Spanish Cod Croquettes | One of Spain's BEST Tapas Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What are Spanish croquetas made of? ›

A croquette is a deep-fried roll with a creamy inner layer & a crispy breaded outer layer. The inner layer contains ingredients that range from vegetables, meats & leftover foods. These ingredients are mixed with a binder made from mashed potatoes or bechamel sauce (flour, milk & butter).

Things You'll Need for Bacalao Croquettes

To make these cod croquettes you only need some bacalao and a frying pan. There is really no excuse to not make these croquetas since the other main ingredients are flour, eggs, oil, and milk.

While both French and Spanish croquettes consist of breaded and fried balls of filling, the base of that filling differs between the two countries. French croquettes are held together by potatoes, whereas Spanish croquettes (croquetas) are made with what's essentially a bechamel sauce: butter, milk, and flour.

While the French use potatoes for their croquettes, Spaniards use bechamel. This is a rich, creamy sauce that is the result of butter, flour, and milk, like a roux. In Spain, these delicious bites are called croquetas, and they are a tapas bar favorite.

Baccalà is the name for cod that has been cured, or preserved, with salt. The resulting fish is pleasantly flaky in texture with an irresistibly intense and unusual—but never fishy—flavor.

Bacalao is cod that has been salted and dried. Bacalao fresco is raw cod, and that's the name under which you'd find it in Spain if you want to buy fresh cod.

Way back when, the first mention of the croqueta in Spain was in 1812, during a dinner offered to English troops, after they helped liberate Spain from Napoleonic rule. The French creation - devised by royal chef Louis de Bechamel - has since become a hard and fast rule of snacking for Spaniards.

Shirako is the milt, or sperm sacs, of male cod. It's served in both raw and cooked form in restaurants all over Japan, but many Japanese consider it an acquired taste. The word “shirako” means “white children,” and it is in season in the winter. It's also called kiku and tachi.

In Italy, the term baccalà usually refers to salt cod, however in Venice it's used to mean Norwegian stockfish.

Soaking is the most important step in preparing salt cod. Most recipes say to soak for 24 hours. However, this is risky and may leave the fish too salty. About 48 hours is a better bet.

What are Cuban croquetas made of? ›

They're a popular Cuban appetizer made by blending finely ground ham with bechamel sauce. The mixture is shaped into oval shapes, coated with breadcrumbs, and deep-fried until golden brown. Cuban croquettes have a firm ham filling while Spaniard croquettes have a looser filling.

Croquetas de Jamón (Ham Croquettes)

These bite-sized delights feature creamy ground ham coated in a crispy breadcrumb crust, and then fried to golden perfection. Whether enjoyed for breakfast or as a satisfying snack, they make any day of the week extra special with their nostalgic flavor and texture.