Spanish Leek Croquettes (Croquetas de Puerro)
A super tasty, crispy ball of leek infused bechamel! How can you go wrong?
Ingredients
- 1 small onion
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 cloves
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 large leek (about 8 to 10 oz/ 225-280 grams once finely chopped)
- 3 cups whole milk
- 2 oz butter (good quality)
- 3 oz flour
- 1 ½ tsp sea salt
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 egg (with a splash of milk for egg wash)
- ½ cup breadcrumbs (as needed)
- olive oil (as needed for frying)
Instructions
- Begin by attaching two bay leaves to a small onion with four cloves.
- Finely chop the leek(s) if you haven't yet done so, then sauté them in about 2 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat (do not brown).
- While the leeks are cooking, put the milk in a pot and add the onion. Heat to 175˚F (80˚C).
- In a medium sized pot, melt the butter, then add the flour.
- Stir briskly, and cook the flour and butter to avoid the raw flour taste. Begin adding some of the hot milk (remove the onion first). Continue adding milk and stirring quickly until all the milk has been added.
- Add salt and nutmeg and continue cooking and stirring until the béchamel thickens (watch the video to see the consistency). Next, add the sautéed leeks.
- Cook over low heat, stirring until the béchamel stays when pulled away from the side of the pot (see the video for a visual).
- Place into a container, cover with parchment paper, then refrigerate overnight.
- The next day, shape the mixture into round balls about 50 g (1.75 oz) each.
- Dip each croquette in beaten egg with some milk. Then immediately roll in breadcrumbs, and store in container until ready to fry. (We froze some like this and they were great to use later; just defrost in the fridge then fry.)
- When ready to fry the leek croquettes, heat some olive oil to 320˚F (160˚C). Fry the croquettes until golden brown and heated all the way through.Remove from oil and drain well. Place on paper towel lined plate or tray.
- Serve hot with a little mayonnaise, if desired.
Notes
- These freeze nicely, and if you have an air fryer, they will end up being fresh and crispy after re-heating them!
Nutrition
Serving: 2 croquettes | Calories: 127kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 289mg | Potassium: 104mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 280IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 1mg
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