La Bola Taberna - Madrid
Torrijas (Spanish French Toast)

Croquetas de Jamon - Spanish Ham Croquettes

Croquetas final  

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

 Download Croquetas de Jamon

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

Croquetas ingredients  

Adding the warm milk to the roux

Croquetas milk to roux  

Stirring in the ham

Croquetas adding ham  Spreading out the batter to cool

Croquetas batter  

Chef Sandro rolls out the dough

Croquetas log   

The croquetas are dipped in egg wash and then in flour and bread crumbs

Croquetas egg wash 

Fried gently until golden brown

Croqueta frying  

Croquetas drain

Comments

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Lisa

they look delicious!

Sandra

I made these the other night and froze half of them - they are so easy to do!

Lamies

What if you wanted to make cod croquetas?

pmdurango

Delicious

Mar

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.

James

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?

Escámez Sánchez

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!

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