The inspiration behind this recipe was mere happenstance. I had actually gone to the grocery store to pick up some milk and a “Jalapenos: 10 for $1” sign caught my eye. Being a sucker for a good bargain, I picked some up, trying to brainstorm how I could possibly use up ten jalapenos. As I continued to peruse through the grocery store, cream cheese was also on sale and the rest is history. However, while the discount deities were kind to me that evening, the good old fashioned common sense gods were not on my team. I was not only too lazy to wear gloves while removing the seeds from my peppers but I also instinctively scratched my nose while doing so, leading to a most painful half hour trying to cool off my nose. Moral of the story: the crab rangoon poppers were delicious and worth the entire ordeal (but actually, use gloves whenever working with peppers, even the seemingly mild ones!).
Crab Rangoon Jalapeno Poppers (Serves 4)
• 6 jalapeno peppers
• 1 8oz package cream cheese, softened
• 1 6oz can lump crab meat, or 1 cup chopped imitation crab
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• chopped green onions, for garnish
1. Preheat oven to 450 degree. Slice jalapenos in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Use gloves to remove seeds. Better safe than sorry!
2. Mix together softened cream cheese, crab meat, sugar, ginger, and black pepper.
3. Spoon filling generously onto jalapeno halves.
4. Sprinkle panko bread crumbs over poppers.
5. Bake for 35 minutes and broil for an additional 2 minutes. Serve hot! These taste great on their own or with a classic duck sauce (don’t we all have those Chinese sauce packets laying around somewhere?).
