Southwestern Crab Cakes

From Cooking: I, Piscivore by Gary Cartwright, in the September 1987 issue of Texas Monthly.

1 large egg
2 tablespoons mayonnaise, crème fraîche, or sour cream
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard or the hotter Louisiana Creole mustard
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
Pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 pound fresh or pasteurized precooked crabmeat, lump or back fin, flaked
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup chopped scallions
8 to 10 saltine crackers, crushed, or 1 cup soft white bread crumbs
1 to 2 two-inch fresh serrano chiles, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons unsalted sweet butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Lime wedges, for garnish

Mix together the egg, mayonnaise, mustard, peppers, salt, and Worcestershire sauce. Add the crabmeat, parsley, scallions, saltines, and chiles. Mix the ingredients thoroughly.

Shape and press the mixture into ten or twelve patties, place on foil, cover, and chill for at least half an hour before cooking.

Heat the butter and oil in a skillet. Add crab cakes and sauté on both sides over medium-high heat a few minutes or until golden and lightly crispy. Drain on paper towels. Serves four.