How to make good ham croquettes?

Who doesn't like croquetas. Grandma's, your mother's or the neighbor's. But what should a good croqueta be like? Crispy on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside; there are many fillings but Jamón Serrano croquettes are a classic. This is one of those foolproof recipes that will work wonderfully for you.

The base of good croquetas is a good béchamel and a good breading, and with this recipe you'll learn how to make them and you'll discover the trick I use if you want an extra crispy coating. I found it by chance one day when my croqueta mixture turned out too runny and since then I've incorporated it into all recipes.

Do you know where the term “croqueta” comes from? It comes from the French verb croquer which means to crunch, to which croquette is “very crunchy”. We brought croquetas from our French neighbors, where they began to be made originally in the 17th century from a dough based on meat, egg, truffle and herbs, with which balls were formed, breaded and fried in plenty of oil. Later, during the 18th century, when béchamel was invented, French cooks used it as a base for croquettes.

At the beginning of the 19th century there is already evidence that croquetas had arrived in Spain since they were served during a dinner for the English troops during the War of Independence. They arrived to stay, and since then they have been made with roast chicken, ham or cod, the most classic, and more recently we find them with oxtail, squid in its ink or sobrassada.

There are many proportions, versions and preparations of croquetas, although I'll tell you my basic tricks:

• I make a sauté of onion
• You can add the ham at the end of the onion cooking or when you add the milk. If you choose the first option, let the ham sauté for only 1 minute, otherwise it may take on an unwanted flavor.
• I shape the croquetas with the croquetera
• For an extra crispy coating, I first coat with breadcrumbs, pass through egg and then pass through breadcrumbs again.

Croqueta tongs La Croquetera

Ingredients

• 1 liter of milk
• 110 g of flour
• 110 g of butter
• 150 g of ham
• 1 egg
• Breadcrumbs
• Salt
• Nutmeg

Preparation

1. Prepare the Béchamell. In a skillet sauté the chopped onion together with the butter until translucent and slightly browned. Reduce the heat and add the ham; let it cook for 30 seconds so it leaves a bit of flavor. Then, add the flour and stir for 2 minutes with a wooden spatula over low heat so it toasts.
2. Next add the milk, salt and nutmeg and whisk until the dough pulls away from the sides of the skillet. This can take you between 40 minutes and an hour.
3. Rest. Once cooking is finished, pour the dough into a rectangular tray and cover with plastic wrap to prevent the surface of the croquetas from drying out. Leave to rest in the fridge overnight.
4. Shape and bread. Take the dough out of the fridge. Prepare a bowl with beaten egg and a plate with breadcrumbs. Shape the croquetas with the croquetera. Roll in breadcrumbs, egg and again in breadcrumbs. You can fry immediately or freeze some.
5. Frying. Fry at 175ºC in plenty of oil in a tall cast-iron skillet or the De Buyer fryer. To check it we will use a kitchen thermometer or we can insert a wooden skewer and observe the bubbles. At 160ºC bubbles start to come out slowly and when they are larger and appear more rapidly, it will have reached the optimal temperature. Fry the croquetas at as constant a temperature as possible and once fried drain excess fat on paper towels.

La Croquetera tray set, La Croquetera croqueta tongs and Laura Ashley porcelain tray