I had a little crab left over from an RV trip to Bodega Bay and needed an hor d'oeuvre for an Oscar Party. So, I decided to make Crab Bites. Well, the group loved them. I made another batch of these goodies. They are rich to say the least. I have editted the recipe to slightly decrease the amount of cream cheese. This should reduce the cheese richness of these bites. One more note, I made some to take to a freinds house before dinner. We did not eat them all. She froze them. Then, she defrosted them over night in the frig. wrapped in foil. Into a 350 degree oven covered for 20 minutes. They were still great. Enjoy.Ingredients
- 6 oz. Lump Crab Meat
- 4-5 oz. Cream Cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 Egg, lightly beaten
- ¾ cup Sour Cream, divided in half
- ⅔ finely grated Parmesan, divided in half
- 1-½ Tsp. Old Bay Seasoning, divided
- 2 Tsp. Lemon Juice
- 1 Tsp. Lemon Zest
- Pinch Cayenne Pepper
- 2 Tbsp. finely chopped Chives, divided (optional - I did not use them in mine)
- Kosher Salt
- Freshly ground Black Pepper
- 1 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
- 6 Tbsp. butter, melted
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Combine Cream Cheese, Egg, ⅓ cup Paramesan, 1 Tsp. Old Bay Seasoning, one half of the Sour Cream, Lemon Zest, 1 Tsp. Lemon Juice, Cayenne and about 1 Tbsp. Chives (optional) in a large bowl. I suggest you mix the cream cheese and sour cream together first until smooth. Then add the remaining ingredients. Season with salt and pepper and stir until evenly combined. This is a very important step. Make sure the mixture is throughly mixed and smooth. Then, fold in the Crab Meat until combined (make sure there are no shells). Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, combine the remaining Parmesan, Panko bread crumbs, and melted butter. Divide mixture between the muffin pan cups and press around the edges of the cups to make a crust.
- Spoon the crab mixture into each cup and bake for 20-25 minutes until the edges begin to turn golden brown. Let rest for 5 minutes and gently spoon out crab bites and plate them.
- Meanwhile, make the dipping sauce. Combine, the remaining Sour Cream, remaining Chives (optional) 1 Tsp. Lemon Juice and remaining Old Bay Seasoning. Stir to combine.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
