Croquetas de Jamón

ham croquetas

Croquetas are the crown jewels of Spanish food and much-loved throughout the country. I mean, what’s not to love? Deep-fried béchamel balls sent straight from heaven, oozing with a variety of delicious fillings and the go-to tapas to bring a smile to your face.

Across Spain, customers rave about the taste and texture of these little balls of beauty, whilst us chefs perfect our techniques to create the perfect croquetas – it really is labour of love. But you need to work to create perfection, and whilst croquetas may not last long on the plate, they are a little time-consuming to prepare, but definitely worth it...

My croquetas are based on a treasured family recipe, which over time, I have adapted after endless research and literally cooking them hundreds of times.

I’ve put the time in so you don’t have to, and if I say so myself, these croquetas are the best you will find.

Enjoy!  

Serves 6 / makes 24

Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus chilling 

Cooking time: 50 minutes  

Ingredients  

½ small Spanish onion, finely chopped 

70g jamón serrano (cured ham) 

50g smoked bacon

800ml full-fat milk 

60g plain flour, plus extra for rolling 

pinch of freshly grated nutmeg 

1 teaspoon salt 

pinch of ground white pepper (ground black pepper will also do) 

2 eggs  

100g breadcrumbs 

vegetable oil for deep-frying 

Method  

1 Melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat and add the chopped onion and bacon. Cook for a few minutes until the onion turns translucent but not coloured and then add the jamon. Meanwhile, in a separate pan, bring the milk almost to boiling point and then set aside.  

2 Add the flour to the onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until the flour has toasted a bit. Add the hot milk little by little, whisking all the time, to make a thick roux. Keep going until you have added all the milk and you have a smooth and silky béchamel. When it comes back to the boil reduce the heat to low and add the nutmeg and salt and pepper. Leave to simmer for about 40 minutes, whisking to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.  

3 Line the bottom of a baking tray with baking parchment and then pour the béchamel into the baking tray. Spread it out and let it cool for a few minutes and then place a layer of clingfilm directly on top, making sure the clingfilm is touching the surface of the béchamel as this will stop a skin from form. Transfer to the fridge to chill completely.  

4 After 4 hours the béchamel should be firm enough to handle. Turn the béchamel out on to a floured surface and carefully peel away the baking parchment. Sprinkle with a little more flour and use a knife to cut the béchamel into strips and then small squares, about 4 cm square. Dust your hands with flour and roll these little squares into balls between your hands. 

5 Beat the egg in a bowl and spread the breadcrumbs out on a plate. Dip each ball in the egg and then roll in the breadcrumbs before placing on a clean plate. You can chill these in the fridge at this point, if you want to cook them later.  

6 Heat the oil in a large deep pan until it reaches 180°C. If you don’t have a thermometer you can check if the oil is ready by dropping a small square of bread into the oil – it should turn golden in about 30 seconds. Fry the croquetas in small batches until they are golden and crisp (this should take about 1½ minutes. Remove and drain on kitchen paper while you cook the rest.  

Enjoy the unctuous creaminess of real Spanish ham croquetas. Salud!