I’m not sure about the freezing part, though, because I haven’t tested them to see just how long they’d last. That might also be subjective, since it’s a slow change. :)
Love it! Very easy and fun to make with someone else.
If you want to prep ahead at what point should I do up to and how should I store them? after I assemble or after I boil and then just fry them up to reheat? any suggestion? thanks
After you fill and fold. At that point they can be frozen (lay them out on a cookie sheet so they don’t stick together, then bag them up once solid). To cook, you can drop them in boiling water straight from the freezer and finish off in a skillet to get some crispiness. :)
I find the lobster mixture is a bit runny, is there something I can add to thicken it ?
The egg is probably making it runny when it’s raw, but it solidifies when it cooks.
This looks amazing! What did you use for the dipping sauce? :)
I think I just put a little soy sauce in that dish, but you can try cutting it with a little rice vinegar.
I’m not a fan of imitation…can this be done with real lobster…thanks!!!
Yes, definitely. :) Cooked, flaked lobster meat should work just the same.
Made these tonight and I’m always scared of seafood. They turned out fantastic! ! My husband who hates seafood loved them also. I used imitation crab and will definitely be making them often. THANK YOU!!
Iสปm from Hawaii and usually goes right into frying. Did you have a reason for boiling it first then frying it? Iสปm asking for my followers. Theyสปre wondering if there was a reason why you did that first. Thank you!
Sorry for the typo. I meant to say that Iสปm from Hawaii and when making dumplings we usually go right into frying…
I think it makes the wrapper just a bit softer and more delicate because it absorbs some liquid. :)
Thank you!
What stores do you know of that sell the wonton wrappers?
I’ve seen them at Walmart (they are in the produce department by the tofu and vegetarian meat substitutes) and Whole Foods Market.
What do you suggest pairing these with?
They’d go great with just about anything from the Asian archives, but I’d probably eat them as a side with a salad and maybe some chicken yakisoba? Or even a simple stir fry with whatever you have in the fridge :)
These look delicious, and I love that all your recipes have step-by-step photos. It really makes it easier to make the dish.
Angela – It’s been SO long since I made these, but I think it was just plain soy sauce… you could dip them into any number of Asian sauces, though. :)
What did you dip these into? Is that just plain soy sauce?
Carol – I think that, even with a pan of water, they would dry out in the oven. Technically, they are done cooking after boiling. The pan fry only adds a nice texture to the outside and you won’t get that in the oven. A lot of times people eat dumplings steamed, which would be very similar to how they are after boiling, but before frying in the skillet. So, you could just eat them that way to cut down on prep.
At first taste my husband said “If I weren’t already married, I’d marry you. Wow. Good. Very Good.” I used the food processor to whiz the cream cheese base ingredients all together… took about an hour to assemble 32 of them – I’ll finish them up and freeze them tomorrow for the next Asian night. Do you think after the boiling, they could be coated with veggie oil and baked rather than pan fried? I think it might dry them out – but what if you put a pan of water in the oven with them? I’m thinking it might cut back on the prep time a little.
Just finished making these and they are fantastic! As I was assembling them all I was thinking there is no way these are worth this effort but they are! My three year old loved them too! I split the batch in half and I’m going to try freezing half. Thanks for a keeper!
Anon – They should freeze well, although I haven’t tried it!
Can these be frozen once made?
These are really good! The whole prep and cook time took a little over an hour. From chopping, wrapping, boiling and frying. I’ll probably make them again but for some sort of party.
I just finished making these! They were absolutely scrumptious, and I have a ton left over in the freezer! I really recommend this recipe!
http://recipes.epicurean.com/recipe/25816/ginger-soy-dipping-sauce.html
I just finished making these and they’re sooo good. They taste just about the same as crab ragoon from a Chinese restaurant except they’re so much healthier for you. :)
YUM!! We so enjoyed these. The only thing I would do different next time is to cut up the “lobster” into smaller chunks before I add it to the cream cheese mixture – it was a pain to try and break it up when it was all together. Filling them required me to get into the “zen” mode but once I did that, they moved along. Always had a fear of making wontons but these were a nice intro. Now onto your pork and cabbage potstickers next.
Do you have an idea of the dimensions of the wonton wrappers? I’m trying to estimate from the picture and it seems like the ones I bought are larger, but I’d like to be sure. Thanks!
I made these last week for my ladies Happy Hour and they were a hit! I actually used the same brand of seafood but used crab. My store didn’t have the lobster. They were so good! Thanks!
These look incredible! I want to make them right now!
These look delicious! I’m just wondering why you paid so much for the cream cheese. I can usually find it on sale for $1, and sometimes even .89.
I made these the other night and they were so good – although I didn’t add nearly enough hot sauce! They were also my first attempt at pot stickers. Thanks for the recipe.
What a great alternative to fried wontons!! These look so yummy!!
Tried this recipe this weekend too! Turned out really yummy!
I made these tonight for dinner with imitation crab meat and they were delicious! I’ve got left over crab meat and won ton wrappers, do you think these won tons would do ok if they were frozen before cooking? I was thinking of making up another batch and just freezing them to have for another night.
These make me want to touch myself inappropriately.
Lmao
I would probably make these with imitation crab as that is how I have had them before. I can’t wait to make these!
owh, i wont it one,, :D hehe.. look nice..
I just made these for dinner, they are delicious!
These remind me of crab rangoons, except not deep fried. This looks like a much healthier alternative.