Bacon Croquettas
When I’m homesick, I crave Cuban food. Croquettas are standard breakfast fare in Florida.
I’ve been incredibly homesick the past few days. I was born and raised in Florida so comfort food for me almost always includes something of the Southern American or Cuban variety. The Bay Area doesn’t have many Cuban restaurant options, so I decided to make some for myself and my husband. They are easy appetizers that you make in advance and fry once you’re ready to serve.
When fried, the béchamel sauce becomes warm and creamy. It’s actually quite magical how the sauce stays contained in the thin crispy coating. I have seen versions of this dish that include cheese and special types of ham like ground up Serrano or Prosciutto. Traditionally, croquettas are not served with a dipping sauce but I love pairing with a Calabrian Chili Aioli. You can almost always find them served with the tiny Cuban espresso shots known as cafecito. Name a better breakfast combination, I dare you.
Ingredients for the Croquettas
1 lb bacon
3 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1/2 onion, finely diced
3/4 cup flour
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
2 cups Panko bread crumbs
3 eggs
Vegetable or canola oil for frying
Ingredients for the Calabrian Chili Aioli
1/3 cup Kewpie mayo
1 tablespoon of Calabrian chili paste
1/2 lemon
Makes 20-24 Croquettas
Directions
To make bacon lardons, add thinly sliced pieces of bacon to a cold pan with three tablespoons of water. Set the pan to cook over medium high heat. The water will cause the fat to render more slowly so you’ll get crispy bacon lardons without burning them. This process will take about 5-8 minutes. Remove the bacon from the fat and set on a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Save or discard the fat.
Melt butter in a sauté pan over medium heat. After a minute, add finely diced onions. Sauté for five minutes or until soft and translucent. Add the flour and cook for another two minutes. Turn off the heat and add the milk to form the béchamel sauce. It will be thick and have the texture of Play-Doh. At this point, add the cooked bacon lardons, salt, and Cajun seasoning. Set the mixture aside to cool for 30 minutes.
Heat a two inches of vegetable oil in a heavy bottomed pan to 350 degrees while you prepare the breading station.
In one tray, season the Panko bread crumbs with salt and pepper. In the second second tray, whisk two eggs with a few tablespoons of water to make the egg wash. Season the egg wash with salt and pepper as well. Using a small cookie scooper, or a heaping tablespoon, place balls of croquetta filling into the egg wash. Then, transfer to the Panko bread crumbs and form the croquettas shape. Set aside each piece until your oil is hot enough.
Prepare a tray lined with paper towels. Once your oil is at 350 degrees, fry croquettas in batches for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Set on your paper towel lined tray and season with additional kosher salt to taste.
To make the Calabrian Chili Aioli, combine the Kewpie mayo with juice from half a lemon and the Calabrian chili paste. Transfer to a bowl and serve with your hot croquettas!