Traditional cod croquettes from Marquesa de Parabere

Marquesa de Parabere says, in her renowned book Encyclopedia of Culinary Arts, The Complete Kitchen, that croquettes are a delicacy generally appreciated by everyone. How right she is! And today we bring you her recipe for making some homemade cod croquettes, traditional, authentic, and absolutely delicious.

One of the advantages of croquettes is that you can use up leftovers of meat, poultry, and fish from other dishes, making them an eminently thrifty recipe. But personally, when it comes to cod, I highly recommend using good-quality fish. You’ll definitely notice it in the flavor of the croquettes.

Let’s get to the recipe. I hope you find it as practical as it is: the quantities are not exact, because croquettes are really made by eye and will depend on the size of the pieces of meat or fish you have in front of you to make more or less.

In any case, practice makes perfect, and after just a few croquettes you’ll be a master of this delicacy. Because far from being complicated, this affordable recipe is nothing of the sort.

To shape the croquettes, check out the croquette tongs, or if you make croquettes in large quantities or regularly, you have to see the Millecroquettes

Ingredients

(No quantities are specified, since they are made by eye)

• A thick piece of cod
• Oil
• Onion
• A clove of garlic
• Salt and pepper
• Milk
• 2 egg yolks
• Breadcrumbs and beaten egg for coating

Preparation

1. Put the cod to soak in a bowl of lukewarm water to desalinate it. Dry it with a clean cloth, pressing with your hands to remove the water well.
2. In a frying pan, add oil and put in some onion and a clove of garlic, both finely chopped. Before they brown, add the cod and fry it well, turning it constantly so it does not burn.
3. Add chopped parsley and a little flour (about a spoonful, depending on the amount of cod you have used).
4. Cook the flour a little, stirring constantly, and add milk so that everything is well coated (and there is extra liquid...).
5. Add salt and pepper at the same time and leave it over the heat to reduce until everything is well combined and thick. Remove from the heat and let it cool slightly.
6. Add 2 egg yolks (more if you have made a large batch) and return to the heat. Cook for one minute.
7. To know when the mixture is ready, you should see that when you stir it, it falls in flakes (the mixture separates into pieces; it does not fall all together). If that does not happen, it still needs to reduce more and you should keep it on the heat for a few more minutes.
8. When the mixture is just right (it falls in flakes), remove it from the heat, transfer it to a bowl, and let it cool.
9. When the mixture is cold, shape the croquettes. Tools such as the croquette tongs will be very helpful, or if you make croquettes in large quantities or regularly, you need to know about the Millecroquettes or the De Buyer croquette gun.
10. Once the croquettes are shaped, coat them in breadcrumbs, then beaten egg, and then breadcrumbs again, and fry them in the basket fryer in plenty of very hot oil.
11. To help them keep their shape, use a slotted spoon to remove them (with tongs you will easily deform them); that way you can also drain them well of oil.

WMF fine-mesh skimmer and De Buyer basket fryer

Notes

• It is ideal to fry in a cast-iron skillet or cast-iron fryer, because cast iron gets very hot and will help you achieve the high temperature you need in the oil (and it is a 100% natural pan, free of nonstick coatings that should not be exposed to maximum heat).
• A basket fryer will help you remove and drain the croquettes without handling them, preventing them from losing shape and keeping them looking nice. You can see the iron fryers here, but if you do not have one, we recommend not using tongs, because you will easily squeeze the croquettes: use a slotted spoon instead, which will let you lift them gently to remove them from the oil and drain them easily as well. You will find the slotted spoons at the end of this section.
• The book The Complete Encyclopedia by the Marquesa de Parabere is a gem worthy of its name and all the praise it has earned. It is one of those few cookbooks considered culinary "bibles"; I strongly encourage you to see it here.