Jamón Croquetas
A very thick béchamel studded with jamón, chilled overnight, rolled, crumbed and fried so the outside is crisp and the inside is almost liquid.
Photograph credit: Croquetas 3 by Popo le Chien · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Before You Start
Twenty minutes of stirring. It is the whole recipe and there is no shortcut.
Overnight in the fridge, not two hours.
Hot oil, short fry. A cooler pan lets them burst.
Photograph credit: Plantains, guacamole, and croquetas - Cambridge, MA by Daderot · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Cooking Jamón Croquetas
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Heat the milk with the bay leaf, the onion and the ham trimmings until steaming, then leave 20 minutes to infuse. Strain.
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Melt the butter in a heavy pan and cook the chopped jamón for 2 minutes.
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Add the flour and cook over medium-low heat for 4 minutes, stirring constantly, until it smells biscuity.
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Add the infused milk a ladle at a time, beating each addition completely smooth before the next.
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Now keep stirring over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes. The mixture will become very thick and start to pull cleanly away from the sides of the pan. That is the point to stop.
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Season with nutmeg, white pepper and a little salt if it needs it.
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Spread into a tray lined with cling film, press film onto the surface, and refrigerate overnight.
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Shape into 20 barrels with wet hands, then roll each in flour, egg and breadcrumbs. Chill 30 minutes.
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Heat the oil to 190°C / 375°F and fry six at a time for 2 minutes, until deep golden.
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Drain on a rack and rest 2 minutes — the middle is molten — then serve immediately.
Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.
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What's Going On Here
The béchamel is cooked far longer than a sauce would be — twenty minutes of stirring — because the flour has to lose its raw taste and the mixture has to be stiff enough to shape when cold. Infusing the milk with the ham trimmings and a bay leaf first puts the flavour into the sauce rather than leaving it in lumps of ham.
Leftovers, Reheating and Keeping
Freeze crumbed and uncooked for 2 months; fry from frozen at 180°C / 355°F for 4 minutes.
What to Serve Alongside
- A glass of fino sherry
- Pan con tomate
- A cold beer
Still Wondering?
How long does Jamón Croquetas take to make?
40 minutes of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking, plus 8 hours 50 minutes of chilling, so allow 9 hours 50 minutes from start to finish. The recipe serves 20.
The Numbers per Serving
No nutrition figures are given for this recipe: they cannot be worked out reliably from its ingredient list (some ingredient lines cannot be read). Why some recipes have none.
Your notes on this recipe
Cooked this? Keep a note for next time
Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .
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