Croquetes de Sobrassada
Recipes with Sobrassada de Mallorca
The classic Mallorcan tapa in croquette form. A bechamel enriched with sobrassada sets cold, then gets rolled in breadcrumbs and fried until the outside cracks and the inside runs. The paprika turns the bechamel orange from the inside. These are pub and bar food across Mallorca, made the day before, fried to order.
Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
20 min
Servings
4
Difficulty
Medium
Ingredients
- 60 g butter
- 80 g plain flour
- 500 ml whole milk, warm
- 120 g sobrassada, casing removed
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- White pepper
- Freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 150 g fine dry breadcrumbs
- Sunflower or light olive oil for frying
Steps
Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and stir continuously for 2 minutes until the mixture smells biscuity and has turned a pale gold. This is the roux.
Add the warm milk in three additions, whisking vigorously after each one to prevent lumps. When all the milk is in, lower the heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 8 to 10 minutes until the bechamel is thick enough to hold a firm shape when a spoon is dragged through it.
Remove from the heat. Add the sobrassada in small pieces and stir until it melts into the bechamel. The mixture will turn orange. Season with salt, white pepper, and a little nutmeg.
Pour the mixture into a shallow dish or tray to a depth of about 2 cm. Press cling film directly onto the surface to prevent a skin forming. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
When the mixture is firm, use a spoon or small ice cream scoop to portion pieces about the size of a large walnut. Roll each between your palms into a short cylinder or oval. Keep your hands cold and work quickly.
Set up a breading station: beaten eggs in one shallow bowl, breadcrumbs in another. Roll each croquette in egg, let the excess drip off, then roll in breadcrumbs until fully coated. Set aside on a clean tray. Repeat, then refrigerate for 30 minutes to help the coating set.
Heat oil to 180°C in a deep pan. Fry the croquettes in batches of four to five, turning once, for 2 to 3 minutes until deep golden brown. Do not crowd the pan. Drain on kitchen paper and serve immediately.
Tips
The croquettes can be breaded and frozen before frying. Fry from frozen, adding an extra minute to the cooking time. The key to smooth bechamel is warm milk added to a properly cooked roux: cold milk into a hot roux produces lumps. If lumps do form, pass the bechamel through a fine sieve before adding the sobrassada.