Smoked Salmon Rangoon

Smoked Salmon, Cream Cheese, Jalapeño Peppers, Garlic, Scallions, Worcestershire Sauce, Wonton Skin Wrapper

Dipping Sauce (Soy Sauce, Fish Sauce, Grain Mustard, Lemon Juice, Cider Vinegar, Scallions)

Many dishes imagined and executed in Cheeseboro Kitchens try to attract with the familiar yet impress with something unexpected or different. As if seeing an old friend in a new outfit.

Having leftover smoked salmon ends from two yesterday morning fried egg and lox breakfast sandwich — and having caught a glimpse of a package of wonton skins on the shelf next to the container of smoked salmon — I came up with the idea of using the salmon in a preparation of one of my favorite Asian appetizers, crab rangoon.

So I took the leftover smoked salmon ends and to it stirred in some room temperature cream cheese, scallion, minced garlic, Worcestershire sauce, salt and peppers. For a bit of "sport", I decided to add some small-diced jalapeño peppers as well. 

Small teaspoons of the mix were placed and wrapped in wonton skins brushed on the edges with egg wash.

These rangoon bites were deep-fried for less than a couple of minutes each, until those skins became a crispy golden brown on the outside, and the insides burst with a warm cloud of briny salmon, spice, and heat. 

Dipped into a bright, punchy, sweet, aromatic, house-made dipping sauce of soy sauce, cider vinegar, fish sauce, gran mustard, lemon juice, and chopped scallion, the rangoon bites boasted fun textural dichotomies and layers of balanced flavors that hit nicely around the different parts of the palate.

Yet another quick, easy dish, familiar with comfort, made special by just a minor tweak in ingredients and ideology. (My favorite old friends dress up quite nicely with just a minimum of effort and creativity.)