By David Tanis
- Total Time
- 1 hour, plus 2 hours' chilling
- Rating
- 4(140)
- Notes
- Read community notes
In Spain, golden-fried croquetas are served in tapas bars to the delight of all. They may be made of any number of things, like salt, potatoes or cauliflower. Béchamel is used to bind the mixture, which gives these crab-meat croquetas a luscious center. The crisp and creamy bites are perfect for any gathering, eaten out of hand with drinks.
Featured in: A Crab Cake Ready for the Summer Party Circuit
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Ingredients
Yield:24 croquetas
- 4tablespoons butter
- 4tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus 1 cup more for dredging
- 1cup milk, heated
- Salt and pepper
- 1pound crab meat
- ½cup diced roasted red peppers
- ⅛teaspoon cayenne
- ½cup thinly sliced scallions
- 3tablespoons chopped cilantro
- ½teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 3large eggs, beaten
- 2cups fine bread crumbs, made from a French or Italian loaf
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 1cup blanched almonds
- 4garlic cloves, finely grated
- 1cup extra-virgin olive oil
For the Croquetas
For the Garlic-almond Sauce
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (24 servings)
229 calories; 16 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 14 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 8 grams protein; 188 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Step
1
Make the béchamel: Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute without browning. Gradually whisk in milk, ¼ cup at a time, to obtain a smooth, thick sauce. Turn heat to low, add ½ teaspoon salt and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. Continue to cook, stirring, for 4 to 5 minutes. Thin if necessary with a tablespoon or so more milk, but keep it the consistency of whipped cream.
Step
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Make the crab mixture: Put crab meat in a mixing bowl and add warm béchamel. Stir in roasted peppers, cayenne, scallions, cilantro, and lemon zest and mix gently until ingredients are well incorporated. Taste for salt and adjust seasoning. Spread mixture on a baking sheet in a layer about 1 inch thick, cover and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours. (The crab mixture can be prepared up to a day in advance and refrigerated.)
Step
3
Assemble the croquetas: Arrange 3 small shallow bowls on a work counter. Add 1 cup of flour to one bowl, then season it with salt and pepper. In second, add the beaten eggs. Fill the third bowl with bread crumbs. Weigh 1-ounce portions of the crab mixture and place on wax paper. Roll each portion in seasoned flour, then dip into egg and finally roll in crumbs, forming each gently into a sphere. Put breaded croquetas on a clean baking sheet and sprinkle with more crumbs. Repeat until all are breaded. Refrigerate, uncovered, until ready to fry.
Step
4
Make the garlic-almond sauce: Put almonds in a food processor and blend thoroughly, until finely ground. Add garlic and pulse to combine. With the food processor running, add a faint drizzle of olive oil as sauce thickens. The oil must be added very slowly or the sauce will separate or break. Continue adding the oil until it is all incorporated. Season sauce with salt to taste. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
Step
5
To fry croquetas, pour vegetable oil to depth of 2 inches in a wide, deep saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Bring oil to 375 degrees. Working in small batches, fry croquetas on each side until golden brown, about 4 minutes. (Too many in the pan risks significantly lowering the temperature of the oil.) Remove croquetas with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet. Season lightly with salt and keep warm in a low oven. Repeat until all croquetas are fried. Pile them on a serving platter and serve with garlic-almond sauce for dipping.
Ratings
4
out of 5
140
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Cooking Notes
EW
Could you make this with salt cod or salmon as well, substituted for the crab? Or is the water/texture content too different?
Pups
Many years ago, I ate this type of crab cake at a restaurant in Water Mill, Long Island. They were larger and mighty fine, and for then, unorthodox. I have been looking for a similar recipe since.
What is also nice about this recipe, unlike their (distant) cousins from Maryland, is that one can use back fin or claw meat and achieve the same effect.
BKB
My sister makes these with canned tuna. Awesome.
David Avila
A nice fino is good with them, so is a chilled Albariño.
Linda
Dry fish with paper towels, process after cutting into 1-2" chunks, if needed, squeeze chopped fish dry. Too wet? a little rice flour or cornstarch, or fine bread crumbs will cure it. They will impart a taste, though not much as the outside has crumbs too.
DON'T add salt if in doubt, it draws liquid from the flesh. DO add a couple of beaten egg whites if mixture is falls apart. Not yolks, eggy taste!..
Beth Ann
These are so good! I've made them twice now exactly as-is and they were a huge hit on both occasions. Not totally in love with the sauce, but it's not at all necessary!
PAfoodie
Made this for July 4th. I assembled the croquetas a day in advance, and froze them un fried. The fried up perfectly the next day. Backfin crab was excellent, store brand bread crumbs were fine, and they were easy to make. A party keeper.
Ericka
How long did they take to fry at 375?
trblmkr
Made and consumed with great success!
Linda
I thought you could not use olive oil for frying. I always heard it is not for high heat cooking/frying.
Michael
Fry in vegetable oil; the olive oil is for the sauce.
David Avila
A nice fino is good with them, so is a chilled Albariño.
Peggy
How about a nice, dry, Finger Lakes cider?
robert alpaugh
Can these be made and frozen to eat a few days later? Alternately how long can they last in the refridge? And then, I guess just warm 20 minutes in a 250 oven?
BKB
If they last long in enough to freeze, which ours rarely do, they seem to taste just fine when reheated.
BKB
My sister makes these with canned tuna. Awesome.
EW
Could you make this with salt cod or salmon as well, substituted for the crab? Or is the water/texture content too different?
MGlenn
Click on Featured link for more info
Elias
Salt cod croquetas are actually a staple in Spain; haven´t heard about salmon though. The classic ones are Serrano ham croquetas. Garlic croquetas are a wonderful change of pace.
JAY
As long as the bechamel is the proper consistency and you
observe the refrigerated times, you should have no problems with leakage.
Kara
Is that a total of 4 minutes or 4 minutes per side?
Could one use Panko Bread Crumbs?
trblmkr
I opted for panko for a heartier crunch.
Pups
Many years ago, I ate this type of crab cake at a restaurant in Water Mill, Long Island. They were larger and mighty fine, and for then, unorthodox. I have been looking for a similar recipe since.
What is also nice about this recipe, unlike their (distant) cousins from Maryland, is that one can use back fin or claw meat and achieve the same effect.
betty
interesting! do you fry them or do you saute them?
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