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Shrimp croquettes

Name: Shrimp croquettes
Prep time: 90 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 850 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 1 kg unpeeled grey North Sea shrimp (cooked, as sold); 2 piece celery stalks, roughly cut; 1 piece carrot, roughly cut; 1 piece onion, roughly cut; 3 sprig thyme; 3 piece bay leaves; 1 tbsp olive oil; 140 g concentrated tomato purée; 1 tbsp cognac (a splash); 200 ml dry white wine; 1 l milk; 200 ml cream; salt and freshly ground pepper; 250 g butter; 300 g plain flour, sifted; 2 piece gelatine leaves; 8 piece egg yolks; plain flour mixed with cornflour, 2 parts to 1; 2 piece eggs, beaten with a splash of oil; panko, blitzed as fine as ordinary breadcrumbs; oil for deep-frying; lemon wedges and fried curly parsley, to serve

garnaalkroketten / croquettes aux crevettes grises

Croquettes of grey North Sea shrimp: a thick, shrimp-flavoured béchamel set with gelatine and egg yolks, cut, breaded and deep-fried so the crust is crisp and the inside runs. Jeroen Meus's recipe builds the sauce on a stock made from the shrimps' own heads and shells.

Editorial illustration of the documented recipe; not a photograph of a kitchen-tested result.

Servings: 12
Preparation: 1 h 30
Cooking: 40 min
Resting: 12 h
Total: 14 h 10
Difficulty: Involved

Equipment

Food processor or blender
Two large saucepans; fine sieve; whisk
Shallow dish with sides at least 5 cm high; baking paper or cling film
Deep fryer or heavy pan with a thermometer

Substitutions

Grey North Sea shrimp → There is no true substitute: other cooked shrimp give a milder, sweeter croquette.
Panko → Fine dry white breadcrumbs.

Common mistakes

Cutting the filling before it has set: the croquettes lose their shape.
Frying too many at once: the oil cools and the crust soaks up fat or splits.

Storage & reheating

Breaded, unfried croquettes can be frozen and fried from frozen (allow a little longer). Fried croquettes are best eaten at once.

Safety

Contains crustaceans, gluten, milk, egg, celery and sulphites (wine). Hot oil: never fill the pan more than half full and keep children away. Cool the filling quickly and keep it refrigerated while it sets.

Allergens

Crustaceans · Gluten · Milk · Egg · Celery · Sulphites

Check labels: stock, bacon and sauces can contain further allergens.

A Flemish coast classic

Jeroen Meus calls the croquette of North Sea shrimp one of the most sought-after warm starters in Belgium. The grey shrimp are sold cooked in their shells; Meus peels three quarters of them by hand and uses the rest, with all the heads and shells, for the stock.

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A béchamel that holds

The filling is a very thick béchamel: 250 g of butter and 300 g of flour for about 1.4 litres of liquid, enriched with eight yolks and set with gelatine. That ratio, and half a day in the fridge, lets the cold block be cut into neat pieces. Breading in three stages seals it. In the hot oil the crust sets before the filling melts back into a sauce.

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