Spain · Spanish cuisine (tapas)
Croquetas de jamón
Crisp, golden croquettes with a molten, creamy béchamel inside, studded with savoury cured ham: the best-loved tapa of Spain, with a thin crust that cracks at the first bite.
Cookhuddle Editorial Cookhuddle | Spain
Editorial selection: recipes cross-checked against several documentary sources. They have not been tested in our kitchen: follow the precautions given and adapt times to your own oven.
Photo: Anagoria · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source · cropped
translation Translated from Spanish. Translation by Cookhuddle Editorial. Read the original
Read this recipe inespañol · originalEnglish · translationfrançais · translation
- Servings
- 8
- Preparation
- 40 min
- Cooking
- 50 min
- Resting
- 270 min
- Total
- 360 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
Cuisine / tradition: Spanish cuisine (tapas) (ES) — declared by the author
- Starter
- Snack
- Fried
Ingredients
For 8 servings
- 100 g butter
- 100 g plain flour, for the béchamel
- 1 l whole milk, warm
- 150 g Ibérico or Serrano ham, finely chopped
- 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste (the ham is salty)
- 100 g plain flour, for coating
- 3 piece eggs, beaten
- 200 g dry breadcrumbs
- 1 l olive or sunflower oil, for frying
Method
- Step 1. Chop the ham finely, into pieces of about 5 mm.
- Step 2. Melt the butter in a wide saucepan over low heat. Add the ham and stir for 1 minute, then add the flour and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until it smells lightly toasted and has lost its raw taste.⏱ 4 min
- Step 3. Add the warm milk in 4 or 5 additions, whisking well after each so that there are no lumps. Cook over low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring continuously, until the béchamel is very thick and comes away from the sides of the pan. Season with the nutmeg and, if needed, salt.⏱ 20 min
- Step 4. Spread the béchamel in a shallow dish, press cling film directly onto the surface and leave to cool, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight, until completely cold and firm.⏱ 240 min
- Step 5. With two spoons or damp hands, shape the cold béchamel into about 40 croquettes of 30 g each, cylinders or ovals.
- Step 6. Roll each croquette in flour, then in beaten egg, then in breadcrumbs. For a crunchier crust, dip again in egg and breadcrumbs. Chill for 30 minutes.⏱ 30 min
- Step 7. Heat the oil to 180 °C in a deep pan. Fry the croquettes in batches of 5 or 6 for about 1 minute 30, until deep golden, without crowding the pan. Drain on paper towels and serve hot: the inside will be molten.⏱ 2 min
Story and cultural note
Croquetas de jamón are a béchamel of butter, flour and milk mixed with chopped cured ham, chilled, shaped, breaded and fried. Sources agree that a smooth, well-cooked béchamel and thorough chilling are the keys, and that a good cured ham, preferably Ibérico, gives the flavour. Some cooks use olive oil in the béchamel, some enrich it with a ham broth, as one recipe does; this version uses butter and milk only.
Tips for success
Cook the flour well in the butter so the béchamel does not taste raw, and stir without stopping for the 20 minutes. Chill it completely: a warm mixture cannot be shaped and the croquettes burst in the oil. Fry at 180 °C in small batches: too cold and they soak oil, too hot and the inside does not melt. Shape with damp hands.
Serving and presentation
Serve hot, as soon as they are fried, on a plate with a bowl of mild aioli, with a glass of fino sherry, cava or cold beer.
Diet and allergens
Information declared by the author. CookHuddle does not verify or certify it. If you have an allergy, check the ingredients yourself.
ContainsGluten (cereals)EggsMilk
