Rhea's Rundown
These little cups of cheesy, crabby delight are easy to eat by hand and can be prepped the day before, if need be. Cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, and sour cream are ightened with notes of citrus from orange and lemon peel. You can experiment with lessening the amount of cheese ingredients and increasing the amount of crabmeat. You’ll need mini muffin pans for this recipe and panko eadcrumbs, which can be found in the baking aisle at Whole Foods or at Shoppers. Fresh lump and back fin crabmeat can be found in the seafood department at Whole Foods.
Ingredients – Makes 24
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon finely grated orange peel
- 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
- 4 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- Large pinch of cayenne pepper
- 6 ounces fresh lump crabmeat, picked over, patted dry, coarsely shredded
- 1 cup panko (Japanese eadcrumbs)*
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pans
- Fresh chives, cut into pieces
- Special equipment: 2 mini muffin pans
Directions
1. Using electric mixer beat cream cheese in medium bowl until smooth. Add 1/4 cup Parmesan and egg; beat to blend. Beat in sour cream, citrus peels, 4 teaspoons chopped chives, coarse salt, and cayenne pepper. Fold in crabmeat. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously butter 2 mini muffin pans. Toss panko, 1/2 cup Parmesan, and 2 tablespoons chopped chives in small bowl. Drizzle 1/4 cup melted butter over, tossing with fork until evenly moistened. Press 1 rounded tablespoon panko mixture into bottom of each muffin cup, forming crust. Spoon 1 generous tablespoon crab mixture into each cup. Sprinkle rounded teaspoon of panko mixture over each (some may be left over).
3. Bake crab cakes until golden on top and set, about 30 minutes. Cool in pans 5 minutes. Run knife around each cake and gently lift out of pan. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 hours ahead. Arrange on baking sheet; let stand at room temperature. Rewarm in 350°F oven 6 to 8 minutes.
4. Arrange crab cakes on serving platter; sprinkle with chives.
Rosbottom, Betty. "Mini Crab Cakes." Bon Appétit. August 2015. Web. July 2006. .
Rhea Torreon
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