Chef Isabel
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Croquetas de Bacalao del País Vasco
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Croquetas de bacalao are northern, and in the Basque kitchen the cod leads: desalt it slowly, bind it in thick bechamel, chill it firm, then fry until the shell is crisp.
Appetizers & Snacks
Spanish
Easter
Comfort Food
Make Ahead
45 min
Active Time
45 min cook•53 hr 30 min total
Yield24 croquetas
Croquetas de bacalao del País Vasco belong to the northern habit of making salt cod go far and taste generous. This is not a croqueta with a little fish hiding in milk paste. The bacalao is desalted slowly, flaked cleanly, and folded through a thick bechamel so every bite tastes of cod, olive oil, onion, and a quiet scrape of nutmeg.
The method that decides it is the bechamel. Cook the flour in the oil and butter until it smells nutty, then add the milk little by little and keep stirring until the paste pulls away from the pan. Too loose, and the croquetas burst in the oil. Thick and rested cold, they roll easily, fry cleanly, and come out creamy inside. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.
If you are far from a Basque market, buy good salt cod from a Portuguese, Italian, Caribbean, or Latin shop and desalt it yourself. If you can only find already-desalted frozen bacalao, use it, but dry it very well and taste before salting the filling. What you must not use is fresh cod and pretend it is the same thing. It makes a pleasant fish croqueta, yes, but not this one.
My Margin has the warning in very plain words: chill the masa longer than you think. The filling needs time to set and taste of itself. Nadie nace sabiendo, nobody is born knowing, but this is one of those dishes where patience does half the cooking for you.
Salt cod is part of the old northern larder, especially in the Basque Country, where preserved bacalao fed inland kitchens long after the fishing boats and trade routes brought it home. Croquetas grew from the household need to stretch a prized ingredient with milk, flour, and careful frying, turning scraps of fish into a dish good enough for feast days and Lent alike. In Basque bars and home kitchens, bacalao croquetas sit beside other salt-cod dishes such as bacalao al pil pil and a la vizcaína, each one showing the same lesson: preservation became flavour.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
salt cod
Quantity
250g
desalted over 36 to 48 hours, skin and bones removed
whole milk
Quantity
500ml
unsalted butter
Quantity
60g
olive oil
Quantity
40ml
plain flour
Quantity
90g
for the bechamel
small onion
Quantity
1
very finely minced
garlic clove
Quantity
1
finely minced
parsley
Quantity
1 tablespoon
finely chopped
freshly grated nutmeg
Quantity
1/8 teaspoon
fine salt (optional)
Quantity
only if needed
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
to taste
large eggs
Quantity
2
beaten
plain flour
Quantity
120g
for coating
fine dry breadcrumbs
Quantity
180g
olive oil or mild frying oil
Quantity
1 litre
for frying
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| salt coddesalted over 36 to 48 hours, skin and bones removed | 250g |
| whole milk | 500ml |
| unsalted butter | 60g |
| olive oil | 40ml |
| plain flourfor the bechamel | 90g |
| small onionvery finely minced | 1 |
| garlic clovefinely minced | 1 |
| parsleyfinely chopped | 1 tablespoon |
| freshly grated nutmeg | 1/8 teaspoon |
| fine salt (optional) | only if needed |
| freshly ground black pepper | to taste |
| large eggsbeaten | 2 |
| plain flourfor coating | 120g |
| fine dry breadcrumbs | 180g |
| olive oil or mild frying oilfor frying | 1 litre |
Equipment Needed
- •Wide heavy saucepan
- •Whisk or wooden spoon
- •Shallow dish for chilling the masa
- •Kitchen thermometer
- •Deep frying pan or small pot
Instructions
- 1
Desalt the cod
Rinse the salt cod well under cold water, then put it in a bowl and cover with plenty of cold water. Refrigerate for 36 to 48 hours, changing the water every 8 to 12 hours. Taste a tiny flake after poaching later; it should be savory, not harsh. Desalting is not a decorative step. Rush it and the whole croqueta tastes angry.
Thick pieces need the full 48 hours. Thin trimmings may be ready in 24 to 36 hours, but taste before you trust them. - 2
Poach and flake
Drain the cod and put it in a small pan with the 500ml milk. Bring just to the edge of a simmer, then turn off the heat and let the fish sit in the hot milk for 10 minutes. Lift out the cod, keeping the milk, and flake the fish finely with your fingers, removing every bit of skin and bone. Keep the flakes small so the filling rolls cleanly.
- 3
Soften the onion
Melt the butter with the olive oil in a wide pan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until soft and sweet but not browned. Add the garlic for the last minute. This is not a dark sofrito, the slow onion base used in stews; here it only needs to lose its raw bite and disappear into the bechamel.
- 4
Cook the roux
Stir in the 90g flour and cook for 3 minutes, scraping the pan, until the mixture looks sandy and smells faintly nutty. Do not leave raw flour in it. That is the taste that makes a croqueta dull no matter how good the cod was.
- 5
Build the bechamel
Add the warm cod milk little by little, stirring hard after each addition until smooth before adding more. Once all the milk is in, cook 10 to 12 minutes, stirring constantly, until the masa is thick, glossy, and pulls away from the sides and bottom of the pan in one heavy sheet. Pésalo, no lo adivines, and cook it thick enough. Loose bechamel is why croquetas burst.
- 6
Fold in bacalao
Stir in the flaked cod, parsley, nutmeg, and black pepper. Taste before adding salt, because the bacalao may have given enough. Cook 2 minutes more, still stirring, so the fish and bechamel become one filling rather than fish scattered through sauce.
- 7
Chill the masa
Scrape the filling into a shallow dish, press baking paper or film directly onto the surface, and refrigerate at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. Cold masa rolls instead of smearing. This is the patience you think you can skip, and then the oil tells the truth.
- 8
Shape and bread
Set out three dishes: 120g flour, the beaten eggs, and the breadcrumbs. With lightly oiled hands, shape the cold filling into 24 short cylinders, about 30g each. Roll each one in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs, making sure the coating is even and closed at the ends. Put them back in the refrigerator for 30 minutes while the oil heats.
- 9
Fry in batches
Heat the oil to 175C in a deep pan. Fry the croquetas in small batches for 2 to 3 minutes, turning once, until evenly deep gold and crisp. Do not crowd the pan or the temperature drops and the coating drinks oil. Drain on a rack or paper, then let them stand 3 minutes before eating; the inside will be creamy and very hot.
Chef Tips
- •Buy proper salt cod, bacalao en salazón, not fresh cod. Fresh cod lacks the cured depth and firm flake that make these croquetas taste northern. If already-desalted bacalao is all you can find, thaw it slowly, pat it very dry, and taste before seasoning.
- •The bechamel must be thicker than sauce. When you drag a spoon through the pan, it should leave a clear path for a moment and gather heavily around the spoon. Thin filling makes good spoon food, not croquetas.
- •Fine dry breadcrumbs give the cleanest old-fashioned crust. Panko fries too rough and airy for this dish. It works, but the result is a different bite.
- •Fry a single test croqueta first. If it cracks, chill the rest longer or double-bread them with another pass through egg and crumbs. The filling is telling you it is too warm or the coating has a gap.
- •Serve them plain, or with lemon wedges if your house likes them. No sauce is needed. A croqueta that needs hiding was not ready to leave the kitchen.
Advance Preparation
- •Desalt the cod 36 to 48 hours ahead, changing the water every 8 to 12 hours and keeping it refrigerated.
- •Make the filling up to 2 days ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator. It rolls better after a full night.
- •Shape and bread the croquetas up to 24 hours ahead. Keep them chilled in a single layer, covered lightly.
- •Freeze breaded uncooked croquetas on a tray, then pack them once hard. Fry from frozen at 170C, adding 1 to 2 minutes, and keep the batches small.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 50g)
Calories
160 calories
Total Fat
10 g
Saturated Fat
3 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
7 g
Cholesterol
30 mg
Sodium
150 mg
Total Carbohydrates
12 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
2 g
Protein
5 g
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