
A delicious culinary specialty from Belgium, shrimp croquettes are small, crispy dishes made with fried shrimp, béchamel sauce and breadcrumbs. They are eaten mainly on the Belgian coast. Here’s the traditional recipe for Belgian shrimp croquettes, just as you’d enjoy them in the best croquette restaurant in Ostend!
Ingredients for 12 croquettes
- 250 g peeled shrimp
- 50 g butter
- 50 g flour
- 300 ml whole milk
- 1 tbsp. fish stock cube (or fish stock powder)
- 2 tbsp. grated cheese
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 egg
- 50 g liquid cream
- breadcrumbs
- salt
- pepper
Recipe for shrimp croquettes
Start by melting the butter and adding the flour. Leave to cook for a few minutes.
Add the milk with the diluted fish stock (or fish cube) and whisk together, bringing to the boil. Allow to thicken over low heat. Add salt and pepper to taste.
In a bowl, mix the cream with the egg yolk. Add the béchamel and continue to heat slowly.
Once off the heat, stir in the cheese, shrimps and lemon juice. Place in a dish, wrap in cellophane and chill for at least 4 hours, or longer if possible.
Later, or the following day, gently shape the croquettes in flour, egg white and breadcrumbs.
Cook the croquettes in a deep-frying bath. And enjoy!
To respect presentation (and tradition) to the end, serve with lemon wedges and fried parsley. Bon appétit!
Secret Brussels tip 👉 To prevent your croquettes from bursting during cooking, you can freeze them for a few moments and then deep-fry them frozen.