Ham and Cheese Croquettes

I got on this Tapas kick recently. Having spent time in Barcelona twice, I fell in love with great tapas made from fresh ingredients. Most of it is low-carb, actually, but some classic dishes are not – such as croquettes. These are typically made with a thickened béchamel sauce (butter, flour, and milk) that has been allowed to cool and thicken. This is usually combined with something like salmon, ham, cheese, or vegetables, and then rolled in bread crumbs and deep fried.  They should be crispy on the outside and creamy delicious on the inside.

Not having any of that, I decided to try and ketofy these tasty morsels. The result is a ham and cheese croquette featuring pork rinds and cream cheese as the base. I have yet to perfect them, but this was a good start.

The key is to get all of the ingredients chopped finely enough so you get all of them in every bite. Also, make sure you remove liquid from the red peppers before adding to the mix. You don’t want to introduce too much water.

Print Recipe

Ham and Cheese Croquettes

Course

Appetizer

Cuisine

Spanish

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

10 minutes

Servings

croquettes

Ingredients

• 2 cups olive oil extra virgin
• 8 oz Cream Cheese chilled
• 60 g crushed pork rinds
• 30 g shredded Parmasagn or Romano cheese
• 30 g chopped roasted red peppers dry off the liquid before measuring
• 2 slices Prosciutto di Parma diced into small squares
• 1 tsp xanthan gum
• 1 tbsp onion powder (optional)

Course Appetizer Cuisine Spanish Prep Time 15 minutes Cook Time 10 minutes Servings croquettes Ingredients 2 cups olive oil extra virgin 8 oz Cream Cheese chilled 60 g crushed pork rinds 30 g shredded Parmasagn or Romano cheese 30 g chopped roasted red peppers dry off the liquid before measuring 2 slices Prosciutto di Parma diced into small squares 1 tsp xanthan gum 1 tbsp onion powder (optional)

Instructions

1. Crush the pork rinds in a food processor and set aside 30g for the filling. Remove any big pieces.
2. Pour olive oil into a small pot and and heat on high. When it starts to smoke, turn it down (If using gas, turn down to low. If using electric, turn down to medium low). Be careful!

   
3. Chop the Prosciutto slices on a cutting board into small squares. Make sure to remove the strip of skin on the outside, if it's there.

   
4. Combine the cream cheese, 30g of the pork rinds, shredded cheese, roasted peppers, xanthan gum, onion powder, and Prosciutto in a bowl. (Note, this picture shows only 4oz of cream cheese).

   
5. Using your clean hands, thoroughly mix the "dough" until completely combined. Wrap it in plastic wrap and pop it in the freezer for 15 minutes.

   
6. Remove dough from freezer. Pull off about 1 oz of it, roll it into a ball with your hands, then roll it out in a little sausage shape. Repeat with remaining dough.

   
7. When your oil is ready to fry, roll each croquette in the remaining pork rinds and push the "breading" well into the croquette so it won't come off in cooking.

   
8. Fry the croquettes one at a time. Using a slotted spoon, carefully drop a croquette in the oil and let fry for 10-15 seconds. If it comes out too dark or cooks too fast, your oil may be too hot. Repeat for each croquette, removing excess breading from the oil in between each one. Serve immediately.