Croquetas de Jamon - Spanish Ham Croquettes
July 18, 2009
The Palace Hotel in Madrid (www.palacemadrid.com) has become a home away from home in Spain. I was first introduced to it by artist and photographer Christopher Makos (http://www.makostudio.com) who has been staying there for nearly 20 years. On my most recent visit, Chef Sandro Di Marco of the Palace was kind of enough to share his recipe for Croquetas de Jamon. Croquetas are found in nearly every restaurant in Spain.
You can make them with ham, fish, chicken, or spinach, and they are easy freeze (just make the dough ahead of time and freeze it. Then, take the "croquetas" out of the freezer, coat and pop them into the frying pan)
Croquetas de Jamon - Spanish Ham
Croquettes 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/2 cup finely minced onions 1/4 cup flour 1 1/2 cups hot milk Salt and black pepper 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 12 ounces finely chopped Spanish ham
(Jamon Serrano) 2 eggs, mixed with 1 tablespoon water 1 cup dry bread crumbs 2 tablespoons flour Olive oil for frying (not extra
virgin) Instructions 1. 1. Preheat the fryer. 2. 2. In a large saute pan, melt the butter. When the butter is
melted, add the onions and saute for about 2 minutes, or until translucent and
soft. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the flour to make a roux. Cook for
about 1 minute and remove from the heat. 3. 3. Whisk in the milk to form a smooth sauce. Return to medium heat
and cook until the sauce is very thick and creamy. Season with salt, pepper,
and nutmeg. Stir in the ham. Mix well and cook for 4 to 5 minutes on low heat. 4. Pour the mixture into a glass baking pan and cool in the
refrigerator so that the mixture will be easy to handle. Refrigerate for 2 to 3
hours or until well chilled. 5. In a small mixing bowl, beat the eggs with water until frothy
and pour into a medium bowl. Combine the bread crumbs and flour in a second
bowl. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. 6. Using your hands, shape the ham mixture into a log about
3/4-inch thick. Using a knife, cut the logs into 1 1/2-inch thick. Dip the logs
in the egg wash, letting the excess drip off. Roll the logs in the seasoned
bread crumbs. Place the logs on a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap.
Refrigerate the logs for 2 to 3 hours. 7. Fry the croquettes in the hot oil (about 360 degrees), a few at
a time, until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the croquettes from
the oil and drain on a paper-lined plate. Season the croquettes with salt and
pepper. Serve the croquettes with fresh lemon juice and garnish with parsley Yield: 2 dozen
Adding the warm milk to the roux
Stirring in the ham
Spreading out the batter to cool
Chef Sandro rolls out the dough
The croquetas are dipped in egg wash and then in flour and bread crumbs
Fried gently until golden brown
they look delicious!
Posted by: Lisa | July 20, 2009 at 12:29 PM
I made these the other night and froze half of them - they are so easy to do!
Posted by: Sandra | July 23, 2009 at 05:26 PM
What if you wanted to make cod croquetas?
Posted by: Lamies | August 01, 2009 at 03:30 PM
Delicious
Posted by: pmdurango | February 12, 2017 at 04:48 PM
I love the recipe! Ham croquettes are always a good idea, and everyone loves it. Have you tried making them using iberian ham? Its a delicacy. Congrats for the recipe, we will share it with our clients.
Posted by: Mar | September 18, 2020 at 04:27 AM
Thanks Mar, and yes Iberian ham is a favorite. I always look forward to my trips to Spain and trying the many varieties. Do you ship to the US?
Posted by: James | September 18, 2020 at 07:17 AM
As a spaniard I can tell this ones are the original spanish croquettes, still we usually use the meat remaining from a previous stew too, it adds a lot of flavour.
BTW, I love your blog. Keep it up!
Posted by: Escámez Sánchez | August 04, 2021 at 03:30 AM