The year 2024 begins with a celebration desired by many and welcomed with great gastronomic pleasure: International Croquette Day, which is celebrated on January 16. A delicacy born in France in the 19th century – at the hands of the French aristocrat Louis de Bechamel, in charge of the kitchen of King Louis XIV and creator of its delicious filling – that has weight and tradition in our country. So much so that it is revered as the star dish of the country's cuisine.
There are many types of croquettes and, such is their success, they continue to be reinvented with new flavors and textures. Luckily, apart from the homemade ones, there are many restaurants that offer them on their menu. These, specifically, are in Madrid.
There is no shortage of lacon and boiled egg croquette, among the starters, along with classics such as Santander rabas or Santoña anchovies. La Primera (c/ Gran Vía, 1) is an invitation to enjoy Santander gastronomy with innovative proposals that are at the same time classic and tasty. The Cantabrian Sea on the palate with the best views of Madrid.
Eggplant confit with San Marzano tomato, smoked mozzarella, basil and parmigiano. This is the Alla Parmigiana croquette that Baldoria (c/ Ortega y Gasset, 100) proposes in its antipasti section. It couldn't be any other way in this famous Neapolitan cuisine restaurant with local products and seasonal dishes, whose raw materials travel directly from Italy to the table.
Here the menu is prepared with a clear purpose: to achieve zero food waste. To do this, in this Galician tavern the “wastes” of each of the preparations are incorporated into the rest of the recipes. That's why the one from Agarimo (c/ Bretón de los Herreros, 27) is a “useful” pickled chicken stew croquette.
This benchmark of traditional cuisine in the capital also has a cooked meat croquette in its repertoire. Rocacho (c/ Padre Damián, 38) is famous for its embers, where the fire transforms the meat at El Capricho – considered by many experts to be the best in the world – which is offered exclusively in the city.
Javier Utrero, head chef at Casa Sweden, at NH Collection Madrid Sweden 5* (c/ Marqués de Casa Riera, 4) makes three types: squid in its ink, Iberian ham, and mushrooms and boletus. The secret, he says, is in the dough. “We make it according to the traditional recipe, respecting the 70/30 proportion, with 70% bechamel and 30% of the chosen ingredient,” he explains.
Beyond its acclaimed stewed tortillas and its famous Armando escalope, the two restaurants of La Ancha (c/ Príncipe de Vergara, 204 and c/ Zorrilla, 7), the mother house of the La Ancha Family, also boast ham croquettes . A recipe that represents purely traditional cuisine, with recognizable flavors, from an emblematic place.
Discovering to the world the inexhaustible gastronomic wealth of Latin America is what Mamaquilla (c/ José Abascal, 61) sets out to do, and achieves. Also with their shrimp croquettes, accompanied by chipotle chili mayonnaise. A little piece of the trip to Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Ecuador or Peru that this restaurant achieves with its recipe book, to which it applies an avant-garde and groundbreaking vision.
The new addition to the menu at Sessions, the restaurant at Hard Rock Hotel Madrid (Ronda de Atocha, 17), is an explosive mix that combines all the flavor of the star dish of American food with the know-how of Spanish cuisine. Another possibility is to try one of their best sellers: pulled pork croquettes with chimichurri. Bechamel, tasty shredded pork and the famous sauce of Argentine origin.
The live flame grill and a top quality product are also represented in the suckling lamb croquette – of course – made on the grill. At Lana (c/ Ponzano, 59), good pasture-raised meat, potatoes and empanadas fried in beef fat, along with vegetables and stews (sancochos), create a typical country experience. Pure Argentine barbecue.
