Croquetas Recipes

SALMON CROQUETTES

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, mix together the salmon, egg, celery, green onion, dill, and garlic powder. Form the mixture into golf ball sized balls, and roll in wheat germ to coat.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Flatten the balls slightly, and fry for about 10 minutes, turning as needed, until golden brown.

HAM & CHEESE CROQUETAS

Steps:

• To make the croquetas, melt the butter in a medium saucepan and gently fry the onion for 3 mins or until lightly coloured. Stir in the flour and cook for 30 secs. Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly, and cook over a low heat for 5 mins until thick and glossy. Stir in the ham, cheese, mustard and cream, and season to taste. Cook for 1 min more until the cheese melts, stirring constantly.
• Pour into a bowl and cover the surface with cling film to stop a skin forming. Leave to cool, then chill for 4 hrs or overnight - the mixture needs to be very stiff to form the croquetas. Take heaped teaspoons of the mixture and, with wet hands, roll into 24 small oval shapes and put on a tray. Beat the eggs in a shallow bowl, put the flour on a plate and half of the breadcrumbs in a bowl.
• Roll each of the croquetas lightly in flour, then in egg before coating in breadcrumbs. Place on a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Use the remaining breadcrumbs to top up the bowl halfway through the coating process. Chill for 30 mins (or to freeze, see tip, below left).
• Meanwhile, make the tomato chilli jam. Put all the ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover loosely with a lit and cook for 50 mins - 1 hr, stirring occasionally, until thick and glossy. Leave to cool before serving.
• Fill a large saucepan one-third full with the sunflower oil and heat to 180C (or heat the oil in an electric deep-fat fryer). Do not overheat and do not leave hot oil unattended. Using a metal slotted spoon, lower 6 croquets into the oil and cook for 1.5 mins or until golden brown. Transfer to a baking tray lined with kitchen paper to absorb excess oil, and continue cooking the rest. Serve with the chilli jam for dipping.

HAM CROQUETTES

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion, green onions, and garlic; cook until tender, about 10 minutes.
• Transfer contents of skillet to a large bowl. Stir in ham, Cheddar cheese, and 1 1/2 cups of bread crumbs. Beat 3 eggs; stir into ham mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Using your hands, make golf ball-size balls out of the ham mixture.
• Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Spread remaining bread crumbs onto a plate. In a large bowl, beat 1 egg; stir in water. Dip balls into egg mixture, and roll in bread crumbs. Place balls in hot oil being careful not to crowd. Fry until golden brown. Remove to paper towels to soak up grease.

POTATO CROQUETTES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir together mashed potatoes and parsley; season with salt and pepper. In a shallow bowl, place flour; season with salt and pepper. In another shallow bowl, whisk egg with 1 tablespoon water. In a third shallow bowl, place 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs.
• Form potato mixture into 3/4-by-2-inch logs. Roll in flour, shaking off excess, dip in egg wash, then roll in breadcrumbs to coat. In a heavy medium saucepan, heat 1 1/2 inches vegetable oil over medium-high until hot. In batches, fry croquettes until golden brown on all sides, about 2 minutes per batch, turing as needed. Drain on paper towels.

POTATO CROQUETTES

Steps:

• Place the potatoes in a large pot and fill it with cold water, enough to fully cover the potatoes. Add about 1 tsp of salt to the water and stir. Bring the potatoes to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a medium and cook for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.
• In the meantime fry the bacon until crispy. If making the dip, fry all the bacon (8 slices in total) together and reserve 1/4 of it for the dip.
• Drain the potatoes and add them to a large bowl. Add the butter, salt, pepper, milk, egg and mash using a potato masher. Alternatively, you could do all this using a mixer. Stir in the bacon and parsley.
• Prepare 3 shallow plates, one with the flour, one with the eggs beaten and one with the breadcrumbs. You can also season the eggs and flour with more salt and pepper. For a bit of a smokiness flavor you could add some smoked paprika to the flour.
• Using a small ice cream scoop, scoop out enough mashed potatoes to roll it into a golf ball size portion. Flatten it in your hand and place a cheese cube in the center. I made my cheese cubes small because I wanted to use both the cheddar cheese and provolone cheese in each croquette. Wrap the mashed potato around the cheese and you can either form it in a ball or a cylinder shape. Place on a plate or cutting board and repeat with remaining ingredients.
• Roll the croquettes first into the flour, then dip them in the beaten egg and finally roll them through the breadcrumbs, making sure they are completely covered. Place them on a plate or tray until ready to fry. You could also refrigerate them for about an hour, this will ensure that they will hold their shape, though I haven't had any problem with them falling apart.
• Add vegetable oil to a pot so that it's at least a couple inches deep and heat it over medium high heat.
• Fry these in batches and only fry about 4 or 5 at a time, it also depends on how big your pot is. You may need to roll them around to make sure they get golden all around. Place them on a towel-lined bowl to cool a little.
• To make the dip, add all the dip ingredients into a small bowl and stir to combine.
• Serve the croquettes warm with the dip.

CROQUETAS DE JAMóN (HAM CROQUETTES)

Steps:

• In a saucepan, melt butter at medium-low heat. Add onion and cook for 1 minute.
• Slowly whisk in milk, 1/3 cup of flour, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Continue to whisk until it becomes a very thick sauce (a roux).
• Add in the cooking wine and ground ham to the sauce. Mix together slowly until all is combined. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 5 minutes.
• Transfer the filling to a bowl. Let it rest at room temperature then refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight (the longer the better). The mixture has to harden in order to form into logs and coat evenly. If this step is skipped, it will be very hard to form logs, coat with the breading, and fry. This is an important step. Don't skip it.
• Remove the filling from the refrigerator. Form logs from the mixture straight from the fridge. It's ok if they are cold, it will be easier to form the logs this way. You want the logs to be approximately 3" long and 1" wide. If the mixture is sticky as you're making the logs, add bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon at a time, to the mixture until it's no longer sticky.
• Continue forming the logs until you have all the croquette logs done then place them back in the fridge to firm up once again, about 30 minutes.**
• To bread the croquette logs, you want to set up a breading station. In one bowl, whisk eggs and set aside. In another bowl, mix the remaining flour and bread crumbs.
• Remove the logs from the fridge. Dip each croquette log in the egg wash and then coat in bread crumb/flour mixture. Repeat with each one until they are all breaded. Let the croquettes rest at room temperature for 5 minutes before frying.
• In a large pot or pan, heat enough vegetable oil to cover the croquettes completely. Fry each croquette until golden brown, approximately 3-4 minutes. Don't crowd the pot too much as you are frying. This will help them all get evenly cooked.
• Remove the croquettes from oil and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Serve with saltines and lime wedges. Enjoy!

CHICKEN CROQUETTES

Steps:

• For the croquette batter: In a heavy pot, heat the milk and chicken stock on the stove and then add the white pepper, fresh parsley and salt, if needed. In a separate heavy pot, melt the butter and add the minced celery. Stir in the flour and cook for 3 minutes. Pour in the hot milk and stock and stir until thickened and smooth. Fold in the chicken meat and allow to cool.
• Breading the croquettes: Shape 3-ounce portions of croquette batter in the shape of a cone and place on a tray lined with waxed paper. Next make an egg wash from the milk, eggs and salt. Dip the croquettes in the egg wash and then into the flour and let stand a few minutes. Finish breading by dipping the croquettes back in the egg wash and then rolling in breadcrumbs.
• For the chicken gravy: Melt the butter in a 1- or 2-quart saucepan, and stir in the flour. Pour in the stock and whisk until smooth. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and cook for 20 minutes. Add the fresh parsley, white pepper and salt, to taste, (if fresh stock was used).
• Cooking the croquettes: Fry the croquettes in a pot with salad oil or liquid shortening, heated to 350 degrees F, until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain well and blot on paper towels. Place on a bed of mashed potatoes and top each croquette with chicken gravy.

CROQUETAS DE JAMON RECIPE - SPANISH HAM CROQUETTES

Steps:

• Heat up four tablespoons (around 60 grams) of unsalted butter and 1/4 cup (about 60 milliliters) of extra virgin olive oil in a pan. Keep the flame low and let the butter meltdown before adding anything else.
• Once the butter is completely melted and hot, add one medium-sized onion (very finely diced) to the pan. Sauté for about five to six minutes and move on to the next step as soon as the onion slices start to gain some color.
• Once the onion shows some color, add a pinch of salt and nutmeg to the pan and mix everything thoroughly.
• Add the finely diced Serrano ham to the pan. Mix everything again and cook the ham for a maximum of one minute. Keep stirring the pan to ensure nothing gets burnt.
• Add one cup of flour (approximately 120 grams) to the mixture and sauté everything constantly to avoid any unnecessary burns.
• Keep stirring the mixture repeatedly to cook the flour as much as possible, while also not burning it. Once the paste starts showing a creamy brown color, it is time to add milk to the paste.
• Add a bit of milk to the brownish paste and mix everything again.
• Continue adding milk to the paste little by little every time for the next 15-20 minutes to thicken the paste. Each time the mixture in your pan dries up, add more milk to it. Stir constantly all the time you're adding more and more milk until the dough is creamy and thick enough.
• Pour the dough into a large bowl and let it cool down to room temperature. Afterwards, cover the bowl with plastic wrap (directly over the dough) and store it in the fridge for at least four hours. For better results and taste, leave the paste covered with plastic wrap in the fridge overnight.
• When the croquette dough is thick and cold, begin forming small croquette logs and place them on a plate.
• Prepare three separate bowls with flour, beaten eggs, and bread crumbs respectively. Start by cover the croquettes one by one in flour, then eggs, and then bread crumbs.
• Heat up extra virgin olive oil and ensure it gets hot, but not too hot or the croquettes will burn. Start heavy frying the croquettes and do NOT forget to turn them around so that they get evenly brown on all sides.
• Once they are nicely fried, remove the croquettes from the pan and drain on paper towels to let them soak up all the extra oil and cool down. Once cool enough, you can begin enjoying these delicious bites with your friends and family.

CROQUETAS DE JAMON (SPANISH HAM CROQUETTES)

Steps:

• Melt butter and oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat.
• Add the flour and stir to moisten it completely. Sauté the flour until it begins to turn a light brown color 2-3 min.
• Add the milk a little by a little, stirring constantly to incorporate each addition, until you have added it all. (At first, it will look like you won't be able to get a smooth sauce, but continue working your sauce with a rubber spatula as you add a little milk at a time and it will smooth out.) Reduce the heat to medium low as needed, if your milk seems to scald before you can mix it into the roux. Continue heating the mixture as needed until it is creamy, thick, and smooth.
• Add the diced ham and nutmeg. Mix well.
• Taste your mixture and add salt as necessary.
• Remove your mixture from the heat and let it cool slightly
• Transfer the croqueta dough into a casserole dish and cover it with plastic wrap (or a lid). Refrigerate the dough overnight.
• Place the beaten egg in a shallow bowl. Place the breadcrumbs in a second, wide bowl.
• (We found it easiest to shape all the croquettas first and then bread them. But, if you have extra hands in the kitchen, now is a good time to employ their help, assembly-line-style.)
• Working with roughly 2 Tbsp of dough at a time, shape the chilled dough into little, fat thumbs. (Your hands will get sticky while shaping the dough. Keeping them lightly floured helps to cut down on the stickiness.)
• Dip each croqueta, one at a time, in the beaten egg, turning to coat.
• Then, roll it in the breadcrumbs, pressing to coat.
• Place the breaded croquetas on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Once all the croquetas are breaded, place your baking sheet in the freezer for 10-15 minutes, to firm them up slightly.
• At this point you can heat ½ inch of vegetable oil over med high heat in a shallow skillet. (When you drop a little flour or bread crumbs into the oil and they sizzle, the oil is ready.)
• Fry your chilled croquetas in batches, making sure not to crowd the oil, 1-2 minutes on each side, until golden brown.
• Remove the croquetas from the frying pan and place them on a paper towel lined platter to cool slightly.
• Serve warm!
• Once the croquetas are frozen solid, transfer them to an airtight container until you are ready to fry them up.
• To fry your croquetas from well-frozen, let them thaw on the counter for 10-15 minutes before frying.

CROQUETAS DE ATúN (TUNA CROQUETTES)

Steps:

• Place the potatoes in a small sauce pan and cover with water. Cook on medium-high heat until potatoes are cook through. Drain when they're cooked.
• While the potatoes are cooking, add the egg in a shallow bowl and beat with a fork. In another bowl, add the bread crumbs and season with salt & pepper. Set both bowls aside.
• Drain the tuna and place in a medium bowl . Add the cooked potatoes, salt & pepper.
• Mix well and mash tuna & potatoes with a hand masher or a fork.
• Form the tuna patties by squeezing them first then forming into patties. You can make them in any shape you want!
• Pass thru the croquettes thru the egg mixture then coat with bread crumbs.
• IN FRYING PAN: Heat oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, fry the croquettes until golden browned on all sides. About 1 minute per side. Drain on paper towels.
• IN OVEN: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange the tuna patties on a lightly greased baking sheet. Spray or brush the top of the tuna patties with olive oil. Bake for about 20 minutes, turning once, until golden browned on both sides.
• IN AIR FRYER: Preheat, arrange the tuna patties on surface. Spray or brush the top of the tuna patties with olive oil. Bake for about 20 minutes, turning once, until golden browned on both sides.
• Serve while warm.

HAM CROQUETAS

Steps:

• To make the filling, heat the olive oil in a pan until it starts to shimmer. Add the leek and sauté until soft but not coloured. Stir in the ham with a wooden spoon, fry for 1 min, then stir in the flour and fry over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is golden but not burnt - this will take about 5 mins.
• Meanwhile, combine the stock and milk in a small pan and heat until steaming but not boiling. Season with a few scrapes of nutmeg. Gradually add the liquid, a few tbsp at a time, stirring constantly.
• Once you've incorporated all the milk stock, continue to cook the filling over a medium heat for about 10 mins or until it thickens and leaves the sides of the pan when you stir it.
• Season with black pepper, taste and adjust the salt if necessary - the ham can be very salty to start with. The filling is now done: it has to be really thick because you don't want the croquetas to turn into pancakes.
• Smooth the mixture onto a baking tray (30 x 20cm is fine). Once it has stopped steaming, cover with cling film to stop it drying out. Leave to cool before putting it in the fridge for 1 hr.
• When you're ready for the next stage, line up three bowls: the first filled with the flour, the second with beaten egg and the third with breadcrumbs. Take the ham mixture out of the fridge. Put a little bit of olive oil on your hands to make it easier to roll the croquetas.
• Roll a spoonful of the mixture between your palms. The size and shape of the croquetas is up to you, but the easiest is a walnut-sized ball. Then begin coating as follows.
• Dunk the croquetas into the flour - you want a dusting - followed by the egg, then the breadcrumbs. Put them on a tray and, when you've used up all the mixture, place in the fridge for 30 mins.
• If you have a deep-fat fryer, heat the oil to 180C and fry for a couple of mins. If not, heat the oil in a deep, heavy-bottomed saucepan until it starts to shimmer. Then add 5-6 croquetas at a time and fry until golden all over. Once cooked, drain on kitchen paper and eat straight away.