Authentic Spanish Cocido Stew Croquettes to Lick your Fingers! 

(Croquetas de Cocido)


By Edu Valor / Author - Spanish Chef

Spanish cocido stew croquettes are one of those things you don’t always plan for—but once you taste them, you’ll wish you had leftovers more often.

In our family, we’d make these crispy, savory bites when there were bits of meat and broth left from a big pot of chickpea cocido. No one ever set out just to make croquettes. They were a happy result of something already delicious.

Appetizing Spanish cocido stew croquettes on a saucer.Creamy stew croquettes


They might come off as rustic, maybe even too simple, but trust me—flavor is where these croquettes shine. If you ever make Madrilenian cocido or a reduced version of it, this would be your chance.

Not once have I heard someone complain about how they taste. If anything, people ask for seconds. They easily hold their own against chicken croquettes or cod croquettes.

Let's Make Addictive Cocido Croquettes

Ingredients for 25-30 Croquettes


Preparation: 30-40 minutes
Cooking/fry: croquettes 3-4 minutes, frozen 5-6 minutes.

*Measurements in metric and USA Imperial system. For British/Canadian measurements please use the metric conversion calculator.

  • 240g/8.5 oz mixed cocido meat (chicken, beef and/or pork)
  • ½ medium carrot diced
  • ½ celery stalk diced
  • 1 small onion finely diced
  • 70g/2.5 oz butter
  • 100g/3.5 all-purpose flour
  • 450ml/2 Cups milk lukewarm
  • 250ml/1 Cup cocido broth
  • salt and pepper
  • a pinch of nutmeg
  • 2 eggs beaten
  • 1 tbsp olive oil (or peanut oil)
  • breadcrumbs
  • flour

Instructions


Prepare the Filling

  1. Cook the carrot and celery in the broth for 15–20 minutes, or until tender.
  2. While they cook, finely mince the meat using a knife.
  3. Once the vegetables are done, drain them and mince them as well.

Make the Béchamel Sauce

  1. In a large frying pan over medium heat, melt the butter with the olive oil.
  2. Add the onions and cook until soft and translucent.
  3. Stir in the flour and mix until it forms a thick paste. Cook the mixture for a couple of minutes to eliminate the raw flour taste.
  4. Gradually pour in the broth and milk, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Continue stirring until the béchamel is smooth, glossy, and begins to pull away from the pan.
  5. Season with salt and a pinch of nutmeg to taste—don’t overdo it.
  6. Add the minced meat, carrot, and celery. Mix thoroughly until evenly combined.

Chill the Mixture

  1. Line a tray with clingfilm and spread the meat mixture evenly on it.
  2. Fold over the clingfilm to cover, pressing it gently against the paste to prevent a skin from forming.
  3. Let it cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.


Frying the Croquettes

  1. Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt in a bowl.
  2. Scoop out portions of the chilled mixture and shape each one into a ball about the size of a golf ball. You can keep them round or roll them into cylinders. (A croquette mold makes this easier.)
  3. Dredge each croquette in all-purpose flour, dip it in the beaten eggs, and coat it with breadcrumbs (panko can be used for extra crunch).
  4. Heat oil to 340°F (170°C). Fry the croquettes for about 3 minutes until golden brown. If using frozen croquettes, fry for about 5 minutes.

TIPS: 

  • If you prefer, use panko instead of breadcrumbs.
  • Do not brown the onion, they're fine when glazy and soft.
  • Pour beaten eggs in a small bowl, enough to fit 1 or 2 croquettes.
  • Use meat and broth from a chickpea cocido.


A Tradition of Making Do—and Making It Delicious


Home cooks in Spain, like everywhere else, have always known how to stretch a meal. When you’ve got leftover stew—cocido, puchero, or however your family calls it—you find a way to make it into dinner or lunch for the next day.

That’s exactly how Spanish cocido stew croquettes came to be. They weren’t fancy, but they were smart. And they were always good.

What started as thrift became tradition. Now, these croquettes are part of the story of Spanish cooking—proof that creativity and comfort often go hand in hand.

Spanish stew croquettes mix with bechamel sauce in a pan.The minced meat, carrot and celery with béchamel.

What You Will Need

  1. Frying pan
  2. Spatula
  3. Meat knife
  4. Paring knife
  5. Cutting board
  6. Measuring beaker
  7. Small bowls
  8. Tray
  9. Scale
  10. Clingfilm


Use What You Have, and Enjoy Every Bite


Whenever possible, the Spanish made the most of a hearty meal. You finish your chickpea cocido at lunch, and come dinnertime—there’s croquettes. If you wanted to save a buck, this was the way, and it still is.

To keep things simple, I usually go with chicken and a thick slab of bacon. That combo is already delicious, but a traditional cocido from Madrid often includes a lot more: chicken, bacon, morcilla (blood sausage), chorizo, and morcillo (beef shank).

Depending on where you are in Spain, the mix changes. Some folks even throw in pork and beef bones, or tocino añejo—a kind of aged, salted bacon often found in Andalusia that gives the broth its unmistakable flavor.

And when that broth gets cooked down and stirred into a béchamel? It turns into something really good. That's the base of your Spanish cocido stew croquettes—humble ingredients, turned extraordinary.


*****

Edu's Authentic Spanish Croquette Recipes