Jamon & wild garlic croquetas

Name: Jamon & wild garlic croquetas
Prep time: 9 min
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 27 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Spanish
Ingredients: 150g Wild Garlic Leaves; 350g Milk; 45g Olive Oil; 65g Flour; 35g manchego; 80g jamón ibérico; 1 Egg; 75g Breadcrumbs; 1 L Vegetable Oil

By The Spice & Simmer Kitchen · Published May 3, 2026

A one-pot Pork recipe with Spanish flavors, built for busy weeknights when you want real food without a sink full of dishes. Comes together in roughly 45 minutes, serves about 4, and uses ingredients you can find at any normal grocery store. The technique is simple: build a base in your pot, layer in the main ingredients, simmer until everything has had time to talk to each other, and serve straight from the pan. If you're cooking for picky eaters, this one tends to land — the flavors are recognizable, the texture is comforting, and there's nothing weird hiding in the ingredient list. Perfect for the kind of evening where you want dinner on the table by 7pm and the kitchen empty by 7:30.

Step-by-step instructions

Wash the wild garlic leaves well in a colander, then pour over boiling water from the kettle until just wilted. Immediately rinse under cold running water, then squeeze out the excess water and finely chop.
Warm the milk in a pan over a low heat until just steaming. Heat the oil or butter in a second pan and, once warm or melted, stir in the flour for a couple of minutes until it starts to brown a little. Gradually add the warm milk, a little at a time, until you have a thick, silky sauce. Bubble for a minute or two, stirring to make sure all the flour has cooked out. Season.
Add the manchego, jamón and wild garlic to the pan, and beat to combine. Tip out onto a lightly oiled baking tray or plate, spread out then cover and chill for at least 1 hr. Will keep chilled for up to 24 hrs.
Lightly oil your hands and shape the mixture into 18-20 even-sized balls. Arrange on a baking tray and freeze for 30 mins to firm up.
Beat the egg in a shallow dish with a little seasoning. Tip the panko into a second dish. Dip each of the croquetas in the egg, then turn to coat in the breadcrumbs. At this point, the raw croquetas can be frozen for up to three months. Pour the oil into a large, deep pan ensuring it is no more than a third full and heat to 170C, or until a cube of bread browns lightly in 30 seconds. Fry the croquetas in batches for 2-3 mins until deeply golden. To cook from frozen, fry at 160C for a few minutes longer until they’re piping hot inside. Remove to a sheet of kitchen paper using a slotted spoon and leave to drain. Serve warm with a glass of sherry.

Why this works on a weeknight

Jamon & wild garlic croquetas genuinely fits a 30-minute weeknight window, which is why it earned a spot in our Skillet & One-Pan collection. The technique is forgiving, the ingredient list is grocery-store standard, and the active cooking time is short enough that you can answer a text message in the middle without ruining dinner.

Cleanup notes

This is a single-pan recipe, so the cleanup is exactly one pan, one cutting board, and one knife. While the dish rests, fill the pan with hot soapy water — by the time you are done eating, the residue lifts off with a single pass of a sponge. Skip the steel wool on cast iron; a stiff brush and warm water are all you need to keep the seasoning intact.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a dry pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce. Jamon & wild garlic croquetas actually improves overnight as the flavors keep talking to each other, so doubling the recipe and packing tomorrow's lunch is a high-leverage weeknight move.

Filed under 🥘 Skillet & One-Pan Pork Spanish ⚡ 30-Min Dinner