A Life in Smoke & Salt

I became addicted to Croquetas after spending a summer in Andalucia a few years back.  Of course in Spain it’s all about the Jamon but we’re really happy with the results we’ve been getting from smoked ham hocks.  The hocks are simmered for four hours then pulled.  The resulting smoky stock is added, along with flour and milk, to leeks poached in extra virgin olive oil and butter to make a thick bechamel that forms the basis for the croquetas.  

For the smoked chicken variety we smoke roast whole, free range birds over oak then use the pulled meat and a smoky stock made from the carcass to flavour the croquetas.

You can try them, fried to order, at Brockley Market for the next couple of weeks but get down early they’ve been selling out fast!