Spain / Snacks
Ham croquetas
A thick béchamel with ham, chilled until firm, breadcrumbed and deep-fried.
Ingredients
- Serrano ham, finely diced150 g
- Butter60 g
- Olive oil2 tbsp
- Onion, very finely chopped1/2
- Plain flour100 g
- Milk, warm700 ml
- Nutmeg1 pinch
- Eggs for coating2
- Breadcrumbs150 g
- Oil for frying700 ml
- Saltto taste
Quantities are auto-calculated from the original recipe as a guide. Items without numbers (e.g. “to taste”) are not changed.
Method 6 steps
Melt the butter with the olive oil, soften the onion until translucent, add the ham and warm it for a minute so the fat renders into the pan.
Add the flour and cook, stirring, for four or five minutes, until it smells nutty and just begins to colour.
Add the warm milk a ladle at a time, stirring smooth before the next goes in. Cook for ten minutes more, until the mixture pulls away from the sides.
Season with nutmeg and salt, spread into a dish two centimetres deep, press cling film onto the surface and chill for at least four hours.
Shape cylinders with wet hands and coat in egg then breadcrumbs. For a sturdier shell, do the coating twice.
Deep-fry at 180 °C for two minutes in small batches. A crowded pan drops the temperature and the croquetas drink oil instead of crisping.
