Recipe: Angelina's Restaurant Crab Cakes

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, Md., sent in a recipe that was printed some years ago in The Baltimore Sun and was reported to have come from the owner of Angelina's, the late Robert Reilly.

This recipe is straightforward and unadulterated and what you will get are authentic Maryland-style crab cakes. I usually opt for broiling my crab cakes and that would certainly work for this recipe, but if you are going to fry them I would recommend going for it and doing it in butter.

The real key to making good crab cakes is using the best-quality crab meat you can find with as little filler as possible. It's also important to take care when mixing and forming the cakes to not overwork the mixture and break up the lumps of meat.

Angelina's Restaurant Crab Cakes

Makes 10 servings

1 pound lump crab meat (picked)

1 cup fresh bread crumbs

1/3 cup milk, approximately

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons fresh chopped parsley

2 teaspoons minced onions, optional

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

Flour for dusting

Butter or vegetable oil for frying

1. Place crab meat in large bowl. Cover with bread crumbs. Moisten with milk.

2. Combine beaten egg with the mayonnaise in bowl. Add baking powder, parsley, onion, salt and pepper.

3. Pour over crab mixture. Toss gently until well mixed. Form into 10 large crab cakes. Place on plate.

4. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Dust cakes lightly with flour. Heat butter or oil in pan until hot. Fry crab cakes until golden. Drain on paper towel and serve.

Per serving: 233 calories, 15 grams fat, 7 grams saturated fat, 9 grams carbohydrates, 13 grams protein, 1 gram fiber, 100 milligrams cholesterol, 433 milligrams sodium