Croqueta is one of the most common tapas served in Spanish bars and restaurants. Every cuisine has its recipe, and here’s a recipe for croquetas with Spanish olives, developed in the kitchen of Garden of Lemons in Andalusia.
Like the Spanish tortilla, croquetas are one of the most common tapas served in Spanish bars and restaurants. Every cuisine has its recipes, and croquetas can be made with almost as many different flavour combinations as there are chefs.
This recipe for corquetas with black olives was developed by Henrik Vilain and Ingo Schauser in the kitchen of Garden of Lemons in Andalusia. The recipe comes from the couple’s cookbook Olives & Olive Oil.
Garden of lemons recipe is based on bechamel made with olive oil, chopped, boiled eggs and black, pitted olives. The couple often make a double portion because the dough can be stored in the fridge for a few days. You can then easily fry up a new batch of croquetas in case guests drop by or you get peckish. Croquetas taste great and make a great pre-dinner snack, at the risk of getting full.
Recipe for croquetas with black olives
4 pers
5 dl milk
3 bay leaves
60 ml olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
100 g flour
30 g cornstarch
3 egg whites of hard-boiled eggs, finely chopped
100 g black olives, finely chopped
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
salt
1 egg, beaten
100 g breadcrumbs, preferably panko
2 dl olive oil, for deep frying
Bring the milk to the boil with the bay leaves and simmer for a few minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool before fishing up the bay leaves.
Heat a frying pan with olive oil and fry the finely chopped onion for 10 minutes on a low heat, without colouring. Sprinkle the flour and cornflour over the onions and stir into the onions before slowly adding the cooled milk, stirring.
Let the mixture simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the consistency is like mashed potatoes. Remove from the heat and add the finely chopped eggs, chopped black olives, nutmeg and salt. Cover the pan and refrigerate for at least 5 hours – preferably overnight.
Prepare two bowls – one bowl with a beaten egg, and one with panko. Shape the croquetas by hand – they should be about 3 cm thick and 7 cm long. Dip them in the beaten egg, then roll them in the panko. Set them aside on a plate.
Pour the olive oil into a saucepan so that the oil is 2 cm up the side of the pan. Heat the oil until it sizzles like a match and fry a few croquettes at a time until golden. Take them out of the oil with a slotted spoon and drain them on a plate with kitchen towel.
Eat croquetas hot.
