AI-generated image
Mushroom croquetas
Croquetas de setas: crisp outside, molten mushroom béchamel inside
Croquetas are the pride of Spanish home cooking and tapas bars alike: a thick, silky béchamel full of flavour, chilled, rolled in egg and breadcrumbs and fried until crisp. Every family has its own; ham and chicken are classic, but croquetas de setas, made with wild or chestnut mushrooms, are found all over the country and are especially loved in the mushroom-picking regions of Castile and Catalonia. A good croqueta is creamy, almost liquid, inside, with a thin shell. Make a big batch: they freeze beautifully raw. Chef's tip: cook the flour in the butter and oil for a full 2 minutes and then beat the milk in slowly over a low heat for 10–15 minutes; this long cooking takes away the raw taste of flour and gives the creamy centre that makes Spanish croquetas special.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the filling
- 10 ½ oz mixed mushrooms (chestnut, shiitake, oyster or wild)finely chopped
- ⅓ oz dried porcini (optional)soaked in 100 ml hot water, chopped; keep the water
- 2 ⅛ oz butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onionsmall, very finely chopped
- 1 clove garlicfinely chopped
- 3 ⅛ oz plain flour
- 3 ¼ cups whole milkwarm
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
For coating and frying
- 2 eggsbeaten
- 5 ½ oz fine dry breadcrumbs
- 2 ½ cups olive or sunflower oilfor frying
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (6)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/10 doneStep 2: Add 10 ½ oz mixed mushrooms (chestnut, shiitake, oyster or wild), 1 clove garlic and ⅓ oz dried porcini, turn the heat up to medium-high and cook for 6–8 minutes, until the mushrooms have released their water, it has evaporated and they smell nutty.
8 minStep 3: Turn the heat to medium-low, sprinkle in 3 ⅛ oz plain flour and stir constantly for 2 minutes. It should look like damp sand and smell toasty, not raw.
2 minStep 4: Add 3 ¼ cups whole milk a ladle at a time (with the porcini soaking water, if using, strained), beating hard after each addition so no lumps form. Season with 1 pinch ground nutmeg, 1 tsp salt and ¼ tsp black pepper.
3 minStep 5: Keep cooking over a low heat, stirring and scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon, for 10–15 minutes, until the béchamel is very thick, glossy and comes away from the sides of the pan in a ball. A spoon drawn through it should leave a clear trail.
15 minStep 6: Spread the mixture in a shallow dish, press cling film right onto the surface to stop a skin forming and leave to cool. Chill for at least 1 hour (or overnight) until firm enough to shape.
60 minStep 7: Set out three plates: the chilled filling, 2 eggs and 5 ½ oz fine dry breadcrumbs. With two spoons or lightly oiled hands, shape heaped tablespoons of filling into small logs about 5 cm long; you should get about 24.
Step 8: Roll each croqueta in egg, then breadcrumbs, pressing the crumbs on so there are no gaps. Any gap lets the filling burst in the oil. Chill for 15 minutes; or freeze them now on a tray, then bag them up.
15 minStep 9: Heat 2 ½ cups olive or sunflower oil in a deep pan to 350°F (a cube of bread browns in 30 seconds). Fry 5–6 croquetas at a time for 2–3 minutes, turning, until deep golden all over. Don't crowd the pan, or the oil cools and they split. Fry frozen ones straight from the freezer for 4 minutes.
12 minStep 10: Drain on kitchen paper and rest for 2 minutes before serving; the inside is molten and very hot.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 390 kcal
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 34 g
- Fat
- 23 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does mushroom croquetas take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 80 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of mixed mushrooms (chestnut, shiitake, oyster or wild)?
- Aubergine, diced, same weight.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
SakarpadaSweet fried dough diamonds
Sakarpada (shakarpara) are little sweet diamonds of a rich dough made with ghee, milk and sugar, fried until golden and crunchy. They are a Diwali favourite with tea, and the cubes go into bhusu too. They keep for weeks in an air-tight tin.
Indian
Yaki onigiriGrilled rice balls
Yaki onigiri (焼きおにぎり) are rice balls grilled until they form a crisp, toasty crust, then brushed with soy sauce glaze. They are eaten all over Japan, at izakaya, at barbecues and from the freezer section, as a snack or with miso soup. The inside stays soft and steamy while the outside crackles. Best eaten hot, straight from the pan. Chef's tip: let the shaped rice balls dry for 10 minutes before they go in the pan. A drier surface forms a better crust and won't stick, and the glaze goes on only at the end so it doesn't burn.
Japanese
Taiwanese grilled corn
At Raohe and Shilin night markets the grilled-corn stalls are easy to find: look for the queue and the smoky, sweet smell. Cobs are par-cooked, then turned slowly over charcoal while the cook brushes them with a dark glaze of sacha sauce, thick soy paste, garlic and chilli, layer after layer, until the kernels are sticky, slightly charred and deeply savoury. It is eaten hot from a paper sleeve while walking the market. Sacha (shacha) sauce, a Taiwanese barbecue paste, usually contains dried fish and shrimp; vegetarian sacha is sold in Asian shops. Contains soy, wheat and fish. Chef's tip: brush thin coats and turn often; one thick coat burns before the corn chars.
Taiwanese