Croquettes are one of the best Spanish appetizers (or starters) you can find. They are simply delicious: crispy outside but creamy and consistent inside. What? Creamy and consistent at the same time? Yes, that is the key of a good croquette.
The most common are ham croquettes, but you can prepare them with anything you like: spinach, chicken, mushrooms, cod, prawns… Last week I tried some squid croquettes for the first time and I loved them! 
But the best of all, in my opinion, are my mum’s king prawn croquettes. They are smooth, creamy, crispy… so tasty! Everytime I come back home she prepares them and… yummy! I want to stay here forever…!
If you know what a bechamel sauce is and you wish to try a delicious appetizer, here you have my mum’s secret recipe (sorry, mum, not so secret anymore!)
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King Prawn Croquettes – Mum’s recipe
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
A crispy and creamy Spanish appetizer: King Prawn Croquettes (my mum’s recipe!)
Ingredients
- 1 small onion
- 300g king prawns
- 3 cups (720 ml) olive oil
- 1 egg
- breadcrumbs
For the bechamel sauce:
- 4 tbsp (60 ml) flour
- 3 cups (720 ml) semiskimmed milk
- a pinch of salt
Instructions
- Chop the onion and the king prawns.
- Stir-fry in a big pan with 4 tbsp of olive oil.
- Drain the olive oil.
- Prepare a bechamel sauce with the oil (in which you stir-fried the king prawns and onion) flour, milk and salt. It must be a creamy and smooth bechamel sauce.
- When the bechamel is ready, add the prawns and onion. Mix well.
- Extend the batter on a platter and leave to cool for a few hours.
- Make round or oval-shaped balls. Coat with beaten egg and breadcrumbs.
- Fry in abundance of olive oil until golden.
Notes
- The king prawn + onion bechamel sauce must be cold before you make the balls.
- If it’s warm, the balls will open when you fry them.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Category: Appetizer
- Cuisine: Spanish
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 croquettes
- Calories: 200
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why is it important that the bechamel mixture is cold before forming the croquettes?
The notes make this explicit: if the bechamel is warm, the balls will open up in the hot oil and fall apart. The recipe instructs you to extend the finished batter on a platter and leave it to cool for a few hours before shaping — only then will the mixture be firm enough to hold its round or oval shape through coating and frying.
Why does this recipe use the prawn-and-onion frying oil to make the bechamel?
After stir-frying the king prawns and onion, the recipe drains the oil and uses that same flavoured olive oil — rather than fresh oil — as the fat base for the bechamel sauce. This means every drop of prawn and onion flavour from the frying stage gets incorporated into the creamy filling.
What makes the key difference between a great croquette and a flat one?
The article highlights the contrast: a great croquette is crispy outside but creamy and consistent inside at the same time. The article says this balance — and specifically that consistent interior texture — is the hallmark of a well-made croquette, which is why the bechamel consistency and cooling time matter so much.
