Croquetas De Jamon appears as a signature dish in 1 Spain cities. See each city's local variant and where to eat it.
Croquetas de jamón · Madrid
Cylinders of cold bechamel rich with diced jamón ibérico, breadcrumbed and deep-fried to a crackling shell. Madrid's most-ordered tapa, the test of any tasca.
Spanish croquetas evolved from French croquettes brought to Madrid courts in the 19th century; Spanish cooks deepened the bechamel and folded in ham, the bones from which give a long-simmered stock. Javier Bonet's Sala de Despiece in Chamberi (originally on Ponzano, moved to Alonso Cano in 2024) helped redefine the modern small-batch Madrid tapa; older tabernas at Casa Mariano, La Tape and dozens of vermuterias serve the canonical bar croqueta daily.
Where to eat in Madrid:
- Sala de Despiece
- Casa Mariano
- La Tape