Yay!! Our first recipe request comes from Junko. She is sharing Gma’s creamed salmon croquette or “korokke.” Like it’s French ancestor, this is a thick, bechamel-based filling that goes well with seafood. She made this version with canned salmon for special occasions and once in a while, with tuna. While she never made them for us, I discovered that her favorite type of creamed croquette was the corn version. I had found them in my local Asian grocer and when I showed them to her, she was really excited to have them again. It’s a simple enough substitution to make with her original recipe
Gma’s Creamed Croquettes (as told to Junko)
Bechamel base:
2 cups of whole milk
3/4 stick of butter
1 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of flour
1 can of Salmon – or – 260g of corn*
fine bread crumbs for coating
oil for deep frying
Put milk, butter and salt in a double boiler. After the butter melts add 1 cup of flour – slowly – a little at a time – stir it in as you add, making sure there are no lumps. Continue to cook until the mixture becomes thick like a paste. Take the double boiler off the heat and cool the mixture to room temperature. Add the salmon and mix thoroughly.
Spread the mixture into a pan so it is about 1/2 inch thick and place it in the freezer for about 2 hours to make it easier to form, hold its shape, and prevent spattering during the frying process.
Make small croquettes from the mixture, flour them, dip them in eggwash, and coat them with breadcrumbs. While there are so many fancy breadcrumbing options out there from traditional panko to artisanal sourdough blah, blah, blah Gma always stuck to fine, Italian seasoned breadcrumbs like Progresso, so if you want the authentic Gma salmon korokke, that’s what you need to use.
Deep fry or for y’all in the south, you can do it pan-fry style until both sides are golden.
*If you’d like to make the corn version, the base is the same, but add the corn while the milk/butter/flour is still cooking (once you’ve incorporated all the flour and there are no visible flour lumps.) This will help to concentrate the corn flavor and reduce the extra moisture.