• Home
• Recipes
• Entertain
• Belgian shrimp croquettes

Belgian shrimp croquettes

• Gurdeep Loyal

Save recipe

Makes around 20

Easy

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 15 mins

plus at least 3 hrs 30 mins chilling and freezing

0 reviews

loading...

Get 5 months for £5 when you subscribe today

These shrimp croquettes are a popular beer snack in Belgium. Perfect for parties or as a starter to a fancy dinner.

Print

Ad

Skip to ingredients

Alternatives

Complete the dish

Loading...

Showing items 1 to 3 of 3

Crab croquettes

A star rating of 0 out of 5.0 ratings

Crab croquettes

A star rating of 0 out of 5.0 ratings

Bread sauce and stuffing croquettes

A star rating of 0 out of 5.0 ratings

Try Gurdeep's Belgian shrimp croquettes, then discover healthy prawn linguine, linguine alle vongole, seafood linguine , prawn pasta, creamy garlic prawn pasta and prawns pil pil.

Unlike other European croquettes, many of which are potato-based, Belgian croquettes are unique in that they’re filled with thick, creamy béchamel. They also tend to have a slightly more robust golden breadcrumb coating, which conceals their velvety, melting interiors – when deep-fried, the filling oozes out of these crunchy crusts.

Garnaalkroketten are the most popular – filled with tiny North Sea grey shrimp – but gooey, cheese-filled croquettes loaded with gruyère, emmental or gouda are just as well loved across the Belgian regions. In Brussels, the open-air seafood counter Noordzee, located in the atmospheric Place Sainte-Catherine, cooks the most prized croquettes in the city. Its ultra-fresh shrimp are saline, savoury, rich and sweet, which gives the croquettes an intense depth of flavour that’s amplified by a shatteringly crisp crumb, lemon wedges and generous dollops of tartar on the side.

In Antwerp, dedicated artisan croquette bars have popped up everywhere, all devoted to perfecting this iconic Belgian delicacy. In the city centre is Croquettenbar Smaeck, which elevates its offerings to gourmet standards. The oude kaas features a deeply savoury mature cheese filling that pairs deliciously with the housemade dipping sauce. Meanwhile, its quintessential shrimp croquette is packed with grey shrimp, and its less conventional rendang croquette is filled with slow-cooked, fragrant Indonesian-spiced pulled beef. It also offers a croquette tasting platter for those who can’t decide what to order.

Another famed Antwerp establishment is Croquettes Coquettes, which offers a seafood croquette filled with lime pearls that pop in your mouth, plus a classic North Sea shrimp croquette served in a brioche bun and a Greek- inspired feta and tomato croquette. Tucked away on Armeduivelstraat, the cosy De Arme Duivel pub serves up traditional, scratch-made, ultra-creamy croquettes loaded with grey shrimp, plus parmesan shavings and fried parsley to garnish. Lastly, check out Fish A’ Gogo, a seafood shack by Antwerp’s cathedral – its famous croquettes are extra creamy with a touch of spice, crisp panko crust and good-quality shrimp. There’s also an extra-indulgent lobster croquette available seasonally.

My recipe brings together the best of all these options – buttery béchamel, a generous amount of fresh shrimp, gruyère for extra richness, a touch of cayenne for heat and parsley for freshness. They’re double-breadcrumbed so the centre stays intact as they fry, but you can stick with a single layer if you prefer a lighter croquette. Serve with a crisp Belgian beer – in Antwerp, it would be an amber ale brewed at the historic De Koninck brewery.

Belgian shrimp croquettes recipe

Ingredients

Nutrition

• 85g butter

  diced

• 1 medium onion

  finely diced

• 95g plain four

  plus extra for dusting

• 1 tbsp cornflour

• 350ml whole milk

• 80g gruyère or comte

  grated

• ¾ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

• ½ tsp cayenne pepper

• 250g peeled and cooked prawns

• 1 lemon

  zested then halved

• 15g parsley

  finely chopped

• 200g golden breadcrumbs

• 3 medium eggs

  beaten

• sunflower or rapeseed oil

  for frying

• tartar sauce

  to serve

Nutrition: per serving (6)

• kcal608
• fat38g
• saturates14g
• carbs44g
• sugars6g
• fibre2g
• protein21g
• salt2.1g

Ad

Method

• step 1

  Melt 20g of the butter in a large pan over a medium heat and cook the onions with a pinch of sea salt for 6-7 mins until translucent. Add the remaining butter and allow it to melt (but not brown), then tip in the flours. Whisk to bring everything together into a thick roux, then cook for 2-3 mins, whisking until no raw flour remains. Pour in half of the milk, then whisk well over a gentle heat until smooth. Add the remaining milk and whisk again until you have a smooth, thick béchamel.

• step 2

  Add the cheese, nutmeg, cayenne, ½ tsp each of black pepper and sea salt, the prawns, lemon zest and parsley. Cook for 1 min, whisking continuously, then taste and add more spices or salt, if needed. Cook over a low heat for 1 min until thickened, adding 1 tsp of cornflour if it’s still too runny. Pour the mixture into a deep roasting tin, then chill for at least 2 hrs until firm.

• step 3

  Remove from the fridge and, using two large spoons, scoop out cylindrical croquettes, about 4cm long and 2cm thick. If it’s a little soft, form into loose cylinders, then put on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and freeze for 1 hr until firm.

• step 4

  Tip some plain flour into a shallow bowl, then tip the breadcrumbs into a second and the beaten egg into a third. Roll the croquettes into the flour to coat, then the egg and finally the breadcrumbs. Arrange on a baking tray lined with baking paper, then freeze for 30 mins. If you like, coat the croquettes again as you did before – the coating ensures they are airtight and creates a satisfyingly thick crust.

• step 5

  Fill a heavy-based pan no more than a third full with oil and heat to 170C. Fry 3-4 croquettes at a time (don’t overcrowd the pan) for 4-5 mins until golden brown. Remove to kitchen paper to drain using a slotted spoon, then squeeze over the lemon halves. Eat straight away with tartar sauce and a Belgian beer.

Discover more prawn recipes

Authors

Gurdeep Loyal

Ad

Comments, questions and tips

Rate this recipe

What is your star rating out of 5?1 star out of 52 stars out of 53 stars out of 54 stars out of 55 stars out of 5

Choose the type of message you'd like to post

Choose the type of message you'd like to post

CommentQuestionTip

Overall rating

0 reviews

Ad

Ad

Loading...

Ad

Loading...

Want to see this content?

This page contains olivemagazine content provided by Google reCAPTCHA. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as Google reCAPTCHA may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose 'Accept and continue' to allow Google reCAPTCHA and its required purposes.

Accept and continue