Tartar Sauce
2 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup fresh lemon or lime juice
1/4 cup minced scallion
2 tablespoons minced, drained bottled capers
12 cornichons (French sour gherkins)
2 fresh jalapeños, seeded and minced
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, minced

Crab Cakes
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits
3/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
1 pound lump crabmeat
1/2 cup each minced red, green and yellow bell pepper
1/4 cup minced scallion
Pinch cayenne
3 cups fine fresh breadcrumbs
1/4 cup clarified butter

Tartar Sauce:  In bowl whisk together mayonnaise, lemon juice, onion, capers, cornichons, chiles, tomatoes, and salt and black pepper to taste.
Chill the sauce, covered, for at least 1 hour or overnight.
In a saucepan heat butter over moderately low heat until foam subsides,
add flour and cook the roux, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the milk in a
stream, whisking vigorously, and bring the mixture to a boil. Add salt
and pepper to taste and simmer the white sauce, stirring, for 10 minutes.
In a large bowl combine well crabmeat, bell peppers, scallion, cayenne,
salt and pepper to taste and the white sauce. Let mixture cool. Stir in 1
cup breadcrumbs, shape the mixture into cakes using a 1/4 cup measure
and dredge the cakes in the remaining 2 cups breadcrumbs, coating
them thoroughly.
In a skillet heat some of the clarified butter over moderately high heat
until hot but not smoking and in it sauté the crab cakes in batches, adding
the remaining clarified butter as necessary, for 5-6 minutes on each side,
or until they are just golden. Transfer them to paper towels to drain.
Serve the crab cakes with the tartar sauce. Garnish with lemon wedges. Makes 20 crab cakes.