Chef Isabel
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Croquetas de Cabrales
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Croquetas de Cabrales are Asturian: sharp cave-aged blue cheese softened by a proper bechamel, chilled firm, breaded, and fried until crisp outside and molten within.
Appetizers & Snacks
Spanish
Dinner Party
Celebration
Comfort Food
35 min
Active Time
25 min cook•4 hr total
Yield24 croquetas
Croquetas de Cabrales are Asturian, not just any cheese croqueta with a strong smell. Cabrales comes from the Picos de Europa, sharp, salty, blue-veined, and alive enough that you use it with respect. A little carries far. The bechamel is what makes it gentle enough to eat in two bites instead of shouting across the table.
The method that decides the dish is the bechamel. Cook the butter, oil, and flour until the raw taste is gone, then add the milk slowly and stir until the paste thickens, shines, and pulls cleanly from the pan. If you stop too soon, the croquetas burst in the oil. If you cook it properly and chill it hard, they hold. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.
If you can't find Cabrales, use another Spanish blue such as Valdeón, which is milder and a little less wild, or Picón Bejes-Tresviso if you find it. A good non-Spanish blue will work in a kitchen far from Asturias, but choose one with salt and backbone, not a sweet creamy one. No hace falta haber pisado España, but the cheese has to do its job.
My margin note for these is short: cool the dough, then cool it again after shaping. That is not fuss. That is the difference between a clean croqueta and cheese bechamel escaping into the pan.
Cabrales belongs to eastern Asturias, especially the villages around the Picos de Europa, where cow's milk, often mixed with sheep's or goat's milk, was aged in natural limestone caves to develop its blue veins and sharp character. Croquetas became a household way to stretch rich fillings through a thick bechamel, and in Asturias Cabrales gives them a local surname. The dish is served at home and in sidrerías, where its strength suits dry Asturian cider.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
unsalted butter
Quantity
60g
olive oil
Quantity
2 tablespoons
plain flour
Quantity
90g
whole milk
Quantity
750ml
warmed
Cabrales cheese
Quantity
120g
crumbled
fine salt
Quantity
1/4 teaspoon, plus more if needed
grated nutmeg (optional)
Quantity
small pinch
plain flour, for breading
Quantity
80g
large eggs
Quantity
2
beaten
fine dry breadcrumbs
Quantity
160g
olive oil or mild frying oil
Quantity
1 litre
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| unsalted butter | 60g |
| olive oil | 2 tablespoons |
| plain flour | 90g |
| whole milkwarmed | 750ml |
| Cabrales cheesecrumbled | 120g |
| fine salt | 1/4 teaspoon, plus more if needed |
| grated nutmeg (optional) | small pinch |
| plain flour, for breading | 80g |
| large eggsbeaten | 2 |
| fine dry breadcrumbs | 160g |
| olive oil or mild frying oil | 1 litre |
Equipment Needed
- •Wide heavy saucepan
- •Wooden spoon or sturdy whisk
- •Shallow chilling dish
- •Deep frying pan or heavy pot
- •Kitchen thermometer
Instructions
- 1
Make the roux
Melt the butter with the olive oil in a wide saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the 90g flour and stir for 3 to 4 minutes, until it smells toasted and no longer raw, but do not let it brown deeply. This base has to taste cooked before the milk goes in.
- 2
Build the bechamel
Pour in the warm milk a little at a time, whisking hard after each addition until smooth. Once all the milk is in, change to a wooden spoon and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring constantly, until the bechamel is thick, glossy, and pulls cleanly from the bottom of the pan. Pésalo, no lo adivines, and cook it until it tells you it is ready.
- 3
Add the cheese
Lower the heat and stir in the crumbled Cabrales, salt, and nutmeg. Taste before adding more salt, because Cabrales brings plenty of its own. Cook 1 minute more, just until the cheese melts through and the mixture is thick again.
- 4
Chill the dough
Scrape the croqueta dough into a shallow dish and press parchment or film directly onto the surface so it does not form a skin. Chill at least 3 hours, or overnight, until firm enough to scoop and shape. Warm dough makes trouble. Cold dough behaves.
- 5
Shape and bread
Scoop heaped tablespoons of the chilled dough and shape into short cylinders, about 35g each. Roll each one in flour, then beaten egg, then breadcrumbs, coating every edge. Set them on a tray and chill again for 30 minutes before frying; this second chill helps the crust set before the center melts.
- 6
Fry in batches
Heat the oil to 175C in a deep pan. Fry the croquetas in small batches for 2 to 3 minutes, turning gently, until evenly golden and crisp. Do not crowd the pan or the oil cools and the crust drinks grease instead of sealing.
- 7
Drain and serve
Lift the croquetas onto a rack or paper-lined tray and let them stand 2 minutes before serving. The crust should be crisp, the inside soft and molten, and the Cabrales present without bullying the bechamel. Serve them hot, with cider if you have it.
Chef Tips
- •Cabrales is strong. Use 120g for a clear Asturian blue-cheese croqueta; go to 150g only if your cheese is mild or your table likes it sharp.
- •Valdeón is the best easy substitute, milder and creamier, so the croquetas will be rounder and less fierce. Picón Bejes-Tresviso is closer in spirit if you can find it.
- •The bechamel must be thicker than sauce. When you drag the spoon across the bottom of the pan, it should leave a clear path for a second before closing.
- •For a dinner party, bread the croquetas in the morning and keep them covered in the refrigerator. Fry just before serving.
- •Drink Asturian sidra with them if you can. Its dry bite cuts through the cheese and fried crust better than a soft white wine.
Advance Preparation
- •The bechamel dough can be made 24 hours ahead and chilled, covered directly on the surface.
- •The shaped and breaded croquetas can be refrigerated for up to 12 hours before frying.
- •Freeze breaded croquetas on a tray, then bag them once solid. Fry from frozen at 170C, adding 1 to 2 minutes, and watch that the crust does not darken before the center melts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 55g)
Calories
160 calories
Total Fat
11 g
Saturated Fat
4 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
6 g
Cholesterol
30 mg
Sodium
160 mg
Total Carbohydrates
12 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
2 g
Protein
4 g
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