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Creamy Crab Croquette
4.6 from 54 votes

Creamy Crab Croquette

Creamy Crab Croquette features a rich filling made from sautéed onions, butter, flour, and milk to form a thick béchamel sauce blended with crabmeat and corn. The filling is cooled, shaped, and coated with flour, beaten eggs, and panko breadcrumbs before being deep-fried in neutral oil for a crisp golden crust. These croquettes offer a creamy, savory interior contrasted by a crunchy exterior, making them suitable as appetizers or side dishes.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
1 hr 20 mins
Total Time
2 hrs 30 mins
Servings: 10 Croquettes
Calories: 173 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Japanese

Ingredients

For the Filling
  • 1 onion
  • 3 Tbsp butter for cooking the onion, unsalted
  • ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1¼ cups milk (at room temperature)
  • 1 can crabmeat 6 oz, 170 g; or use fresh crabmeat, or imitation crabmeat
  • ½ cup corn frozen or canned
  • 1 tsp kosher salt Diamond Crystal brand
  • ⅛ tsp black pepper freshly ground
For the Panko Breading
  • ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 egg beaten, large, 50 g each, without shell
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs Japanese style panko
  • 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (for coating your hands)
For Deep-Frying
  • neutral oil

Instructions

For the Crab and Corn Filling
    Cup of Yum
  1. Cut 1 onion in half and thinly slice it with a mandoline slicer or knife. In a large, nonstick frying pan, heat 3 Tbsp unsalted butter on medium-low heat. Add the sliced onion.
  2. Sauté until translucent. When the onion is translucent, turn off the heat. Then add ⅓ cup all-purpose flour (plain flour).
  3. Mix well and then turn the heat back on and stir constantly for 1–2 minutes. Pour in 1¼ cups milk, a little bit at a time, stirring to eliminate lumps.
  4. Stir to eliminate lumps and to make a smooth, thick béchamel sauce. Keep stirring over low heat for 5–10 minutes.
  5. You want your sauce to be the consistency of thick mustard. Add 1 can real or imitation crabmeat and ½ cup frozen or canned corn and cook off as much moisture as possible while stirring. Season it with 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper.
  6. Take off from the heat and allow to cool.
  7. Spread the mixture on the bottom of a baking pan. Cover with plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator for 1 hour. If you don’t chill the mixture enough, the croquette might explode while deep-frying from the moisture. After 1 hour, divide the chilled mixture into 10 equal portions.
To Make the Patties
  1. Prepare three bowls: One with ⅓ cup all-purpose flour (plain flour), one with 2 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell) and 2 Tbsp oil, and one with 1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs). Beat the eggs and oil together. Lightly coat your hands with some of the 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Take each filling portion and make a small round patty, dredge in the flour, dip into the egg, and coat with panko. Repeat with the rest of the filling. Cover the patties with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes. Tip: Alternatively, you can use a cookie scoop instead of your hands. The scoop makes it easier to handle the soft and sticky filling and form croquettes of the same size. I recommend a large cookie scoop for the job.
To Deep-Fry
  1. In a large frying pan, heat ½ inch neutral oil on medium-high heat. When it’s hot (350ºF/180ºC), fix the shape of the croquettes and slip them into the oil to deep-fry. Do not crowd the pan (maybe 4–5 croquettes at a time) and do not disturb them until the bottom side is golden brown. Then, flip and wait until the other side also turns golden brown. Transfer the croquettes onto a paper towel and serve immediately.
To Store
  1. You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 3 days or in the freezer for a month. Reheat in the oven or the toaster oven until the outside is crispy and the inside is warm through.

Nutrition Information

Calories 173kcal (9%) Carbohydrates 12g (4%) Protein 7g (14%) Fat 11g (17%) Saturated Fat 4g (20%) Polyunsaturated Fat 4g (24%) Monounsaturated Fat 3g (15%) Trans Fat 1g (50%) Cholesterol 45mg (15%) Sodium 309mg (13%) Potassium 134mg (3%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 3g (6%) Vitamin A 217IU (4%) Vitamin C 2mg (2%) Calcium 59mg (6%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 10 Croquettes

Amount Per Serving

Calories 173

% Daily Value*

Calories 173kcal 9%
Carbohydrates 12g 4%
Protein 7g 14%
Fat 11g 17%
Saturated Fat 4g 20%
Polyunsaturated Fat 4g 24%
Monounsaturated Fat 3g 15%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 45mg 15%
Sodium 309mg 13%
Potassium 134mg 3%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 3g 6%
Vitamin A 217IU 4%
Vitamin C 2mg 2%
Calcium 59mg 6%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.