Salmon croquettes

This is a basic savoury croquette recipe and can be adapted for any filling, making it an excellent recipe for using up left over cooked meat, fish or vegetables.

They’re only small so if I am serving them as the main part of a meal I serve four croquettes per person with a Béarnaise sauce on the side.

SALMON CROQUETTES
Makes 12

INGREDIENTS:

450 g cooked salmon fillet, skinned and flaked
Béchamel Sauce:
1.5 oz (45 g) butter
1.5 oz (45 g) flour
8 fl.oz (225 ml) milk
Salt
White pepper
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
3 egg yolks
Coating:
1oo g flour
2 eggs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons water
Salt and freshly ground pepper
225 g fresh white breadcrumbs
oil for deep frying
few parsley sprigs to garnish

METHOD:

Melt the butter for the béchamel sauce in a medium saucepan over a low heat. Remove from the heat and stir in the flour until smooth.

Return the pan to the heat and slowly pour in the milk beating continuously until smooth and the sauce has thickened.

Season with the salt, pepper and nutmeg and remove from the heat.

Whisk the egg yolks with a little of the hot sauce and then tip this mix back into the pan. Return the sauce to the heat and cook, stirring, until very thick and leaves the sides of the pan.

Stir the salmon into the sauce then spread the mixture on to a dish.

Pat the surface with butter to prevent a crust from forming then refrigerate for about 1 hour, until set.

Put the flour for the coating on a large plate.

In a shallow dish, beat the eggs with the vegetable oil and water. Season with salt and pepper.

Put the breadcrumbs on another large plate.

With floured hands divide the fish mixture in to 12 small sausage shapes. Dredge them first in the flour, shaking off the excess, then in the egg mixture and finish by rolling them in the breadcrumbs until completely coated.

Fry in the hot oil until golden brown. Drain on paper towels, garnished with the parsley sprigs and serve immediately.