How the Spanish Cook with Ham: Croquettes
If you’re in Spain, you won’t find many recipes using Jamón Iberico as it’s best eaten on its own - not to mention it’s so expensive. But Jamón Serrano? More acceptable. Jamón Serrano, or mountain ham, is produced in the Andalusian mountain range. The white pigs are fattened intensely, cured with coarse sea salt, and air-cured for at least 12 months. (Brush up on your pig breeds here.)
Found in tapas and bar joints all over Spain, croquetas are crispy crunchy fried Bechamel balls, traditionally with ham folded in. This is a good way to use any excess trim so nothing goes to waste. They’re molten-lava hot (be warned!) and a perfect juxtaposition of crispy and soft.
Croquettes with Serrano Ham
Mise en Place
90 grams butter
45 grams flour (for the bechamel)
300 grams whole milk
75 grams finely chopped Jamón Serrano
salt & freshly cracked black pepper
3 eggs, for an egg wash
flour for coating
breadcrumbs, like Japanese Panko, pulsed in a food processor a few times
oil for frying
Tools
knife + cutting board
whisk
sauce pot
3 bowls or shallow vessels for the flour, egg wash, and panko
rack + sheet tray
a deep pot for frying
fish spatula or slotted spoon to remove croquettes from the hot oil
What To Do
Cut the ham into very thin slices and dice, or buy already thinly-sliced Serrano ham and slice it into smaller pieces.
Melt the butter in a pan and stir in the flour to make a roux. Cook until pale yellow. Pour the milk into the roux in three parts, and whisk each time until smooth. Bring the mixture to a boil, then cook at a low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly. The raw flour taste should be cooked out and the mixture should be thick. Congratulations! You just made Bechamel, one of the five Mother Sauces.
Remove from the heat to allow to cool slightly, fold in the ham, and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Pour into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap directly on the Bechamel so a skin doesn’t form. Allow to cool down in the fridge.
Beat the eggs until smooth. Set up your egg wash station (see Pro Tips). Shape the mixture using your hands (dipping your hands in a little water or flour helps the bechamel to not stick to your fingers). You can form them as small as a tator tot or as large as a mini corndog. Coat them in flour, roll in the beaten egg, and into the breadcrumbs. You can chill the breaded coquettes in the freezer for 20-30 minutes to help them set up.
Using a deep pot or fryer, fill oil at least 3” and heat to 350 F. Don’t overfill your pot with oil, as once you drop in the croquettes, the oil level will rise. Fry in batches until evenly golden brown and delicious. Remove from the oil into a mixing bowl with paper towels lined on the bottom. Toss while seasoning with a pinch of salt. Serve immediately.
For a perfect dipping sauce mix mayonnaise, some grated garlic and lemon juice. There is no real recipe for this, just make it to your taste.
We recommend serving your tapas with a cold, refreshing, and carbonated beverage to balance the salty, fatty coquetas. ¡Salud!
Pro Tips: Egg Wash Station
One hand should be used for the dry ingredients and the other for the wet ingredients (the un-breaded croquette is considered wet). If you follow this rule, you’ll avoid your hands looking like breaded chicken fingers - but you will still get a little messy.
To keep your breadcrumbs from getting too egg-y (which consequently makes a lumpy and uneven breading), set up your station with flour on the left, the egg wash in the middle, a sheet tray with a rack, and the breadcrumbs on the right. You’ll work from left to right - rolling the croquette into the flour and shaking off the excess, to the egg wash, allow to rest on the rack, and then into the panko. The rack helps the egg wash drip off enough so your panko won’t get clumpy. We recommend double breading the croquettes (so: flour, egg wash, rack, panko, (skip the flour), egg wash, rack, panko) to get an even golden brown fry and an extra crispy outside layer - and the filling won’t burst.
Variations: saute a little onion in with the butter until translucent before adding the flour. Or - although not traditional - add grated manchego cheese to the bechamel once the flour taste has cooked out.