Recipe: Holtkamp Shrimp Croquettes

Earlier on I reviewed Cees Holtkamp’s book De Banketbakker. On the front cover of the book you see a beautiful shrimp croquette. This is not a normal shrimp croquette, this is a golden medalist, a 2 times winner for the best shrimp croquette of the year in The Netherlands. When I bought the book I just knew it was just a matter of time… I have to make this recipe. And I can tell you, it is a delicious recipe. A great starter for a meal or just a great snack.

Ingredients:

For the shrimp stock:

• 1 shallot, chopped
• 10 grams of unsalted butter
• 300 grams of water
• 700 grams of shrimp shells

For the roux:

• 80 grams of unsalted butter
• 100 grams of flour
• 250 grams of milk
• 250 grams of shrimp stock (from the above ingredients)

• 6 grams of gelatine, soaked in cold water

• 2 egg yolks
• 50 grams of cream
• white pepper
• salt
• cayenne pepper
• a few drops of tabasco
• 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley

• fine breadcrumbs
• 5 egg yolks
• 10 grams of flour
• coarse breadcrumbs
• frying pan with sunflower oil

NOTE: This is a patisserie recipe. The measurements are important for a good result.

Steps:

1. First we’ll make the shrimp stock. Put the butter and the shallot in a pan, let it fry for a little while. Add the shrimp shells to the and stirr it. Add the 300 grams of water. Put it to a boil. When the water boils, remove the pan from the stove. Strain the stock and throw away the shells and the shallots. Let the stock cool down.
2. Now we will make the roux and the filling (ragout) for the croquette. Put 80 grams of unsalted butter in a pan and let it melt, but don’t let it get brown. Add the 100 grams of flour and stir it with a whisk. Fry the until it’s gold/yellow in color and the mass doesn’t stick to the pan anymore.  Very gently add the 250 grams of milk and 250 grams of shrimp stock to the roux and keep stirring. Let the ragout boil until the flour is good and doesn’t taste mealy anymore and the ragout shines a little bit. Get the ragout of the stove and add the squeezed out gelatine, stir the ragout.
3. Beat the egg yolks with the cream  and add the mixture to the ragout. Add some pepper, salt, cayenne pepper and a few drops of tabasco to your liking. Add the peeled shrimps to the ragout and let it rest for a night in the fridge.
4. Next day day has arrived. Make sure your ragout is chilled, it makes the process of rolling the croquettes a lot easier. Beat the 5 eggyolks with some flour. You will need 2 little trays on your counter. The flour and eggyolk mixture and the course breadcrumbs. The fine breadcrumbs are located on top of the kitchen counter. Take a spoon to get every croquette the same size.
5. Scoop out a spoon of the ragout (about 60 grams). Roll it on the counter in the fine breadcrumbs into the shape of a croquette. Put it in the eggyolk and flour mixture and cover it with the course breadcrumbs. Your croquette is made! (you can store the croquettes in your freezer)
6. Fry the croquettes in a frying pan for 3-4 minutes at 180 degrees celcius.

NOTE: Keep on tasting troughout the process of making the ragout. It will improve the taste of the croquettes.

Now you’ve made your own Holtkamp Shrimp Croquettes. Enjoy! If there are any questions or remarks please let me know.