Serious Crab Cakes

Ingredients

• For the Crab Cakes:
• 1 loaf of fresh Portugese Bread or Brioche, crumbed in food processor or blender. Reserve 2 cups for the recipe; freeze the rest for future use.
• 1 lb. canned or fresh lump crab meat, picked over for cartilage and shell.
• 2 medium eggs, beaten.
• 2 Tbls mayonaise
• 1 Tbls fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tbls Ponzu sauce (available in the Oriental Foods aisle)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped scallion greens or chives.
• 1/3 cup finely chopped red pepper
• 1 small jalepeno pepper, very finely chopped (optional)
• 1 tsp sweet curry or sate powder.
• 1 Tbls chopped fresh Lemon Basil or Lemon Verbena (if unavailable, substitute 1 tsp lemon zest).
• 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves.
• Olive oil and unsalted butter, enough to cook 2 batches (about 2 Tbls each).
• Panko style bread crumbs,enough to coat the cakes.
• Salt and pepper to taste
• For The Sauce:
• Equal parts mayonaise and relish with enough Ponzu sauce to flavor the sauce but not make it too liquid.