Ingredients:  One half cup of chopped shallots, Six tablespoons of butter, One half cup finely chopped celery, Two garlic cloves minced, One tablespoon of cilantro, chopped; One half pound of fresh crabmeat, Two tablespoons of fresh squeezed lime juice, One or two Serrano chilies, chopped fine; One tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, One tablespoon of Cholula hot sauce, Two cups of saltine crackers, crushed; Two egg whites, Two eggs, salt and pepper, Two cups of bread crumbs, One quarter cup of chopped chives. 

Preparation: In a heavy saucepan, melt butter over medium high heat. Add onion, garlic, and celery and sauté for seven minutes. Add cilantro and sauté for an additional two minutes. Stir in crabmeat, limejuice, chopped chilies, Worcestershire sauce and Cholula pepper sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and place mixture in a large bowl and add crushed saltines and mix well.

          In a medium bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into crab mixture. Form mixture into individual crab cakes about three inches in diameter. Place crab cakes on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or wax paper and freeze for about twenty minutes.

          In a small bowl, whisk the two eggs together. Place bread crumbs in a shallow dish. Dip each crab cake into the egg wash, then into the breadcrumbs and turn to coat thoroughly, set aside. In a large heavy skillet add enough oil to reach a depth of at least three-quarters of an inch. Heat oil to 350 degrees. Fry crab cakes in small batches until golden, about two minutes per side. Plate crab cakes and sprinkle with chopped chives. Serve with Pablo’s Pepper Cream Sauce.