Name: Croquetas de jamón - Spanish ham croquettes
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 20 small balls
Ingredients: 60 g butter; 1 pc onion; 80 g plain flour; 500 ml milk; 150 g cured ham; 1 pinch nutmeg; 1 teaspoon salt; ground pepper; 50 g plain flour; 2 pcs eggs; 150 g fine breadcrumbs; sunflower oil

Step by step process

Bechamel with ham

1
For the ham croquettes, first make a thick bechamel. Melt the butter in a pot, add the finely chopped onion and soften it over low heat without letting it brown.
2
Sprinkle in the all-purpose flour and, stirring constantly, cook it for a minute so it loses its raw taste. Gradually pour in the lukewarm milk and whisk a smooth, thick sauce without lumps.
3
Stir in the finely chopped cured ham, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Keep stirring and cook the mixture for another 5 minutes, until it starts to pull away from the bottom of the pot.

Chilling and shaping

4
Transfer the finished filling to a shallow dish, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface and let it cool. Then chill it in the fridge for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.
5
With moistened hands, shape the chilled mixture into small logs about the size of a walnut. This amount makes roughly 20 pieces.

Coating and frying

6
Set up a coating station in three bowls: all-purpose flour, beaten eggs and fine breadcrumbs. Roll each log first in the flour, then in the egg and finally in the breadcrumbs.
7
Put the coated pieces in the freezer for 15 minutes so they hold their shape better while frying. For an extra crispy crust, you can dip them in egg and breadcrumbs a second time.
8
Heat the sunflower oil to 180 °C in a pot or a deeper pan. Fry the croquettes in small batches until golden, about 2 to 3 minutes, then let them drain on a paper towel.