Deer Ham Spanish Croquettes (Croquetas de Jamon)

Get your fried food fix with these crispy Deer Ham Spanish Croquettes made with a creamy bechamel filling. These Croquetas de Jamon are bursting with flavor and a great idea to serve at your next party to WOW your friends and family with wild game. You'll first need to turn that venison roast in your freezer into a cured and smoked ham using the deer ham recipe here.

Everyone loves croquettes! This Spanish snack’s addictively crunchy, deep-fried shell and rich, creamy interior are so delicious and easy to make. The salty bear ham spills out every time you take a bite.

WHAT IS A CROQUETTE?

Deep-fried foods are loved all across the globe. Many countries around the world enjoy their own version of croquettes. But what is a croquette?

Spanish croquettes consist of breaded and fried balls with different types of filling. French croquettes are held together by potatoes, whereas Spanish croquettes (croquetas) are made with a bechamel sauce: butter, milk, and flour.

In Spain, croquettes are served as tapas: small, savory dishes to be shared and enjoyed as part of a snack spread. I spent a lot of time eating different tapas while I was in Santiago de Compostela, Spain with students years ago. Traditional tapas include all sorts of hot and cold dishes, from olives and sautéed shrimp to fried squid and chorizo. But the first time I bit into a plate of Croquetas de Jamon, I fell in love and had to replicate this delicious dish using homemade deer ham.

HOW TO MAKE CROQUETTES

1. Melt butter and oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Then add diced onion and sauté for 2 minutes.

2. Add the flour and whisk in to incorporate it completely. Sauté the flour for about 2 minutes, making a roux, until it begins to turn a light brown color and smells toasted.

3. Add the half & half a little at a time, stirring constantly to incorporate each addition, until you have added it all. Continue stirring the mixture for a few minutes until it is creamy, thick, and smooth.

4. Remove your mixture from the heat and let it cool slightly. Transfer the dough to a baking sheet and spread out to a thin layer and place in refrigerator to cool completely and set (about 1 hour).

5. Place the flour in a shallow bowl. Then place the beaten eggs in a second shallow bowl. And finally, place the panko breadcrumbs in a third separate bowl. Finally, roll them in the panko breadcrumbs, pressing to coat.

6. Working with roughly 2 Tablespoons of dough at a time, shape them into little, fat thumb-size ovals.

7. Roll each croquette in the flour, coating completely. Next, dip each croquette, one at a time, in the beaten egg, turning to coat. Finally, roll them in the panko breadcrumbs, pressing to coat. Next, dip each croquette, one at a time, in the beaten egg, turning to coat.

8. Now you can heat ½ inch of vegetable or canola oil over med high heat in a cast iron skillet until it reaches 350 degrees F (When you drop a little flour or breadcrumbs into the oil and they sizzle, the oil is ready.)

9. Fry the croquettes in batches of 8 at a time, making sure not to crowd the oil, about 2 minutes on each side, until golden brown.

10. Remove the croquettes from the oil and place them on a paper towel lined platter to cool slightly. Serve warm.

DEER HAM BRINING RECIPE

Cured and smoked deer ham is one of the easiest hams to make using a venison hindquarter roast. Cure time is about 12 hours per pound of meat for a light cure, but I prefer 24 hours per pound for a more traditional ham cure.

1. Mix the sugar, salt, and curing salt in the water until it dissolves. Submerge the ham in the brine for 4 days in the fridge.

2. Take the ham out of the brine, pat it dry with paper towels, set it on a wire rack on a baking pan, and put it back in the fridge uncovered overnight to dry.

3. Smoke over your favorite wood chips for 1 hour, getting the smoker's temperature up to 220°F. Heat the maple syrup in the microwave and brush the ham with it every hour until the ham reaches an internal temperature of 130 degrees F.

4. Let the ham cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing on a cutting board. Serve warm or cold. Add the nutmeg, salt, black pepper, paprika, and diced ham. Mix well.

CONNECT WITH ME AND JOIN OUR WILD GAME COOKING COMMUNITY

If you make this Deer Ham Spanish Croquettes Recipe, I’d love for you to join our community and connect with me so we can all see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! When you post a pic of your finished dish on Instagram, be sure and use the hashtag #wildgameandfish and then tag me @wildgameandfish so I can share it on my Instagram stories.

If you have another great way to use deer ham in a recipe you'd love to share, I'd love to hear about it. You can email me at: jeffinfargo@gmail.com

Did you enjoy this Deer Ham Spanish Croquettes Recipe? Be sure to leave a 5-star rating RIGHT HERE!

5 from 12 votes

Print Rate

Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Snack

Cuisine: spanish

Keyword: croquetas de jamon, croquettes, deer ham, ham brining recipe, how to make croquettes, spanish croquetas, spanish croquettes, venison ham, what is a croquette

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 15

Chill time: 1

Total Time: 1 30

Servings: croquettes

Author: Jeff Benda

Ingredients

Croquetas

4 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
¾ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups Half & Half
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
2 cups deer ham, diced

Breading for Croquetas

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs, beaten + 2 Tablespoons water
1 cup panko bread crumbs

Instructions

Melt butter and oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat.
Add diced onion and sauté for 2 minutes
Add the flour and whisk in to incorporate it completely. Sauté the flour for about 2 minutes, making a roux, until it begins to turn a light brown color and smells toasted.
Add the half & half a little at a time, stirring constantly to incorporate each addition, until you have added it all. Continue stirring the mixture for a few minutes until it is creamy, thick, and smooth.
Add the nutmeg, salt, black pepper, paprika, and diced deer ham. Mix well.
Remove your mixture from the heat and let it cool slightly. Transfer the dough to a baking sheet and spread out to a thin layer and place in refrigerator to cool completely and set (about 1 hour).
Place the flour in a shallow bowl. Then place the beaten eggs in a second shallow bowl. And finally, place the panko breadcrumbs in a third separate bowl.
Working with roughly 2 Tablespoons of dough at a time, shape them into little, fat thumb-size ovals.
Roll each croquette in the flour, coating completely.
Next, dip each croquette, one at a time, in the beaten egg, turning to coat.
Finally, roll them in the panko breadcrumbs, pressing to coat.
Now you can heat ½ inch of vegetable or canola oil over med high heat in a cast iron skillet until it reaches 350 degrees F (When you drop a little flour or bread crumbs into the oil and they sizzle, the oil is ready.)
Fry the croquettes in batches of 8 at a time, making sure not to crowd the oil, about 2 minutes on each side, until golden brown.
Remove the croquettes from the oil and place them on a paper towel lined platter to cool slightly.
Serve warm.

Deer Ham Spanish Croquettes (Croquetas de Jamon)