I’ve been making these crab cakes as an affordable treat for my family. Yes, affordable, because I’ve been buying 1-pound cans of pasteurized crab sold at Trader Joe’s and warehouse stores like Costco and Sam’s.

Don’t get me wrong — fresh crab tastes much, much better. It also costs much, much more. I’m well aware of the difference. My husband is from Maryland, and no visit to his family is complete without a feast from the local seafood store. My kids have known how to pick crab meat from the shell as long as they can remember, and crab cakes and Maryland crab soup are way up on our lists of favorite foods.

But the Atlantic Ocean is a long way away. In the meantime, these crab cakes are pretty good.

St. Louis Crab Cakes

Yield: 5 crab cakes

2 egg whites or 1 whole egg

About 1 tablespoon Chesapeake seasoning ( such as Old Bay)

1 tablespoon minced fresh onion, optional

2 tablespoons minced fresh celery, optional

About 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs

1 (1-pound) can pasteurized crabmeat, drained

Canola oil cooking spray

In a large bowl, beat egg whites until slightly frothy. Stir in seasoning, onion, celery and enough bread crumbs to make a loose, wet paste. Stir in crab, mixing gently but well. If mixture will not hold together, add more bread crumbs.

Use a 1/2-cup measure or an ice-cream scoop to portion out 5 crab cakes. With your hands, form into patties. Arrange on a plate, cover loosely and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. (This helps the crab cakes hold their shape when cooked.)

Lightly coat a nonstick griddle or large skillet with cooking spray. Place over medium heat. When hot, add crab cakes. Lightly coat the top of the crab cakes with cooking spray. Let cook until browned on the bottom, then carefully turn crab cakes. (You may need to use two spatulas to keep the crab cakes from breaking up.) When browned, reduce heat if necessary and turn cakes again. Continue to cook until heated through, turning at least one more time and adjusting heat if necessary to prevent burning.

Per crab cake: 113 calories; 1g fat (8 percent calories from fat); no saturated fat; 87mg cholesterol; 21g protein; 5g carbohydrate; no sugar; no fiber; 398mg sodium; 93mg calcium; 361mg potassium