Spanish · Authentic-ish Spanish
Croquetas de Jamon
369 kcal a serving, against 639 for the traditional version. That is 270 kcal off, or 42%, with 20.4g of protein. Serves 4. 1 hour 30 minutes.
What the traditional version is
Traditional croquetas de jamon start with a thick, glossy bechamel made with butter, flour and whole milk, stirred forever on the hob until it's barely pourable. Finely chopped jamon is stirred in along with a little of the rendered ham fat for flavour.
What changed, and what each change costs
Butter cut down and roux made with half butter, half quark
Butter's what gives the filling its rich taste and smooth mouthfeel, but swap too much and you just get beige sadness. Replacing half the butter with quark saves fat, gives some protein and enough body to make a roux that doesn't split.
What it costs you. You lose that slow buttery perfume the kitchen gets after 20 minutes. The filling isn't quite as creamy, and there's a subtle twang from the quark. It's a fair trade if you want less fat and a bit more heft.
Whole milk swapped for skimmed milk
Full-fat milk is all about richness. Using skimmed milk keeps the filling lighter, bumps up the protein a bit, but risks the dreaded split if you're not careful. A spoonful of flour extra makes up for lost body.
What it costs you. You get a slightly less unctuous centre, but if you're deft with your whisk, you'll still get a rich enough filling. Nobody's going to swoon, but they'll eat two anyway.
Cured jamon dropped to 60g and bumped up with lean ham
Cured ham is essential for flavour, but it's mostly fat. Keeping some for top note and adding in sliced lean cooked ham gives you a whack of savoury without the grease.
What it costs you. You do lose the chewy flecks of pure jamon you'd get in Spain. The croquetas are a bit less salty and less luxurious, but you can get away with it as long as there's enough real stuff for the aroma.
Deep-frying swapped for oven baking with a light spray of olive oil
Frying is where most of the oil comes from - and the crunch. Baking on a hot tray with a thin mist of oil gets you a golden crust, just about. Don't over-promise.
What it costs you. Let's be honest: oven-baked croquetas aren't the real article. The crust is drier and loses that explosive crunch. Still better than nothing, but it won't ever fool your Spanish mate.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 639 | 369 |
| Protein | 16.9g | 20.4g |
| Fat | 48.9g | 15.5g |
| Saturated fat | 15.2g | 7.2g |
| Carbohydrate | 33.3g | 36g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 2.6g | 5.5g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Spanish prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. gluten, eggs, milk.
The method is in the book
These aren't croquetas de jamon like the ones in a backstreet bar in Madrid, but you knew that when you opened the oven. The filling's still rich, hammy and savoury, but not quite as luscious. If you desperately need that deep-fried thing, go out for the real deal and order extra. For taste and a bit of protein with less fat, these are decent. But if you start a fight with a Spaniard about whether this counts, you're on your own.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Spanish, along with 57 more. It is not out yet. The swap kit is free in the meantime.