Post It on the Gram Ctackers Want Beef I Dont Even Like Spam

To know me is to know that the perfect breakfast, in my eyes, is 2 ham croquetas. That's it. Well, maybe some cafecito. And Cuban toast. But yeah…croquetas. Ham. Croquetas.

They remind me of home and my childhood. Growing up in a Cuban family, you're pretty much eating croquetas de jamónsince birth.

If you don't have a Cuban bakery nearby or don't live in Miami, you can make these croquettes at home!

This recipe is from an old Cuban cookbook called, Cocina Al Minuto. A classic for sure.

Ham croquettes are definitely not hard to make but do require certain steps to make them perfectly. They are what we call, a labor of love. Make sure to follow every step carefully.

Ingredients

All ingredients need to be room temperature.

• Unsalted butter.
• Finely chopped onion
• Whole milk.
• All-purpose flour.
• Nutmeg, salt and pepper.
• Dry cooking wine.
• Ground ham.
• Eggs.
• Bread crumbs.
• Vegetable oil for frying.

How To Make Ham Croquetas

• In a saucepan, melt butter and cook the onions. Slowly whisk in milk, 1/3 cup of flour, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Continue to whisk until it becomes a very thick sauce (a roux).

• Add in the cooking wine and ground ham to the sauce. Mix together slowly until all is combined. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 5 minutes.
• Transfer the filling to a bowl. Let it rest at room temperature then refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

• Remove the filling from the refrigerator. Form logs from the mixture straight from the fridge until you have all the logs done then place them back in the fridge to firm up once again, about 30 minutes.

• To bread the croquette logs, you want to set up a breading station. In one bowl, whisk eggs and set aside. In another bowl, mix the remaining flour and bread crumbs.
• Remove the logs from the fridge. Dip each croquette log in the egg wash and then coat in bread crumb/flour mixture. Repeat with each one until they are all breaded. Let the croquettes rest at room temperature for 5 minutes before frying.

• In a large pot or pan, heat enough vegetable oil to cover the croquettes completely. Fry each croquette until golden brown, approximately 3-4 minutes. Don't crowd the pot too much as you are frying. This will help them all get evenly cooked.
• Remove the croquettes from oil and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Serve with saltines and lime wedges.

Tip & Tricks

• The ham mixture must be cold. To form into logs and coat evenly, the mixture needs to be cold. If the mixture is warm, it will be very hard to form logs, coat with the breading, and fry. If the mixture is sticky, add breadcrumbs, 1 tablespoon at a time, to the mixture until it's no longer sticky.
• Make sure the logs are all the same size. You want the logs to be approximately 3″ long and 1″ wide.

Storage Tips

• In the fridge. You can keep cooked croquettes at room temperature for 1 day and in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. If they even last that long.
• In the freezer. Place cooked croquettes on the baking sheet first then transfer them to a freezer bag once frozen for up to 1 month. Just make sure to thaw before reheating them. You can freeze uncooked, breaded croquettes for up to 1 month. Just thaw before frying.

You may also like:

• How To Make Cuban Coffee (Café Cubano)
• Pastelitos de Queso (Cuban Cream Cheese Pastries)
• Cuban Chicken Croquettes (Croquetas de Pollo)
• Cafe Con Leche (Cuban coffee + Milk)
• Cuban Shortbread Cookies (Torticas de Morón)

Croquetas de Jamón (Ham Croquettes)

Croquetas de Jamón (Ham Croquettes) are a Cuban household staple! They're crispy, bite-size logs of smooth ground ham coated in breadcrumbs then fried to perfection. The perfect breakfast or snack for any day of the week!

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Chilling 2 hrs

Total Time 30 mins

Course Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine Cuban

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
• 1 cup whole milk room temperature
• 1 cup all-purpose flour divided
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon dry cooking wine (vino seco)
• 1 pound ground ham* (see note)
• 2 large eggs room temperature
• 1 cup bread crumbs (or finely ground saltine crackers)
• Vegetable oil for frying

• In a saucepan, melt butter at medium-low heat. Add onion and cook for 1 minute.

• Slowly whisk in milk, 1/3 cup of flour, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Continue to whisk until it becomes a very thick sauce (a roux).

• Add in the cooking wine and ground ham to the sauce. Mix together slowly until all is combined. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 5 minutes.

• Transfer the filling to a bowl. Let it rest at room temperature then refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight (the longer the better). The mixture has to harden in order to form into logs and coat evenly. If this step is skipped, it will be very hard to form logs, coat with the breading, and fry. This is an important step. Don't skip it.

• Remove the filling from the refrigerator. Form logs from the mixture straight from the fridge. It's ok if they are cold, it will be easier to form the logs this way. You want the logs to be approximately 3" long and 1" wide. If the mixture is sticky as you're making the logs, add bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon at a time, to the mixture until it's no longer sticky.

• Continue forming the logs until you have all the croquette logs done then place them back in the fridge to firm up once again, about 30 minutes.**

• To bread the croquette logs, you want to set up a breading station. In one bowl, whisk eggs and set aside. In another bowl, mix the remaining flour and bread crumbs.

• Remove the logs from the fridge. Dip each croquette log in the egg wash and then coat in bread crumb/flour mixture. Repeat with each one until they are all breaded. Let the croquettes rest at room temperature for 5 minutes before frying.

• In a large pot or pan, heat enough vegetable oil to cover the croquettes completely. Fry each croquette until golden brown, approximately 3-4 minutes. Don't crowd the pot too much as you are frying. This will help them all get evenly cooked.

• Remove the croquettes from oil and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Serve with saltines and lime wedges. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Cocina al Minuto

*You can purchase diced ham or chop up leftover cooked ham and finely grind in a food processor or meat grinder.

**Make ahead tip: You can transfer the croquettes to a freezer bag before breading and frying and freeze them for up to 1 month.

Serving: 1 croquette Calories: 187 kcal Carbohydrates: 7.3 g Protein: 6.4 g Fat: 14.9 g Saturated Fat: 2.9 g Cholesterol: 35 mg Sodium: 281 mg Potassium: 147 mg Fiber: 0.3 g Sugar: 1.1 g Calcium: 20 mg Iron: 0.7 mg

Snap a picture and share it with me on instagram @asassyspoon and by using the hashtag #asassyspoon!

JAMIE SILVA
Miami native, first-generation Cuban-American, and the founder, recipe developer, and food photographer behind A Sassy Spoon. Since 2016, Jamie has been developing recipes inspired by her rich Cuban heritage and Latin-inspired recipes influenced by her hometown of Miami.

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