Author Notes
Last summer I co-hosted a co-ed wedding shower. I did all the food and I wanted to serve croquettas to go with the Spanish themed menu. Since I was making everything else I hoped and and assumed I could buy them frozen somewhere. After spending several days driving around metro Atlanta I found that I could not purchase them. I found them on line, but they were cost prohibitive. They had to be pescatarian friendly to meet the guests of honor dietary restrictions. I did not like the vegetarian recipes I found and was not in the mood to mess around with salt cod; I was wary of using mushrooms and their water logged selves on my first trip out so I decided to use a standard recipe for jamon croquettas I had found on both the Washington Post website and at latienda.com and I would substitute the meat for canned tuna. They were a hit at the party and our kids love them too. - Summer of Eggplant —Summer of Eggplant
Test Kitchen Notes
What I like about this recipe is that you can make it almost entirely from your pantry. And fortunately, mine is always stocked with top-quality Spanish tuna, anchovies and pimento ahumado. And, I've got really good free range eggs to work with too. There were a few steps that left me puzzled, especially at the frying station, but not wanting to depart from the master recipe, I froze the croquettas for two hours as specified (although holding them in the refrigerator would be fine) and all was well. I applaud Summer of Eggplant for including the attribution note. - pierino
—pierino
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Ingredients
- Tuna Croquettas
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1/2 cup
1/2 of an onion chopped finely
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5 ounces
can tuna in oil (drained)
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2
anchovies in oil
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1 cup
milk
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4 tablespoons
flour
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1 pinch
smoked paprika
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pepper
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3 tablespoons
olive oil
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2 teaspoons
chopped parsley
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1 cup
breadcrumbs
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2
egg whites
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2 tablespoons
water
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vegetable oil
- Smoked Paprika Aioli
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2
egg yolks (room temperature)
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1 cup
olive oil
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3 tablespoons
lemon juice (room temperature)
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2 teaspoons
smoked paprika
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1/8 teaspoon
cayenne
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3 tablespoons
canned chopped fire roasted tomatoes
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1-2
cloves garlic minced, about 1/2 teaspoon
Directions
- Tuna Croquettas
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Saute the onion in olive oil, until translucent, about 10 minutes.
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Halfway through cooking the onions add the anchovies and let them dissolve by mashing them, making a paste and evenly distributing them throughout the onions.
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Add the flour 1 tablespoon at a time by whisking it in, making sure the prior tablespoon of flour is incorporated before adding the next.
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Next add the milk by whisking it in. Heating the milk so it is at room temperature will make it less likely to crack the roux, I microwaved mine for 20 seconds. Like the flour, I add this in 3-4 steps, making sure the prior dose is incorporated before adding the next.
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Remove from heat and add in the tuna, paprika, parsley and pepper.
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Place in the fridge to cool for 2-3 hours.
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Once chilled, make an egg wash with the egg whites and water, whisk with a fork until combined. Using about a two teaspoon sized piece of dough roll into oblong dumplings, roll in bread crumbs, then egg wash, bread crumbs again, place on a plate covered with wax or parchment paper.
For the sake of uniformity and presentation I used an actual teaspoon (which held 2 a teaspoon measurement) for scooping the dough, then I boxed it by pressing on the sides and top and forming them to the width of my palm.
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When all are assembled place in freezer on plate with wax paper about another 2 hours, at this point they can be fried or stored in a freezer bag for another time.
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Heat vegetable oil in a pan about 1/2 an inch deep to about 300 degrees. Fry croquettas turning once, about 3 minutes total, drain on paper towels.
- Smoked Paprika Aioli
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To make the sauce, add the egg yolks and tomatoes to a blender with a tablespoon of the oil, start on low, stream in the oil and spices, increase speed to medium, then add the lemon juice. Blend for about a minute or two until it becomes a mayonnaise.
I don't like being accosted by raw garlic. I usually roast mine in the oven with a little olive oil so it softens the garlic and the flavor and then use I it in any recipe calling for raw garlic.
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