Tom Kerridge’s smoked ham croquettes
- Published: 6 Oct 23
- Updated: 25 Mar 24
Tom Kerridge’s smoked ham croquettes have a golden, crunchy coating and gooey, cheesy centre. Serve with Tom’s tangy apple chutney for dunking.
βEveryone will relish the familiar comforting flavour of these crunchy crowdpleasers. The chunky sweet and sour chutney has a spicy kick, whichΒ balances the richness of the croquettes and adds another flavour dimension,” says Tom.
Recipe taken from Pub Kitchen: The Ultimate Modern British Food Bible by Tom Kerridge (Bloomsbury Absolute Β£27) and tested by delicious.
Next time: try Tom’s crispy prawn cakes with easy dill mayo.
- Makes 20-24
- Hands-on time 1 hour 20 min, plus 2 hours chilling
Ingredients
- 50g unsalted butter
- 130g plain flour
- 350ml whole milk
- ΒΌ nutmeg, finely grated
- 1 tsp English mustard
- 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
- 200g thick-sliced outdoor reared smoked ham, cubed
- 100g hard mozzarella, coarsely grated
- 2 large free-range eggs, lightly beaten
- 150g panko breadcrumbs
- Vegetable oil to fry
For the chutney
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
- 1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored and finely diced
- 100ml cider vinegar
- 80g golden caster sugar
You’ll also need
- Thermometer
Method
- Melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat. Stir in 50g of the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the milk, keeping the mixture smooth. When itβs all added, cook over a very low heat for 10 minutes more or until thickened. Season with salt, pepper, the nutmeg and mustards. Mix in the ham and mozzarella. Transfer the mixture to a tray, then chill in the fridge for 2 hours.
- Meanwhile, make the chutney. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan, add the onion and fry for 4-5 minutes to soften. Add the chilli and apple and cook for a further 4-5 minutes until the apple is softened. Add the cider vinegar, sugarΒ and 150ml water. Increase the heat to high and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until you have a jammy consistency. Take off the heat, leave to cool slightly, then taste for seasoning.
- Take the tray from the fridge, divide the mixture into 20-24 even-size pieces and roll each into a log. Put on a clean tray and into the freezer for 10 minutes to firm up.
- Tip the remaining 80g flour into a shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper. Put the eggs in a second bowl and add a little seasoning. Put the breadcrumbs in a third bowl.
- Take the tray from the freezer. Dip each log into the flour to coat well (see tips), then into the eggs and lastly intothe breadcrumbs, turning to coat all over. Put the logs on a tray in the freezer until ready to cook.
- Youβll need to cook the croquettes in batches. Heat the oven to 130Β°C fan/gas 2. Take the tray from the freezer and heat a 5cm depth of oil in a sautΓ© pan to 180Β°C. Lower the logs into the oil and cook for 5-6 minutes or until golden and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Keep warm in the oven while you cook the rest.
- Once theyβre all cooked, sprinkle the croquettes with a little extra salt, then serve with the apple and chilli chutney.
- Recipe from October 2023 Issue
Nutrition
- Calories
- 115kcals
- Fat
- 4.9g (2.4g saturated)
- Protein
- 5.1g
- Carbohydrates
- 12g (5.2g sugars)
- Fibre
- 0.5g
- Salt
- 0.4g
delicious. tips
In step 5 use one hand (the dry hand) to flour the croquettes, then drop them in the egg. Use the other hand (the wet hand) to retrieve them, then drop in the breadcrumbs. Use your dry hand to cover the croquette in crumbs and carefully turn, then put on the tray.
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