Crab Bites

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

Procedure

• 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.