Crab

It’s unclear just who the Louis of Crab Louis salad fame was; perhaps he was affiliated with the Olympic Club in Seattle, where opera star Enrico Caruso, who visited there in 1904, is said to have fallen in love with the crab salad. San Francisco also claims the dish, which reached its zenith there in the teens, as a specialty at Solari’s restaurant and at the St. Francis Hotel.

"My husband and I were married at the Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Stateline, Nevada," writes Janie Cloutier of South Lake Tahoe, California, "and we celebrate our wedding anniversary at the restaurant there every year. The crab cakes are superb." These crab cakes are loaded with fresh crabmeat, which gives them a delicate texture.

This soup can be pureed by pressing it through a strainer or a food mill. It can also be pureed in a blender and then strained.

Cajun seasoning spikes this soup with heat, so adjust according to your taste. Serve with: Jalapeño corn bread and carrot sticks. Dessert: Cheesecake topped with thawed sliced frozen peaches.

On Maryland's Eastern shore, watermen make a living pulling the "beautiful swimmers" (blue crabs) out of Chesapeake Bay. This recipe was given to me many years ago by a waterman's wife — pre-food-processor. Note: This one's for the mini food processor because amounts are small.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

(San Francisco-Style Seafood Soup) Cioppino is San Francisco's answer to bouillabaisse and, like that famous Provencal seafood soup, is made with a variety of the freshest fish possible. In San Francisco the mixture included Dungeness crab, which adds a unique flavor, but any regional crab will do. If crab is not available, substitute another shellfish. No clams? Try mussels. The point is to treat the following recipe as a guide and use whatever looks best in the market the day you make the soup.

These sophisticated crab quesadillas need only six minutes of stove time. Citrus, green onions and Monterey Jack cheese provide delicate flavor; when teamed with a salad, the quesadillas make a light and lovely meal. Pour a dry Gewürztraminer, and finish with melon accented with fresh mint.

Serve this lovely dish with Champagne.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Cooking the sea bass in parchment paper is a great technique — it keeps the pistachio topping in place and allows you to brown both the fish and the topping in the skillet (the parchment becomes translucent so you can see the browning. Since Gras is on the West Coast, he likes to use Dungeness crab when he makes this dish. We've substituted jumbo lump crabmeat because it's available year round nationwide.

We recommend using a sturdy food mill (available at cookware stores) to help produce a thick stew base from simmered vegetables and fish. Alternatively, you can use a large heavy-duty mesh sieve to strain the seafood broth. Then push through enough fish and vegetables to make 13 cups of stew base. Serve cioppino with sourdough toasts.

"While vacationing in Vero Beach, Florida, I had a magnificent meal at Tangos," writes Peter Colley of Silver Creek, Colorado. "The food presentation was superb, and the outdoor patio made for a very romantic dining experience. I would like to have the recipe for the divine baked crab, Brie, and artichoke dip."

If you make the components of this hors d'oeuvre ahead, stir together the filling ingredients just before serving the first batch. Keep the remaining filling chilled, covered, and spoon it into the remaining cucumber cups as platters need replenishing.

A star starter from Hubert Keller at Fleur de Lys in San Francisco. A good mold for the timbale is a six-ounce tomato-paste can that has the top and bottom removed.

Soaking the crabs in milk helps plump them up when cooked. Combining butter and oil results in crispy crabs.