My recipe for Chorizo Croquetas with Romesco Sauce uses authentic Spanish Chorizo as the main ingredient, along with mashed potatoes.
*Commissioned paid work with The Spanish Chorizo Consortium”
A Martinmas Recipe
My recipe today, which is Martinmas Day, is for Chorizo Croquetas with Romesco Sauce, which uses authentic Spanish Chorizo as the main ingredient. And, unlike many other croqueta recipes, it also uses mashed potatoes in place of white sauce, which I find is easer to deep fry and prepare.
These little Chorizo Croquetas are served with an easy to make Romesco Sauce, perfect for dipping. Serve these deep fried potato and chorizo croquetas as part of a Spanish Tapas table, or for a buffet at Christmas, and Thanksgiving.
They would also be wonderful during the summer months, with fresh salad leaves, Spanish olives and a glass of chilled Fino Sherry. Once made and fried, they can be frozen, you then just need to defrost them before re-heating in a warm oven.
I’ve added some optional extra ideas in the notes at the end, but, I think these are just perfect as they are, are really are delicious little morsels. I’ve also shared an easy Romesco sauce recipe, which uses roasted red peppers in a jar for ease.
Martinmas is celebrated throughout Europe, as well as being known as Armistice Day. It is especially observed in Spain with a national holiday, where it is known as St Martin and is traditionally the day when pigs are slaughtered for the winter.
So, it seems only right that on St Martin’s Day I am sharing my recipe for Chorizo Croquetas with Romesco Sauce which uses authentic Spanish Chorizo. I love cooking (and baking) with chorizo, and have lots of recipes using this deliciously versatile ingredient on Lavender & Lovage.
What is Spanish Chorizo?
Real Spanish Chorizo is such a fabulous ingredient, and for it to be called chorizo, it must fulfill the following criteria, which the The Spanish Chorizo Consortium upholds…..To be considered as chorizo, it needs to:
- Be made with garlic and paprika.
- Be cured in the open air or smoked.
- Contain minced pork as the main base.
- Be marinated with spices such as paprika, which gives it its typical red colour.
The slaughter of the pig is one of the most deeply-rooted gastronomic and cultural traditions in Spain, a ritual in which families obtained meat and sausages for the whole year. Even today, in many parts of Spanish territory, the slaughter continues to be carried out in the traditional way.
More Chorizo Recipes
- Butter Bean & Chorizo Stew with Tomatoes
- Warm Curly Kale Salad with Almonds, Chorizo and Sherry Dressing
- Sun-Dried Tomato, Red Onion and Chorizo Pizza Recipe
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Step-by-Step Photo Slideshow
More Spanish Recipes
- Flamenco “100 Calorie” Gazpacho Soup Recipe
- Spanish Cod with Pimenton and Butter Beans
- Argentinian Picada
Notes and Substitutions:
- You can also add small cubes of Manchego cheese to the croqueta mixture before frying.
- For traditional Spanish croquetas, make 600ml of thick white sauce, allow to go cold and firm, and mix with the cooked chorizo mixture and the rest of the ingredients.
- You can add breadcrumbs to the Romesco sauce for a more traditional sauce.
- Make these into small balls for amuse bouche to serve with cocktails etc.
- Stuff each croqueta with a green pitted olive for an extra taste dimension.
Recipe for Chorizo Croquetas with Romesco Sauce
Chorizo Croquetas with Romesco Sauce
My recipe for Chorizo Croquetas with Romesco Sauce uses authentic Spanish Chorizo as the main ingredient. And, unlike many other croqueta recipes, it also uses mashed potatoes in place of white sauce, which I find is easer to deep fry and prepare. These little Chorizo Croquetas are served with an easy to make Romesco Sauce, perfect for dipping. Serve these deep fried potato and chorizo croquetas as part of a Spanish Tapas table, or for a buffet at Christmas, and Thanksgiving. They would also be wonderful during the summer months, with fresh salad leaves, Spanish olives and a glass of chilled Fino Sherry. Once made and fried, they can be frozen, you then just need to defrost them before re-heating in a warm oven. I've added some optional extra ideas in the notes at the end, but, these really are just perfect as they are, and are delicious little morsels. I've also shared an easy Romesco sauce recipe, which uses roasted red peppers in a jar for ease.
Ingredients
- CHORIZO CROQUETAS:
- 3 large potatoes, peeled, boiled and mashed with 1 teaspoon of olive oil
- 4 links of fresh Spanish Chorizo link sausages, very finely diced
- 2 shallots, peeled and finely diced
- 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon garlic granules, NOT salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 large free range egg, beaten
- Flour, I used rice flour
- Natural fine bread crumbs
- Vegetable oil for frying
- ROMESCO SAUCE:
- 200g roasted red peppers in oil, drained
- 100g blanched toasted almonds
- 50ml extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar, or sherry
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Instructions
- Make the Chorizo Croquetas: Fry the chorizo and shallots in a little olive oil for 4 to 5 minutes, over a low to medium heat, until the chorizo is cooked and the shallots are translucent. Remove from the heat.
- Mix the cooked chorizo and shallots with the mashed potatoes, parsley, garlic granules, smoked paprika and the salt until is all amalgamated. Chill the mixture for up to 4hrs, or overnight.
- When you are ready to cook the croquetas, shape them using floured hands into small oval shapes, weighing about 50g each, you should get between 14 and 16 croquetas.
- Dip each one into the flour, then the beaten egg, and finally the bread crumbs to coat them. Set them to one side and continue until all the mixture is finished.
- Heat up the vegetable oil in a deep frying pan or sauté pan, until a small piece of bread turns golden brown when added.
- Fry the croquetas in batches, turning them over half way through, until they are golden brown and crispy. Drain, and set them on a paper lined plate to drain. You can also keep them warm in the oven if you are cooking a lot at once.
- Serve them warm with toothpicks, and the Romesco sauce for dipping.
- Make the Romesco Sauce: Place all the ingredients into a blender and blitz on the pulse setting for between 30 seconds and 1 minute. Don't over process, as the sauce should still retain the texture of the blanched almonds.
Notes
You can also add small cubes of Manchego cheese to the croqueta mixture before frying.
For traditional Spanish croquetas, make 600ml of thick white sauce, allow to go cold and firm, and mix with the cooked chorizo mixture and the rest of the ingredients. Shape and fry as mentioned in the recipe.
You can add breadcrumbs to the Romesco sauce for a more traditional sauce.
Make these into small balls for amuse bouche to serve with cocktails etc.
Stuff each croqueta with a green pitted olive for an extra taste dimension.
Nutrition Information
Yield 16 Croquetas Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 263Total Fat 13gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 10gCholesterol 19mgSodium 264mgCarbohydrates 31gFiber 3gSugar 2gProtein 7g
sherry says
how delicious! i love the sound of that sauce.
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks Sherry – It’s very lush! Karen
Nic | Nic's Adventures & Bakes says
Thanks for sharing, these look lovely snacks for a party 🙂
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks Nic they would be perfect for parties