Costas Inn Owners Break Crabs on 'Today' Show for Kathie Lee

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Celebrating her birthday Tuesday, Kathie Lee Gifford invited brothers Pete and Nick Trintafilos from Dundalk's back to the "Today" show for a demonstration on the proper way to eat hard shell crabs.

Kathie Lee, as Hoda Kotb noted while introducing the Trintafilos brothers, is right at home cracking open hard shell crabs. Kathie Lee grew up in Bowie, MD, and attended Bowie High School. Tuesday was also her birthday, making the visit from a couple of Maryland seafood restaurant owners that much more appropriate.

At the start of the show, Kathie Lee said she was planning to order crabs from her favorite Baltimore restaurant—for a crab feast to celebrate her birthday.

"They ship them!" Kathie Lee said. 

Pete and Nick also brought some lobster with them and crab cakes.

Unfortunately, according to the Costas Inn Facebook page, the segment didn't appear in the Baltimore market, which doesn't air the fourth hour of the "Today" show. However, the video clip of Pete and Nick's segment can be seen here.

Costas Inn also posted the video on their website here.

Costas Inn has received numerous accolades for its famous steamed crabs from such sources as the City Paper, Baltimore Magazine, The New York Times and Zagat's. A family-run business, the restaurant was opened in 1971 by Costas N. Triantafilos and his wife, Tsambika Kefalas.

In July, Costas Inn’s stuffed lobster tail was in the Best of Baltimore edition of Baltimore Magazine.

Pete and Nick even shared their crab cake recipe on the "Today" show website:

 Recipe: Crab cakes Pete and Nick Triantafilos Ingredients

• 2 lbs. of jumbo lump crab meat
• 6 pieces of sliced bread with crust removed (turn into bread crumbs)
• 1 teaspoon chopped parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon Costas seafood seasoning
• Imperial sauce
• Imperial sauce
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 3 whole eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 3/4 teaspoon Costas seafood seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Preparation

Combine and blend bread crumb, parsley and Costas seafood spice in mixing bowl.

Add Crab Meat, and mix gently with bread careful not to break lumps

Add Imperial sauce, mix gently

Shape into 5 oz. or 8 oz. crab cakes and broil at 500 degrees for 12-14 minutes until golden brown