If you grew up in South Florida, your first meal ever was probably a croqueta and a tete (pacifier) dipped in Cuban coffee. No matter the event, you will always find either homemade croquetas or from a bakery at the event. It is a must have hors d’oeuvre for every Hispanic family. We even have a croqueta eating competition in Miami and my wife’s cousin’s husband actually competed in it and won a croqueta trophy!!!
So, croquetas for us are a big part of who we are. My wife lived right next to Isla’s Canarias which is known to have the best croquetas in Miami and I can guarantee you that it was always a pit stop any time I would go over. Our nicknames for each other are the croqui’s, or when we are feeling chubby its croquetona and croqueton!
I made this recipe with the Marquita’s plantain crumbs and it gave them an extra crunch that made them that much more amazing, but if you can’t find the plantain crumbs, you can either buy plantain chips and crush them or just use regular bread crumbs. I also added the filling through the food processor in the end, prior to putting it in the fridge to cool. This gives the filling a smoother and creamery texture.
Check out the recipe and let me know what you think!
Ingredients
- ½ lb Ham
- 2 tbsp Butter
- ½ cup Onion diced
- 1½ cup All-purpose flour
- 1½ cup Whole Milk
- 1½ tbsp Fresh parsley chopped
- 2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Black pepper
- ¼ tsp Nutmeg
- ¼ tsp Onion powder
- 2 packs Marquita’s plantain crumbs
- 2 Eggs
- 2 tbsp Garlic salt
- Lime wedges optional
Instructions
- Using a food processor, chop the ham into tiny pieces.
- In a pot, melt the butter, add the onions and cook them for about 3-5 minutes until translucent. While the onions are cooking, heat up the milk until it’s about to simmer.
- Once the onions are translucent, add the half cup of flour and stir well. Once mixed, slowly add the milk to the mixture using a whisk to incorporate everything together. Continue to whisk until smooth and the mixture starts to boil. About 3-4 minutes
- Add the chopped ham and stir until incorporated.
- Place the mixture into the food processor. Add the parsley, salt, garlic powder, pepper, nutmeg and onion powder. Puree the mixture, to further incorporate the ham. About 3-4 minutes.
- Place the ham filling into a bowl and place it in the fridge for about 2-3 hours. (The longer the mixture is in the fridge the better.)
- Once chilled, scoop ham filling into your hands and roll into a log shape that measures about 2” long and 1” thick.
- Place the plantain crumbs and flour on separate plates. Add the garlic salt to the plantain crumbs. Whisk the eggs in a bowl.
- Once your logs are formed, dip them in the flour, then dip them in the egg and finally roll them in the plantain crumbs to give them a nice even coating. Repeat for all the logs.
- In a deep fryer or on a pan, heat up oil to about 350°F. Place the croquetas in the oil for about 2-3 minutes, until golden brown. Transfer to plate line with paper towel.
- Serve with lime! Enjoy!
