Instructions: MAKE THE BASE : In a saucepan over medium heat, place the oil, onions and peppers, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 7 minutes.

Combine the 3 egg yolks, lime juice, mustard, Tabasco, and fish sauce in a large bowl. Remove the oil and vegetables from the heat. Slowly pour them into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Begin by pouring with small splashes, incorporating the oil completely before adding more. The heat of the oil will cook the yolks as you go, and you should end up with a hollandaise-like sauce when all the oil has been blended. Return the saucepan to the heat for 30 seconds, whisking constantly to insure that the sauce is fully incorporated. Set the saucepan down over a bowl of ice and whisk to cool quickly. Refrigerate the sauce covered, until it is well-chilled.

MAKE THE CHIPOTLE SAUCE: In a food processor, process all the ingredients, except the soy oil. With the machine running, add the oil in a slow stream until the sauce is emulsified. Taste. Add more oil if necessary. Set aside.

MAKE THE CRAB CAKES: Pick over the crab meat to remove any shell pieces.

Add the dill, chives and parsley and gently toss, taking care not to break up crab. Add two or three heaping tablespoons of the chilled sauce base to the crab and gently combine. Add enough of the bread crumbs to bind the crab mixture. Check to see that the mixture is moist (the bread crumbs will absorb moisture as the crab mixture sits) and add more sauce or bread crumbs as needed. Add the white pepper and taste for seasoning. Form the crab into little cakes, about 2 inches in diameter. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs. One at a time, coat each crab cake with egg. Then coat with Japanese bread crumbs (Panko). Heat 1/4 inch of the vegetable oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Sauteing in batches, brown the crab cakes on both sides and reserve on a platter. Place in a preheated 350 degree oven for 2- 3 minutes to heat through, and serve. To serve, place some chipotle sauce on a dish and place the crab cakes on the sauce.

Yield 12
crabcakes, or 6 first course servings.

NOTES : In the original recipe chef Rick Moonen served these with a cucumber carrot salad.

If you would like to email yourself the recipe for later use, or share the recipe with your friends or family, enter the email addresses below and this recipe will be emailed to you and others as well.