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Ham croquettes (Croquetas de Jamon) are a classic Spanish tapas dish. Crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside, these little flavor bombs will knock your socks off.
When Fred Meyer asked me to develop a recipe for their “Taste of Spain” event, I couldn’t have been more excited. I spent a summer in Spain for a study abroad trip when I was in college, so Spain has a special place in my heart. When I started thinking about Spanish recipes, the first thing that came to mind was ham croquettes or croquetas de jamon. I ate them probably more than any other food while I was there. They are everywhere. Pretty much every restaurant or cafe has them on the menu, especially in the middle of the day when weird American students tend to eat lunch and the rest of the city is on siesta. (Just in case you are super curious, I put a few photos from my trip at the bottom of this post).
With my nostalgia for Spain fully awakened, I was inspired to make quite a few tapas that I will be sharing in the next few weeks. Fred Meyer was kind enough to send me a box of Spanish goodies to play with while developing a recipe for them. Great Spanish olive oil, tapas sauces, olives and more. They will all be available in the stores starting April 3rd, so get excited! The line will be available in ALL Kroger stores, so even if you don’t live near a Fred Meyer, if you live near any Kroger owned store you will be able to check it out. Also aren’t those classic terra-cotta cazuela dishes cute? Just like how tapas are served in Spain. Those are actually imported from Spain, and I got them at Fred Meyer too!
My study abroad trip was one of the most eye-opening experiences of my life. I think that everyone should visit another country during their lifetime. Experiencing a different culture opens your mind in ways nothing else can. I was in my early twenties when I went, and I have been wishing lately that I could go back and experience it again. Although I was open to trying new things at the time, I have grown into a person with a greater appreciation for new things than I was at that time. Have you ever traveled abroad?
To be honest, this recipe seems a bit more complicated than most of the recipes I share on this site – I mean, you have to make a bechamel AND fry them! But really, it is not as difficult as it seems. The key to making a bechamel is to whisk in the milk very slowly so that the sauce doesn’t become lumpy. If you just dump the milk in all at once the flour will not be able to absorb the liquid and it will turn into a congealed mess – not good! Slowly whisk it in and you should be good. This isn’t something I would make every day, but is totally doable for a fun tapas night.
Ham Croquettes (Croquetas de jamon)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup finely minced onion
- ¼ and 1/2 cup flour divided
- 3 cups whole milk
- 3 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 3 eggs
- 6 ounces finely chopped serrano ham very finely minced
- salt
- pepper
- pinch of nutmeg
- oil for frying
Instructions
- Heat a sauté pan over medium heat. Add butter and olive oil and when butter is melted and oil is warm, add onion. Sauté onion until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add ¼ cup flour and whisk until browned and nutty, one to two minutes.
- Very slowly whisk in milk, a little at a time to avoid a lumpy sauce. Season with a little salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg (remember that the ham is salty, so go easy on the salt at first). Continue to whisk constantly until sauce has thickened, 10-15 minutes. When sauce has thickened, stir in ham. Taste and add more seasoning if needed.
- Pour sauce into a baking sheet and allow to cool, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours (can also be done the day before cooking).
- When ready to cook, preheat oven to 200°F and prepare a baking sheet fitted with a cooling rack. This is for keeping the croquettas warm after frying until you are ready to serve.
- Prepare a breading station by whisking eggs in one dish and placing breadcrumbs into a shallow dish, and ½ cup flour in another dish. Shape the dough into 1-2 tablespoon sized, football shaped balls. Roll in the flour, then in the egg, then in the breadcrumbs.
- In a heavy pot or deep fryer, bring oil to 350°F degrees.
- Add up to six, one at a time, into the oil and fry until golden brown, 2-3 minutes. When removing from oil, place onto prepared rack and leave in the warm oven until ready to serve.
- These are best served fresh!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I had to dig deep into my archives to find my photos of my trip to Spain. I was hoping to find some photos of the food, but apparently in the days before iPhones I wasn’t as into taking food pictures. I actually didn’t even have a digital camera at that time, so my photos were taken with a not so fabulous point and shoot film camera.
Disclosure: I was compensated by Fred Meyer for this post, however my opinions, as always, are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that help make Fox and Briar possible!
Yum!! These sure look tasty. I’ve traveled a fair bit and I totally agree with you – travel is important. I love visiting Europe (except for the jetlag). These days I’m more into my favorite hot destinations than adventure/new destinations, but that’s ok haha.
Thanks Natasha! Nothing wrong with hot destinations, especially when is is still cold at home!
So I had to stop and read your post when I saw the words Fred Meyer….I used to live in Oregon, but now I’m out in Texas and I haven’t heard “Fred Meyer” in so long! Haha made me a little nostalgic! Also these look fabulous…I mean, I love ham and fried things!
Hi Liz! I lived in Arizona for a little while and we missed Fred Meyer so much when we lived there. We used to go to the Fry’s “Marketplace” (Not sure if they have Fry’s in Texas, but it is owned by Kroger) just because we could almost pretend it was Fred Meyer, haha! Thanks so much for stopping by!
WOW! Just wow! These look incredible. I would LOVE to visit Spain one day – even just for the food alone!
Thank you so much Jess! The food is incredible, and so is the culture, art and architecture! Totally a must see!
I have always wanted to visit Spain! Someday! My husband talks about it since he lived there for a summer … not helping! haha These croquettes sound delicious!!
Haha, tell him if he keeps making you jealous he will have to take you there! Thanks Ashley!
Meghan, these croquettes look absolutely amazing! I am a big fan of croquettes. I love the description of these tiny flavor bombs! They are bursting with deliciousness. Can’t wait to try them.
Thank you so much Anu!
Love croquettes! These look so moorish and addictive. And I definitely feel like some now!
Thank you so much Thalia!
Wow Meghan! Your blog is absolutely beautiful so is your photography. This recipe looks and sounds amazing, pinning it to my appetizer board, thank you so much for sharing!
Hi Love! Thank you so much for the kind words, and for pinning!
When I visited Barcelona, my first memory is the wide array of tapa’s the waiters served us at dinner. It’s my favorite way to eat because then get try a bit of everything.
These croquettes sound amazing, and totally worth the few extra steps.
Barcelona was my favorite city in Spain! I would love to go back. Thanks so much Nicole!
I loved it when I visited Spain, the food was really amazing! I loved going to all those tapa restaurants, oh it makes me nostalgic too! And yes those terracotta bowls are pretty neat! I have enough bowls already but I want to get so much more! I only eat out of bowls so it makes sense that I have an obsession over them that most people would have over shoes haha. These croquetas do look absolutely yummy! That pull-apart shot is driving me crazy!
Haha, I totally have a dish obsession too, Linda! Actually, pretty much all kitchen things. I try really hard to control myself but being a food blogger gives you the perfect excuse to buy more “props”. Thanks so much Linda!!
So I have a confession. I hate ham… but I do LOVE croquettes…. so I’m thinking these babies might actually get me to like ham! Whaaaat? It’s saying a lot that I actually want to make these, let alone devour them! They look fabulous, my dear! Your photos of Spain are making me want to book a trip immediately! I’ve always wanted to go, so thanks for making me jealous. 😉 Cheers, sweets!
You know, I actually don’t like ham either! Well, I thought I didn’t, but really I just don’t like the standard honey-baked ham type roasts that we are all used to. In Spain, Jamon is a very big deal. It is everywhere, and in everything. It was a little hard for me to get used to because I thought I hated ham – and when I tried it I actually liked it! And you must go to Spain! It is amazing!
Oh, wow! This recipe sounds very interesting. I’ve never had anything like this before, but all the ingredients I love, especially the serrano ham (and love the touch of nutmeg). Going to have to give this one a whirl. Hubby and I love tapas, especially on the weekend. We were actually just saying the other day that we would love to visit Spain. From the look of it, it looks like it would be an amazing trip 🙂 !!
Thanks Dawn! I had never had anything like it before going to Spain either! But everything just goes together so well. Spain is a wonderful place to visit, I totally recommend it!
Meghan, your croquettes are making me drool so hard! Did I tell you I just LOVE croquettes? A couple of Japanese restaurants I’ve been to serve potato croquettes that are out of this world. Meanwhile, it’s so incredible that you lived in Spain! Love the pics you included. Hey, I am so not judging you for those spirited flip flops. 😉 Great post, as always. 🙂
Thank you Demeter! I have had potato croquettes and they are totally amazing as well! And thanks for not judging my flip flops. Young people sometimes make bad choices, what can I say 😉
I love how you describe these as little flavor bombs! They look like a little explosion of deliciousness! Love your pics!
Thanks so much Kathy! They totally are!
I had croquettes for the first time at a pub, strangely enough. I was instantly in love. It sounds like you had so much fun in Spain. I spent half a year backpacking Europe when I was 19 and I dream about it everyday. Love the pics! It’s funny to think of how our cameras have changed over the years. My point and shoot digital camera I took with me on that trip used to take nearly 6 seconds to load a picture after I pressed the shutter.
I know! It actually took me awhile to remember why I didn’t take more photos. Like, oooh, I didn’t have an awesome camera that I carried around with me at all times AKA my phone 🙂 How did we survive?
Girl, I didn’t know you lived in Spain for a bit! Spain is my FAVORITE place on Earth (other than the Caribbean, of course). I went there in high school for a few weeks and I want to go back so bad!!! Food blogger trip sometime?? <3 <3 <3 These croquettes look amazing by the way!
You did!?! What part of Spain did you visit? Um, food blogger trip – YES, we should make that happen! Thanks Lauren!
These look dangerously good. I can’t wait for a whole bunch of tapas related posts! It’s such a perfect way to begin enjoying spring.
Thank you Megan! They kind of are dangerous. I couldn’t stop eating them 🙂
Great idea to post several tapas ideas. And I agree with you, living in another country for a while does change one completely, I would say, and only for the better.
Absolutely, Adinia! It is so good for people to see things through a different perspective. Thank you!
Meghan, these ham croquettes look absolutely fantastic! I have never made croquettes before but they are definitely on the list of things I want to make. 🙂
I was a little intimidated about making them, but they were totally worth it! Thanks Ashlyn!
Wow! That seems like yesterday & also awhile’s back! That trip was a wonderful experience for you and I’m glad you have awesome memories to share! I’m excited to try this, and I’m going to look for those cute dishes!! As always, your
photos are truly inspiring, too!❤️
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I can’t believe how long ago it was now! Thank you!
Wonderful post! I could make a bechamel? I feel like I should try! Great pics of your trip!
Thank you Anne! Yes, you totally can make a bechamel!