Crab Cakes

You won't be crabbing about this recipe, because the season has arrived and the crab cake recipe is here.Al Thomas of Hagerstown requested a recipe for "the fabulous crab cakes that are offered at Angelina's on Harford Road."Chef Gilles Syglowski chose two different recipes. One came from Jo Ann M. Nuetzel of Baltimore, who noted that her recipe was once published in The Sun. "It came from the late Robert Reilly, who operated Angelina's," she wrote.Nuetzel's crab cakes1 pound lump crab meat (picked)

Jamie Short from Greensburg, Pa., misplaced a recipe for a crab-cake sandwich that he and his wife had so enjoyed at the Mad Batter restaurant in Cape May, N.J. Thelma Morningstar of Elkridge sent us the very recipe Short was looking for. She had clipped it from the recipe-request column in Ladies' Home Journal. Once you taste this sandwich, it is easy to see why so many people are so fond of it. It calls for just the right combination of seasonings and breading, and the red pepper sauce that accompanies it is a delicious addition.

It's Italian and it isn't. The new Josephine's at 2112 Fleet St. is a mid-range Italian restaurant, says owner-chef Ellen Davis; but specialties include a filet Chesapeake - tenderloin with crab and basil hollandaise - and a crab cake. If Angelina's (the Harford Road Italian restaurant famous for its crab cakes) comes to mind, that's not surprising. Davis has worked in its kitchen, as well as the now-closed Stella's in Hampden. As for the Italian food, it ranges from lasagna and meatballs to torta rustica, capellini with red bell pepper pesto and stuffed shells with ricotta, mozzarella and Gorgonzola.

Item: Zatarain's New Orleans Style Crab Cake Mix What you get: About 10 crab cakes Cost: About $2.29 Nutritional content: 100 calories; 1 gram fat; no saturated fat; 460 milligrams sodium Preparation time: About 4 minutes pan-fried on stove top Review: It seems sacrilegious to even consider another city's take on Baltimore's most beloved dish. And Zatarain's mix is not what we in the Free State expect of our crab meat. That said, these New Orleans-style crab cakes aren't bad. They're just heavy on filler, overflavored (ingredients include onion, clam juice, hot sauce and Parmesan and Romano cheeses)

Angels Aemke of Wilmington, N.C., was seeking the recipe for the famous crab cakes that were served at Angelina's restaurant in Baltimore. She had a friend who used to send her these wonderful treats, but now that the venerable restaurant has closed (and was recently sold), she was hoping to find the recipe so that she could make the crab cakes at home. Jo Ann Nuetzel from Parkville sent in a recipe that was printed some years ago in The Sun and was reported to have come from the owner of Angelina's, the late Robert Reilly.

ONE CHARACTERISTIC of Marylanders, whether they are born here or have moved here, is that they have strong opinions about crab cakes. Another characteristic is that they tend to believe the best crab cakes known to mankind happen to be made by them.This was the case at a recent Saturday night dinner party held at the Ruxton home of Jim and Anita Gabler. There, a dozen Marylanders -- some natives and some immigrants -- held a crab-cake tasting.The idea for the contest stemmed from boasts made at a previous gathering of the group, whose members meet in one another's homes about four times a year to eat good food, drink fine wine and engage in spirited conversations.

After 15 years of satisfying the culinary whims of concer greats such as Pavarotti, Springsteen and Sinatra, backstage caterer par excellence John D'Anna has learned a valuable lesson he'd like to share.It has nothing to do with soothing out-of-control egos or filling outrageous demands for exotic food and drink. Instead, it applies to anyone faced with feeding a horde of hungry people:Don't run out of food!Obvious, you say? Not really . . . at least, not if you're feeding the hundreds of musicians, crew members, friends and hangers-on that make up a touring star's entourage.

You may have come to Baltimore for great basketball, but you don't want to leave without sampling our seafood.The first thing you need to know about eating out in Baltimore is that we're the crab cake capital of America, perhaps the universe. Don't leave town without trying one of these delicacies.Second, all our best restaurants have wonderful seafood -- even places with names such as the Prime Rib. Here are some nearby places to eat that capture the essence of Baltimore or, at the very least, offer a fine crab cake.

When it comes to crab cakes, I'm a modernist: Less is more. OK, you can put in a little seasoning and enough bread crumbs to hold the thing together. But forget all the extras - the little bits of green pepper, the parsley, the mayonnaise. I'm pleased to report that G&M Restaurant shares that view. G&M is a sprawling Linthicum institution with a sit-down restaurant, a lounge and a carryout operation that sells everything from hot pizza and hot dogs to seafood platters and strip steaks.

For some time now I have noticed certain parallels between David Letterman's life and my own.He was born in the Midwest and I was born in the Midwest.He does four TV shows a week and I do four newspaper columns a week.He makes $14 million a year and I . . . OK, so our lives are not identical.But I have always enjoyed his show and when Channel 54 offered me a four-minute satellite interview with him yesterday, I jumped at the chance.Channel 54 will be running Letterman's new CBS show when it debuts at 11:35 p.m. on Aug. 30. That's because its general manager and resident genius, Joe Koff, snatched it up when Channel 11, the CBS affiliate, decided it had to run Arsenio Hall instead.