Chef Isabel
Acedías Fritas de Cádiz
Acedías fritas belong to Cádiz: tiny wedge sole, salted, dusted in frying flour, and dropped into very hot olive oil so the rims crisp while the fish stays tender.
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Croquetas de Jamón Madrileñas
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Croquetas de jamón madrileñas belong to the taberna table: a thick, patient bechamel carrying cured ham, chilled firm, breaded well, and fried until crisp outside and soft within.
Appetizers & Snacks
Spanish
Dinner Party
Comfort Food
Celebration
35 min
Active Time
35 min cook•4 hr 10 min total
Yield24 croquetas
Croquetas de jamón madrileñas are taberna cooking from Madrid at its plainest and best: cured jamón folded through a thick bechamel, chilled until it can be shaped, then breaded and fried so the outside is crisp and the inside turns soft and spoonable. They are not little potato cakes, and they are not a place to hide poor ham. The ham is the dish's name, so let it taste of ham.
The method that decides them is the bechamel. Cook the flour in the butter and oil until it loses its raw smell, then add warm milk little by little and keep stirring until the paste pulls cleanly from the pan. That slow cook is what gives you a filling that sets in the fridge and melts in the fryer. Rush it and you get either floury paste or sauce that leaks. Neither is a croqueta. Pésalo, no lo adivines.
If you are far from Madrid, no hace falta haber pisado España. Use the best dry-cured ham you can find, ideally jamón serrano. Prosciutto works at a pinch, but it is sweeter and softer, so chop it fine and use a little less salt. Chill the dough well, bread it twice if your kitchen is warm, and fry in small batches. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.
Croquetas entered Spanish kitchens from the French croquette, but Spain made them its own by using the household bechamel to carry leftovers from the larder, especially jamón. Madrid's old tabernas helped make croquetas de jamón a standard tapa, not a cuisine in itself, but one small plate among many on the counter. In home kitchens, they became a practical celebration dish because a little cured ham could season a whole tray.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
jamón serrano or jamón ibérico
Quantity
80g
very finely chopped
unsalted butter
Quantity
80g
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
20ml
plain flour
Quantity
90g
for the bechamel
whole milk
Quantity
750ml
warmed
onion
Quantity
40g
very finely minced
freshly grated nutmeg
Quantity
1/4 teaspoon
fine salt
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon, plus more only if needed
black pepper
Quantity
to taste
large eggs
Quantity
2
beaten
fine dry breadcrumbs
Quantity
150g
plain flour
Quantity
60g
for coating
mild olive oil or sunflower oil
Quantity
1 litre
for frying
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| jamón serrano or jamón ibéricovery finely chopped | 80g |
| unsalted butter | 80g |
| extra virgin olive oil | 20ml |
| plain flourfor the bechamel | 90g |
| whole milkwarmed | 750ml |
| onionvery finely minced | 40g |
| freshly grated nutmeg | 1/4 teaspoon |
| fine salt | 1/2 teaspoon, plus more only if needed |
| black pepper | to taste |
| large eggsbeaten | 2 |
| fine dry breadcrumbs | 150g |
| plain flourfor coating | 60g |
| mild olive oil or sunflower oilfor frying | 1 litre |
Equipment Needed
- •Wide heavy saucepan or saute pan
- •Flat wooden spoon or silicone spatula
- •Shallow dish for chilling the bechamel
- •Deep pan or fryer
- •Instant-read thermometer
- •Wire rack
Instructions
- 1
Soften the onion
Melt the butter with the olive oil in a wide heavy pan over low heat. Add the minced onion and cook it gently for 8 to 10 minutes, until soft and translucent but not browned. This is a quiet base, not a sofrito taken dark; the croqueta wants sweetness without color.
- 2
Cook the flour
Add the 90g flour and stir constantly for 3 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan. It should smell nutty and no longer raw, but stay pale. This little roux is the spine of the croqueta, so don't leave dry flour hiding in the corners.
A flat wooden spoon or silicone spatula is better than a whisk once the paste thickens; it reaches the edges of the pan where flour likes to cling. - 3
Build the bechamel
Add the warm milk a ladleful at a time, stirring hard after each addition until the paste turns smooth before you add the next. When all the milk is in, season with nutmeg, pepper, and the measured salt. Keep cooking over medium-low heat for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring all the time, until the bechamel is very thick and pulls cleanly from the sides and base of the pan.
- 4
Add the jamón
Stir in the chopped jamón and cook for 1 minute more, just long enough for its fat to perfume the bechamel. Taste before adding any more salt; jamón carries its own. The mixture should be thick enough that a spoon dragged through it leaves a clear track for a moment.
- 5
Chill the dough
Scrape the bechamel into a shallow dish, smooth the top, and press baking paper or plastic wrap directly onto the surface. Chill for at least 3 hours, or overnight if you can. Cold dough shapes cleanly; warm dough teaches patience the messy way. Nadie nace sabiendo.
- 6
Shape and bread
Set out three bowls: 60g flour, beaten eggs, and breadcrumbs. With lightly oiled hands or two spoons, shape the cold dough into 24 small logs, about 30g each. Roll each one in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs, coating every seam. For a sturdier crust, pass them through egg and breadcrumbs a second time.
- 7
Fry in batches
Heat the frying oil to 180C in a deep pan. Fry 5 or 6 croquetas at a time for 2 to 3 minutes, turning gently, until evenly deep golden. Do not crowd the pan or the oil cools and the crust drinks grease before it sets.
- 8
Drain and serve
Lift the croquetas onto a rack or paper towels and let them stand for 2 minutes before serving. The center will be very soft, which is the point. Serve them hot, with nothing more than a small glass of vermut or a cold beer beside them. Tal como se hace allí.
Chef Tips
- •Use jamón serrano with good flavor and a little fat. Jamón ibérico is lovely here, but don't waste the finest hand-cut slices inside bechamel; neat trimmings are exactly what a Spanish kitchen would use.
- •Prosciutto can stand in if jamón is impossible to find. It is softer and sweeter, so chop it very fine, reduce the salt, and expect a gentler cured flavor.
- •The bechamel must be thicker than a sauce. If it does not pull from the pan, keep cooking. A loose filling bursts in the oil, and then you have fried regret on a plate.
- •Freeze breaded croquetas on a tray, then bag them. Fry from frozen at 175C, adding a minute or two, and keep the batches small so the oil temperature recovers.
Advance Preparation
- •Make the bechamel dough up to 2 days ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator.
- •Shape and bread the croquetas up to 24 hours ahead, then refrigerate uncovered for 30 minutes before covering so the crust stays dry.
- •Breaded croquetas can be frozen for up to 1 month and fried straight from frozen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 60g)
Calories
155 calories
Total Fat
11 g
Saturated Fat
4 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
7 g
Cholesterol
30 mg
Sodium
190 mg
Total Carbohydrates
11 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
2 g
Protein
4 g
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