Olivia J. Walker of Baltimore requested a recipe for a hot crab dip.

Her answer came from Ethel Lowe of Salisbury, N.C., who wrote: "Over the Fourth of July I went to visit my daughter, Barbara Kennedy, at Oak Island, N.C. I went into a store at Southport, N.C., and found a real nice seafood-secrets cookbook.

"A lady requested a recipe for hot creamy crab dip, so I thought I would send the one in the book to her. My son-in-law has a nephew who has opened a restaurant in South Port, N.C., and he serves this hot creamy crab dip and says it doesn't stay around long before he is sold out."

Hot Crab Dip

Serves 12 as an appetizer

one 6 1/2 -ounce can crab meat, drained and flaked

two 8-ounce packages cream cheese at room temperature

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons sherry or white wine

2 tablespoons grated onion

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic

4 dashes Tabasco sauce

1/2 cup minced fresh parsley

1/2 cup slivered almonds

paprika to taste

assorted crackers, for serving

Combine crab, cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, sherry, onion, mustard, garlic, Tabasco and parsley. Stir well, and taste for seasoning.

Top with slivered almonds and a dusting of paprika.

Cover with foil and heat in 325-degree oven for 20 minutes. When it is heated through and bubbly, broil to brown almonds slightly, 2 minutes. Serve immediately with crackers.

Tester Laura Reiley's comments: "This is an addictive dip, with a little zing imparted by the mustard, garlic and onion. Very rich, the creamy white dip also marries beautifully with rounds of warm French bread. Because of the other flavors involved, this recipe works well with canned crab -- the expensive fresh version isn't necessary. (I might suggest doubling the recipe and freezing half to be thawed, heated and served for impromptu guests. It reheats nicely.)"

Recipe requests

Susan W. Gompf of Rehoboth Beach, Del., formerly of Baltimore, is seeking a recipe she believes others may remember. From the mid-50s she recalls the "superb cooking of the cafeteria manager of Garrison Junior High School. I have never tasted a meatloaf like the one she made. I am hoping some readers will recall it and have a recipe. I have the recipe for the wonderful sticky buns she made, which I would share."

Irene Pietrok of Aumsville, Ore., is anxious to make some soft peanut brittle like that that "I bought last fall at a craft show. I have experimented with some ingredients which were listed but had no luck."

If you are looking for a recipe or can answer a request for a hard-to-find recipe, write to Ellen Hawks, Recipe Finder, The Sun, 501 N. Calvert St., Baltimore, MD 21278. If you send more than one recipe, please put each on a separate sheet of paper with your name, address and daytime phone number. Important: Please list the ingredients in order of use, and note the number of servings each recipe makes. Please type or print contributions. Letters may be edited for clarity.