Does Crab Rangoon Ever Contain Real Crab?

A trip to any Chinese restaurant offers a chance to enjoy a wide spectrum of regional delicacies, from Cantonese dim sum and Sichuan noodles to crispy egg rolls and crab rangoon. Despite being associated with and enjoyed at Chinese restaurants, it may be surprising to learn that not only is crab rangoon not Chinese, but, most of the time, it doesn't contain real crab.

Despite its name, the crab rangoon found in most restaurants contains only trace elements of crab, if any. Instead, the "crab" in crab rangoon is made with surimi, which is usually sold in grocery stores as imitation crab. Used as a cheaper alternative to fresh real crab meat (which can run about $50 a pound or more), surimi is a mystery meat. A sort of paste, if you will. It contains bits of crab, haddock, cod, pollock, and other bits of fish that are bound together, finished off with crab seasoning, and sometimes dyed red to create a seafood equivalent to chicken nuggets that look and taste similar enough to the real thing.

Surimi was invented in Japan in the 1970s as an affordable way to enjoy the taste of snow crab. Despite its role as an imitation seafood, it's consumed worldwide to the tune of millions of dollars each year. This imitation crab can also be found in sushi rolls, crab salads, crab cakes, fish sticks, and more.

While the origins of crab rangoon in Chinese-American cuisine are a little mysterious, most signs point to Trader Vic's (originally called Hinky Dink's) owner Victor Bergeron, who ran a chain of Polynesian-American restaurants in California. Bergeon is thought to have invented "Rangoon Crab" sometime in the 1940s or 1950s and was eventually recommended in San Francisco publications as "Crab Rangoon," though no reason was given for the name change.

Trader Vic's original recipe is still available to make crab rangoon at home and calls for a ½ pound of crab meat as its key ingredient. Additionally, some Trader Vic's menus feature crab rangoon with a mix of crab and cream cheese.

So, do any places actually serve crab rangoon with real crab in them? The answer is tricky because many menus that list crab rangoon as an appetizer may not list individual ingredients. Real crab rangoon may be found at specialty seafood restaurants, but the easiest way to ensure you're eating real crab is to make it at home. This allows you to use as much or as little crab as desired. Plus, there's room for plenty of experimentation with flavors and seasonings for a dish that doesn't take too long to make.