Recipe-The Best Jamon Croquetas
Crunchy on the outside, creamy on the inside, homemade croquettes are a delight. Arguably the best ones you can make are made from that most famous of Spanish ingredients: Jamón Iberico. A salted and cured leg of ham made from the Iberian pig, the best of which finish their lives roaming around acorn strewn forests, giving a deep marbling of rich fat which has the flavour of the forest.
Ingredients
(Makes 24 croquettes)
400ml Whole milk
100g Butter
75g Plain flour
100g Jamón iberico
Pinch Nutmeg, freshly grated
50g Panko breadcrumbs
30g Flour
2 Eggs
50ml Milk
1000ml Vegetable oil (for deep frying
Method
Heat the butter in a saucepan over a medium low heat until melted and sizzling. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the milk gradually, a little at a time, whilst whisking, to make a smooth bechamel.
Cut the jamon into small 2mm dice. Fry in a frying pan with 1 tbsp olive oil over a medium high heat until lightly browned. Mix through the bechamel. Season with a touch of salt, freshly cracked black pepper and a little nutmeg. Be sparing with the nutmeg, it is a strong flavour and you want it to complement, not overpower.
Spread the mixture out into a baking tray, and leave to cool to room temperature. Once cooled, place in the fridge for at least one hour. The mixture will set and become firm enough to handle.
Whisk the eggs in a small bowl and add the 50ml milk. In a separate bowl put the flour. In a third bowl, the breadcrumbs.
Now to ‘pane’ the croquettes. Use your hands to shape 30g balls of the mixture. It can help to lightly oil your hands first.
Next, roll the balls in the flour. Then dip them into the egg mixture. Finally roll the balls in panko. Keep refrigerated until required.
Heat up the oil to 180C. Add the croquettes and fry for 3½ minutes until golden brown. Remove onto kitchen paper to take off excess oil. Serve immediately, but make sure that the croquettes have at least 60 seconds to cool down before biting into them.
