Alton Brown Loves This Iowa Restaurant For Its Crab Rangoon Pizza

Pizza is one of the most universally beloved foods — a simple combination of basic ingredients that together make cheesy, saucy magic. The fundamental concept of bringing different elements together on a round crust has also inspired countless other versions that go far beyond tomato sauce and mozzarella. One such version comes from Des Moines, Iowa-based Fong's Pizza, which was inspired by crab rangoon. And the restaurant did it well enough to get the attention of food celebrity Alton Brown, who praised the unique invention.

Brown spotlighted the pizza on the Cooking Channel's "The Best Thing I Ever Ate," describing it as something totally new to him, calling it perfect and delicious yet simple. Fong's reshuffles the components of the classic American Chinese restaurant appetizer on a thin, house-made crust. The crab rangoon sauce spread on the dough is based on its inspiration's cream cheese filling, blending cream cheese, sour cream, surimi (imitation crab), sweet and sour sauce, and heavy whipping cream. It's topped with sliced green onions and Asiago and mozzarella cheeses before baking. After it's cooked, wonton pieces are generously scattered over the top, and it's finished with a sweet chili sauce drizzle.

Brown also noted that it's Fong's best-seller, making up at least half of the pizzas it sells each week. It's one of the restaurant's several Asian-inspired pizzas, alongside General Tso's chicken, Korean beef, and orange chicken. It also sells traditional pies as well as varieties it calls Iowa Favorites, like a mac & cheese version and a loaded potato.

One of things Alton Brown particularly praised about Fong's crab rangoon pizza is the fried wonton strips that top the pie once it comes out of the oven. He said it provides a crunch factor it's got to have, a nod to the crunchiness of crab rangoon. The classic appetizer's deep-fried dumplings are filled with cream cheese blended with crab or surimi and seasonings, encased in a wanton wrapper. Chinese restaurants typically use imitation crab, which is made from Alaskan pollock or white fish. Scallions, garlic powder, and soy sauce are common cream cheese mix-ins, and sugar may also be added to the often-sweet filling. The crispy dumplings are eaten dipped, usually in sweet chili or duck sauce.

Despite its name and Chinese restaurant mainstay status, crab rangoon's creation is generally credited to Trader Vic's, the California-based Tiki bar chain popular in the mid-20th century, and its founder, Victor Bergeron. He named it after the Southeast Asian city of Rangoon in Burma (the former names for Yangon and Myanmar, respectively), likely to match Trader Vic's theme tied to that part of the world. The dish became popular, and Chinese restaurants picked it up for their menus.

Fong's pizza is just one of a few dishes that have transformed this dish into something unexpected; you can find renditions in the form of burritos, mozzarella sticks, melty sandwiches, and pasta. You could also try crab rangoon nachos, or turn it into a dip.