Prep Time 10 minutes - Total Time 1 hour - Makes 10
Croquettes, crispy and gooey all at once, a staple in any Spanish bodega. And on the odd occasion that I find myself sitting in one, you can guarantee that I am ordering a portion to go with my beer.
You can go ahead and make your own pulled pork or you can use shop-bought. Now, if you do decide to buy it just make sure you go for a good quality one. If you want my suggestion, I would highly recommend getting your hands on The Jolly Hogs porky goodies are next level.
Ingredients
400 g of shop-bought pulled pork, cook according to the packaging.
50 g unsalted butter.
50 g plain flour, plus extra for coating.
170 ml full-fat milk.
1 tbsp of BBQ sauce.
80 g of Panko breadcrumbs.
1 egg, whisked.
Method
In a large a saucepan add the butter and slowly let that melt over low heat, should only take a few minutes. Add the flour, mix to combine with the butter and cook for 3-5 minutes.
Turn up the heat slightly and start to gradually add the milk a little at a time whisking to prevent any lumps. Once it starts to thicken up add more milk and continue whisking, repeat this till you’ve used up all the milk.
Next, add the BBQ sauce, pulled pork and mix. Give it a little taste to check for seasoning. Take a deep-sided roasting tray and line the bottom and sides with baking paper and then pour in the mix. Evenly spread it out and cover straight away with a layer of cling film on top, make sure it’s touching the mixture as this will prevent a skin from forming on the surface. I then like to get more cling film and wrap the whole tray. Pop into the fridge to chill and set for at least 4 hours but better overnight.
When you are ready to get cooking, take the mixture and roll into the size of a golf ball, should make around 10. Then get 4 plates and pop some flour on the first one with salt and pepper, the egg in the second one, the panko in the third and leave the last one to one side to put the croquettes on once coated. So now it is an assembly line, take the croquettes and roll in the flour, into the egg (allowing any excess to fall off back into the plate) and into the panko. Make sure to cover evenly and repeat the process.
To cook them you can either use a deep fat fryer set at 180℃ or a saucepan filled with enough oil to cover the croquettes. If you are using a saucepan, heat over a medium to high heat. To check if the oil is hot enough just take a few panko crumbs and place them in the oil. If it starts to sizzle and turns a light golden colour within a minute the oil is ready. Fry the croquettes in batches for around 1-2 minutes till beautifully golden and crispy. Once ready drain on some kitchen paper.
Serve straight away with your favourite dipping sauce. I made a chilli mayo by mixing mayonnaise with my favourite chilli sauce and a squeeze of lemon.