Croquetas de Jamon (Spanish Ham Croquettes)
Croquetas de Jamon: Spanish Ham Croquettes
Croquetas de Jamon: Spanish Ham CroquettesYou've probably herd of croquettes: tasty, fried little bites that are often served as appetizers.
Croquettes originated in France, where they feature a mashed potato center, but when croquettes traveled down to Spain, they became croquetas, and took on something a bit different.
Rather than being filled with potatoes, Spanish croquetas are filled with a creamy bechamel sauce.
In Spain, these bites are traditionally served in bars and restaurants as a tapas dish. Spanish coquetas can include a variety of other fillings added to the bechamel, like chicken, mushrooms, spinach, cheese or salt cod. But today, we're making the most popular type, croquetas de jamon, ham croquettes.
What is Bechamel Sauce?
Bechamel sauce is sometimes called "white sauce". It is a basic sauce made from a cooked butter and flour roux that is then mixed with milk.
The classic bechamel ratio is 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon flour mixed with 1 cup of milk makes a nice and thin sauce. Two tablespoon of each makes a medium thick sauce, and three makes a very thick sauce.
Bechamel makes our Greek Chicken Pie super creamy and takes the French grilled ham and cheese, Croque Monsieur, to the next level!
To make croquetas we vary from the basic bechamel recipe slightly by adding more flour than fat to create a VERY thick sauce that can be shaped once it has chilled.
A Two Day Process
A Two Day ProcessSpeaking of chilling, the bechemel and ham mixture NEEDS to be refrigerated overnight in order for it to be firm enough for you to be able to shape it into little thumbs to make the croquettes.
Day one, you make your bechamel and mix in the ham. Traditionally, croquetas de jamon use Spanish Serrano ham, which can be a bit pricey to get here in the States. So, feel free to substitute any cooked ham you may have leftover from dinner or you grab from your deli.
On day two, you shape your croquetas de jamon and bread them. Then, they're ready for either the freezer or the frying pan!
A Great Make Ahead Appetizer Recipe
Croquetas de jamon can be fried right after making them, but they are also the perfect appetizer to make ahead of time for a party.
Once breaded and frozen, you can store them in an air-tight container in the freezer until you are ready to fry them up and serve them to your guests, who will pretty much instantly fall in love with the creamy center, crispy exterior, and salty bits of ham.
Croquetas de Jamon (Spanish Ham Croquettes)
Ingredients
For the “Dough”
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Scant ½ c unbleached all purpose flour
- 2 c milk, at room temperature
- ¼ lb ham, diced into small pieces
- Pinch nutmeg
- Salt (to taste -- only needed if your ham isn’t too salty)
For Breading the Croquetas
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- ½ - ¾ c bread crumbs
To Fry
- Oil for frying
Instructions
To Make the Filling
- Melt butter and oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat.
- Add the flour and stir to moisten it completely. Sauté the flour until it begins to turn a light brown color 2-3 min.
- Add the milk a little by a little, stirring constantly to incorporate each addition, until you have added it all. (At first, it will look like you won't be able to get a smooth sauce, but continue working your sauce with a rubber spatula as you add a little milk at a time and it will smooth out.) Reduce the heat to medium low as needed, if your milk seems to scald before you can mix it into the roux. Continue heating the mixture as needed until it is creamy, thick, and smooth.
- Add the diced ham and nutmeg. Mix well.
- Taste your mixture and add salt as necessary.
- Remove your mixture from the heat and let it cool slightly
- Transfer the croqueta dough into a casserole dish and cover it with plastic wrap (or a lid). Refrigerate the dough overnight.
Shaping the Croquetas
- Place the beaten egg in a shallow bowl. Place the breadcrumbs in a second, wide bowl.
- (We found it easiest to shape all the croquettas first and then bread them. But, if you have extra hands in the kitchen, now is a good time to employ their help, assembly-line-style.)
- Working with roughly 2 tablespoon of dough at a time, shape the chilled dough into little, fat thumbs. (Your hands will get sticky while shaping the dough. Keeping them lightly floured helps to cut down on the stickiness.)
- Dip each croqueta, one at a time, in the beaten egg, turning to coat.
- Then, roll it in the breadcrumbs, pressing to coat.
- Place the breaded croquetas on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Once all the croquetas are breaded, place your baking sheet in the freezer for 10-15 minutes, to firm them up slightly.
If Cooking Immediately
- At this point you can heat ½ inch of vegetable oil over med high heat in a shallow skillet. (When you drop a little flour or bread crumbs into the oil and they sizzle, the oil is ready.)
- Fry your chilled croquetas in batches, making sure not to crowd the oil, 1-2 minutes on each side, until golden brown.
- Remove the croquetas from the frying pan and place them on a paper towel lined platter to cool slightly.
- Serve warm!
If Freezing For Later
- Once the croquetas are frozen solid, transfer them to an airtight container until you are ready to fry them up.
- To fry your croquetas from well-frozen, let them thaw on the counter for 10-15 minutes before frying.
Sarah founded Curious in 2010 as a way to save her recipe creations and share culinary experiences. Her love for cultural cuisines was instilled early by her French Canadian Grandmother. Her experience in the kitchen and in recipe development comes from over 10 years working in professional kitchens. She has traveled extensively and enjoys bringing the flavors of her travels back to create easy-to-make recipes.
Hi thanks so much for the recipe. I followed it to the letter and it’s lovely, but I still can taste a little of the flour. My husband said I’m mad but any idea why this is? Many thanks
Hi Lyndsay. Glad you enjoyed the recipe! If you can still taste the flour, likely you didn’t cook it enough in step 2. It seems strange to simply cook flour in butter, but that will help eliminate some of that raw flour flavor.
Hello Sarah
I absolutely love your recipe and will be trying it whilst we practice social distancing due to the current state of things. I just wanted to check with you as I am in the UK that where you say 2 c of milk that refers to cup measurement? I do have cup measures but wanted to clarify 🙂
Stay well and many thanks
Sarah
Hi Sarah. Yes, 2 c is the cup measurement (so around 473 mL). Happy cooking and stay well!
Many tks for the recipe ! I tried once another recipe, but the croquetas came somewhat appart when I fried them. Maybe the bechamel was not thick enough, or I didn’t freeze them those 15 mins. A question, do you think an air fryer would work?
Hi Antonio. We hope you enjoy these! We do find the freezing to be pretty essential to having the croquetas hold their shape. I think these would work in an air fryer, as long as they are frozen pretty firmly before transferring them to the fryer. If you give it a try, let us know how it turns out for you!
Very clear instructions. I specially like the idea of being able to freeze them.
Thank youA
Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Hello, I'm a Spaniard and I have eaten and enjoyed Croquetas all my life, of which the best are (of course!) the ones that my mother used to make. Your recipe gets everything right as far as I know.
Just to mention that one traditional home recipe for Croquetas uses the meat leftovers from Cocido (stew). In general they're a great way to use meat, chicken or even fish leftovers.
And if they're good ones, they can be eaten cold too!
Thank you so much! And thanks for the tip about using leftover meat! What a great way to use up leftovers!
Sarah. Thank you, thank you for this recipe.. my husband and I went to a tapas restaurant for my birthday a couple of nights ago. They were made with jamon Serrano. They were so delicious I promised my husband and myself I would start searching for the perfect recipe. I found yours. I like your instructions. I can't wait to give it a try today.
We're so glad you found us! Hope you enjoy the croquetas!
Just what l have been looks for thanks
Wonderful! Enjoy!
Centuries ago, I used to be a flight attendant who used to fly to Madrid quite often and enjoyed shopping at the "Corte Ingles" store. They used to serve Croquetas de Jamon at their store snack bar upper floor.
I enjoyed these croquetas so much that still I could not get them out of my mind.
I love cooking and I am always searching for recipes but until now I was not able to find the ones that I believe would be the Corte Ingles' croquetas copycat. That was until I read the ingredients of your recipe. I try to avoid fried food, but I think that there is no other way to cook them.
I very much appreciated your recipe and clear explanations. I will give the croquetas a try!
Thanks again.
Hi Norma! I hope these are the copycat recipe you have been looking for. It is unfortunate that so many tasty foods we love aren't the best for us. But, all in moderation, we like to say! We did try baking these croquetas, but for the correct texture, you just can't get around the need to fry them. Enjoy!