Croquetas de Jamón
Spanish ham croquettes with a creamy béchamel centre and crisp breadcrumb coating.
Preparation: 30 min · Cooking: 22 min · Total: 5 hr 12 min · 4 servings
Ingredients
- 120 g finely chopped Spanish cured ham — Ready-to-eat jamón serrano or similar; contains pork.
- 500 ml whole milk — Keep refrigerated; milk allergen.
- 80 g all-purpose flour for béchamel — For the cooked roux; contains wheat.
- 180 g fine dry breadcrumbs — For coating; contains wheat.
- 0.3 tsp ground nutmeg — Use a level measure.
- 60 g unsalted butter — Milk allergen.
- 2 large eggs — Keep refrigerated; egg allergen.
- 80 g all-purpose flour for coating — Keep separate from the béchamel flour; contains wheat.
- 1000 ml neutral frying oil — Use an oil suitable for 175°C deep-frying.
- 0.3 tsp ground black pepper — Freshly ground if possible.
- 1 g fine salt (optional) — Optional; cured ham may provide enough salt.
Instructions
Prepare equipment and ingredients safely
Finely chop the cured ham. Warm the milk in a saucepan over low heat until steaming but not boiling, then keep it warm. Line a shallow dish with baking paper. Set out separate dishes for coating flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs, but keep the eggs refrigerated until the filling is cold. This recipe contains pork, milk, wheat and egg.
Cook a thick béchamel
Melt the butter in a second saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the 80 g flour for the béchamel and stir constantly for 2 minutes without browning. Add the warm milk in six additions, whisking each addition smooth before adding the next. When all the milk is incorporated, change to a wooden spoon and cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom, until the mixture is very thick, glossy and pulls away from the pan. It must hold a clear path for several seconds when the spoon crosses the base.
Add the ham and chill the filling
Stir in the chopped ham, nutmeg and black pepper for 1 minute. Taste only with a clean spoon; add the optional salt only if needed because cured ham is salty. Spread the mixture about 2 cm deep in the lined dish and press food-safe film directly onto its surface. Let steam escape for 15 minutes, then refrigerate promptly and within 2 hours. Chill for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, until firm enough to scoop without flowing.
Shape, bread and fry with the retained timer
Put the 80 g coating flour, beaten eggs and breadcrumbs in three separate dishes. Divide the cold filling into 20 portions of about 38 g and shape each with lightly floured hands into a 5 cm cylinder. Coat each first in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs, covering every crack; wash hands and the work surface after handling raw egg. Chill the breaded croquettes for 20 minutes. Heat 7–8 cm oil in a deep heavy pot to 175°C and start the retained 22-minute timer with the first batch. Fry 4–5 at a time for 2–3 minutes, turning once, until evenly deep golden and the centre reaches 71°C. Let the oil return to 170–175°C between batches. Lower croquettes away from yourself, never fill the pot over halfway, keep a metal lid nearby and never use water on an oil fire.
The crumb is intact, dry and evenly deep golden; the centre is creamy, piping hot at 71°C and free of raw egg or flour taste.
Fry the croquettes in batches: 1320 seconds
Drain and let the filling settle
Lift each batch with a slotted spoon to a wire rack set over a tray. Do not stack the croquettes or cover them, because trapped steam softens the crumb. Rest for 3 minutes before serving so the hot béchamel settles; warn diners that the centre remains much hotter than the crust.
Check colour, coating and centre
Check a croquette from the first batch. The coating should be intact, dry and evenly deep golden, and the centre should be creamy but piping hot at 71°C with no raw egg or flour taste. If the crust browns before the centre reaches 71°C, lower the oil toward 170°C and fry the next batch slightly longer. Discard any croquette that bursts and leaks extensively into the oil; do not reach into hot oil.
The crumb is intact, dry and evenly deep golden; the centre is creamy, piping hot at 71°C and free of raw egg or flour taste.
Serve and store safely
Serve five croquettes per person while crisp. Refrigerate cooked leftovers in a shallow covered container within 2 hours at 5°C or below and use within 3 days. Reheat once on a rack in a 200°C oven for 8–12 minutes until crisp and 74°C at the centre; do not re-fry. Cool used oil completely before straining or discarding it, and never pour hot oil into a drain.
Tips
- A béchamel thick enough to leave a clear path in the pan will hold its shape after chilling.
- Complete flour, egg and breadcrumb coverage seals cracks that could burst in the oil.
Common mistakes
- The original 300 g flour would make a dense paste rather than a creamy croquette filling.
- Shaping warm filling causes sticking and leaks.
- Crowding drops the oil temperature and makes greasy croquettes.
Substitutions
- For a non-pork version, replace the cured ham with the same weight of finely chopped cooked mushroom and season to taste; the result is a variation, not croquetas de jamón.
Storage
Refrigerate cooked croquettes within 2 hours at 5°C or below and use within 3 days.
Reheating
Reheat once on a rack at 200°C for 8–12 minutes until crisp and 74°C at the centre.
About this recipe
Croquetas de jamón are a familiar Spanish tapas and home-cooking staple: a ham-flavoured béchamel is chilled, breaded and fried to contrast a crisp shell with a creamy centre.
Editorial approval does not establish independent kitchen testing. Check allergens and follow safe food handling.