Croquetas
Cuba's small slim croquettes: a bechamel filling enriched with finely chopped ham, chilled firm, breaded and shallow-fried golden. The cafetín classic.
Overview
A thick bechamel cooks with finely diced ham or cooked chicken until it pulls away from the pan in a glossy mass. Chilled overnight (or at minimum 4 hours) until firm enough to shape into small cylinders. Each croqueta is breaded twice for a crisp shell that holds the soft, almost-pourable filling inside. Shallow-fried, not deep-fried, at moderate heat.
Ingredients
Filling
- 60 g unsalted butter
- 60 g plain flour
- 500 ml whole milk (warmed)
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 200 g finely diced cooked ham (jamón cocido) or cooked chicken breast
- 2 tablespoons grated onion (with its juice)
- 1 tablespoon dry sherry (optional but traditional)
- salt
- pepper
Breading
- 80 g plain flour
- 2 eggs (large, beaten with 1 tablespoon water)
- 200 g fine dry breadcrumbs (panko or homemade)
- 250 ml sunflower oil, for shallow-frying
- Lime wedges, to serve
Method
Stage 1 - Bechamel base
- Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the grated onion (with its juice); cook 1 minute until softened.
- Add the flour; stir to a smooth roux. Cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until pale gold and smelling biscuity (not raw).
- Add the warm milk in three additions, whisking smooth between each. The mixture should be thick and glossy.
- Stir in the nutmeg, sherry if using, salt and white pepper.
Stage 2 - Add the meat
- Stir in the diced ham or chicken; the mixture should be thick enough that a spoon dragged through it leaves a path that closes slowly.
- Continue cooking 4-5 minutes over low heat, stirring, until the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan in a glossy mass. This is the consistency test.
- Taste; adjust salt (ham is salty; chicken needs more).
- Spread on a parchment-lined tray to a 2 cm thickness. Press another sheet of parchment directly on the surface to stop a skin forming.
- Cool fully then refrigerate at least 4 hours, ideally overnight, until completely firm.
Stage 3 - Shape
- Set up three shallow bowls: flour, beaten egg, breadcrumbs.
- Take heaped tablespoons of the chilled mixture and roll between damp palms into small cylinders, roughly 5 cm long and 2 cm thick. You should get 18-20.
- Roll each in flour (tap off excess), then beaten egg, then breadcrumbs. For a sturdier shell, repeat the egg and breadcrumbs: this is the double-breading and recommended for first-timers.
- Place on a tray. Chill the breaded croquetas 30 minutes if the kitchen is warm (helps them hold shape in the oil).
Stage 4 - Fry
- Heat 2 cm of oil in a wide pan to 170°C (a breadcrumb should bubble vigorously and brown in 30 seconds).
- Fry the croquetas in batches of 5-6, turning gently with a spider, for 2-3 minutes total until deep gold all over.
- Lift onto kitchen paper; salt lightly.
- Keep warm in a low oven (100°C) while you fry the rest.
Stage 5 - Serve
- Pile onto a warm plate.
- Serve immediately with lime wedges, hot sauce or a small bowl of mojo.
Notes
- Cuban vs Spanish: Cuban croquetas are smaller (a couple of bites) and lighter than Spanish ones, with more milk in proportion to flour, giving a softer filling. Don't make them larger; they're snacks, not main-course croquettes.
- Chill fully before shaping: A barely-firm filling will leak in the fryer and the croquetas split. Overnight is best.
- Double-bread for safety: Two coats of egg and breadcrumbs gives a sturdier shell and is well worth the extra minute. The shell is what holds the soft filling in.
- Oil at 170°C: Hotter and the shell browns before the inside warms; cooler and oil seeps in. A thermometer is a real help here.
- Damp palms: Stop the filling sticking when shaping. Have a small bowl of water nearby.
Variations
Pollo (chicken): Replace ham with finely chopped cooked chicken thigh; add an extra pinch of salt and a teaspoon of dried oregano. Bacalao (salt cod): Use 200 g flaked, desalted cooked salt cod instead of ham; add 1 tablespoon chopped parsley. Queso y jamón: Add 50 g grated mature cheddar or Gouda with the ham for a melty croqueta.
Serving
Serve with: Lime wedges, a small bowl of mojo or salsa verde, cold beer or a glass of dry sherry. Garnish with: Fresh parsley, a sprinkle of paprika.
Storage
- Shaped, breaded, uncooked croquetas freeze excellently 1 month. Fry from frozen, adding 1 extra minute.
- Cooked croquetas keep 2 days refrigerated; reheat in a 180°C oven for 6-8 minutes.
- Don't microwave: the shell goes soft.
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