Week two of the Spanish Special! Last week was all about tapas – this week will include some baking again – just not today :)
There is nothing better than a fresh fried Croqueta. Maybe when you get an ice cold beer with it – that makes it even better! These little beauties are awesome! I mean – it is fried and has serrano ham in it – of course, it is awesome! Technically are Croquetas also a tapa but I wanted them to appear in the second week. They deserve their own spotlight because they are soooo good!
When I first ate one of these little beauties I thought there was cheese in it – but no. Also no potato – we Germans make similar looking “Kroketten” with mashed potatoes. Being a traditional “poor man’s food” Croquetas de Jamón are basically a thicker than normal béchamel sauce with added leftover serrano ham and deep fried to crispy awesomeness! :)
The Spanish did a really good job here. The “traditional” shape is the longer one, but I saw them also as little balls, so I decided to do both.
They are normally eaten without anything, but the cranberry sauce I made was a good addition and worked really well with the delicious Croquetas – you should try!
¡Buen provecho!
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
For the dough:
7 oz. (200g) serrano ham, cubed
3 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup (35g) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups (360ml) milk
salt, pepper, nutmeg
For the coating & frying:
2 large eggs
1/2 cup (70g) all-purpose flour
1 cup (100g) bread crumbs
vegetable oil for frying
Für den Teig:
200g Serranoschinken, gewürfelt
3 EL Butter
35g Mehl (Type 405)
360ml Milch
Salz, Pfeffer, Muskatnuss
Für die Panade & Frittieren:
2 große Eier
70g Mehl (Type 405)
100g Semmelbrösel
Pflanzenöl zum Frittieren
Para la masa:
200g de Jamón Serrano picado
3 cucharadas de mantequilla
35g de harina
360ml de leche
sal, pimienta, nuez moscada
Para el rebozado y la fritura:
2 huevos (tamaño grande si es posible)
70g de harina
100g de pan rallado
Aceite de girasol para freír
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
2. Prepare three bowls – the first one with the whisked egg, the second with the flour and the third with the breadcrumbs. Take about a tablespoon of the dough and roll into shape – that can be round or oval. Roll in the flour (they should only be lightly floured), then in the whisked egg and finally in the breadcrumbs – they should be completely coated so they don’t leak when cooked. Set aside and repeat until all dough is used.
3. Add oil to a saucepan (the higher the edge of the saucepan the better) – you should have enough oil there so the croquetas can take a swim while frying. Heat up the oil over medium-high heat. The oil should not be super hot, or the croquetas burn fast. Work in batches – carefully add 2-3 croquetas to the saucepan and fry from all sides until golden brown. Take out and let drain on paper towels. Serve warm for example with cranberry sauce. Leftover croquetas can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days. Heat them up again in the microwave before serving.
2. Drei Schüsseln vorbereiten – eine mit verquirltem Ei, die zweite mit Mehl und die dritte mit Semmelbröseln. Vom Teig jeweils etwa einen Eßlöffel abstechen und in Form bringen – entweder zu einer Kugel rollen oder in eine ovale Rolle. Kurz im Mehl wenden (die Croquetas sollten nur leicht mit Mehl bedeckt sein), dann im verquirlten Ei und zuletzt in den Semmelbröseln. Darauf achten, dass sie komplett ummantelt sind, sonst läuft der Teig beim Frittieren aus. Zur Seite legen und so oft wiederholen, bis der Teig aufgebraucht ist.
3. Öl in einen hohen (je höher je besser) Topf geben – das Öl sollte so hoch im Topf stehen, dass die Croquetas gut darin schwimmen können beim Frittieren. Das Öl auf eine mittelhohe Temperatur bringen. Das Öl sollte nicht zu heiß sein, weil die Croquetas sonst schnell verbrennen. In kleinen Portionen arbeiten – 2-3 der Croquetas vorsichtig in den Topf geben und von allen Seiten frittieren, bis sie goldbraun sind. Herausnehmen und auf Papiertüchern abtropfen lassen. Heiß servieren – z.B. mit Cranberry Sauce. Reste kann man bis zu 2 Tage im Kühlschrank aufbewahren und in der Mikrowelle noch einmal aufwärmen.
2. Prepara 3 boles: uno con los huevos batidos, otro con la harina y otro con el pan rallado. Toma una parte de la masa del tamaño de una cucharada grande y dale forma ovalada o redonda. Enharínala brevemente y pásalo por el huevo batido para finalmente rebozarla en el pan rallado. Han de estar completamente rebozadas para que la masa no se escape cuando la frías. Ponlo aparte y continua haciendo más unidades hasta que se acabe la masa.
3. Añade el aceite a la sartén (cuanto más alta sea la sartén mejor). Debes poner aceite suficiente para que las croquetas puedan ser totalmente cubiertas – que puedan nadar, vamos.Calienta la sartén a fuego medio-alto. Si el aceite está muy caliente las croquetas se quemarán rápido sin que se cocine el interior. Es mejor que frías en pequeñas tandas de 2-3 croquetas pero depende de lo grande que sea la sartén. Cuando estén doradas tirando a marrones retíralas y deja que se sequen encima de papel de cocina. Sírvelas calientes por ejemplo con mermeladas de arándanos. Si te sobran croquetas puedes mantenerlas en el frigorífico hasta 2 días. Puedes calentarlas de nuevo en el microondas pero para mí es mejor comerlas frías.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
PrintCroquetas de Jamón
- Prep Time: 40
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 120
- Yield: 25 1x
Ingredients
For the dough
- 7 oz. (200g) serrano ham, cubed
- 3 tbsp. butter
- 1/4 cup (35g) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups (360ml) milk
- salt, pepper, nutmeg
For the coating & frying
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (70g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (100g) bread crumbs
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Cut the serrano ham in small cubes and set aside. Add the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook while stirring constantly for about 2 minutes – be careful not to burn the mixture. Add the milk gradually and mix constantly until all is well combined and the mixture thickens and pulling away from the sides. Add the cubed ham, season with salt, pepper and nutmeg and mix until all is well combined. Transfer the dough to a large plate and spread so you get a flat disc. Let cool down to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour or over night.
- Prepare tree bowls – the first one with the whisked egg, the second with the flour and the third with the breadcrumbs. Take about a tablespoon of the dough and roll into shape – that can be round or oval. Roll in the flour (they should only be lightly floured), then in the whisked egg and finally in the breadcrumbs – they should be completely coated so they don’t leak when cooked. Set aside and repeat until all dough is used.
- Add oil to a saucepan (the higher the edge of the saucepan the better) – you should have enough oil there so the coquetas can take a swim while frying. Heat up the oil over medium-high heat. The oil should not be super hot, or the croquetas burn fast. Work in batches – carefull add 2-3 croquetas to the saucepan and fry from all sides until golden brown. Take out and let drain on paper towels. Serve warm for example with cranberry sauce. Leftover croquetas can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days. Heat them up again in the microwave before serving.
Notes
- ¡Buen provecho!