Crispy Portuguese Smoked Sausage Croquettes • Croquetes de Alheira

If you have never heard of alheira before, get ready, because this Portuguese smoked sausage is about to change everything you thought you knew about croquettes hehehehe. Made with a delicious blend of pork, poultry, garlic, fragrant spices, and bread, alheira is a beloved staple of Portuguese cuisine, especially from the northern region of Mirandela, where it has been crafted with pride for centuries. It is absolutely delicious on its own, but when you wrap it in a thick, creamy béchamel, coat it in breadcrumbs, and fry it until golden and crispy, well, that is when things get truly special.

These croquettes also happen to be a fantastic treat for Easter celebrations. Nothing beats homemade meat croquettes made with Alheira and you know, if Alheira sausage is delicious by itself, it is even better as a crunchy, golden, deep-fried croquette that disappears from the plate faster than you can make them ;D

Now, you might be looking at the photos thinking, “wait, those look more like little balls than croquettes!” and yes, you are absolutely right, and you know what, that is perfectly fine! Shaping perfect little cylinders takes patience, and sometimes, honestly, the little round balls are just faster and equally delicious. This recipe makes around 24 pieces in ball shape, but shape them however you like, because no matter the shape, they are going to taste amazing. Let’s get to the recipe!

Crispy Portuguese Smoked Sausage Croquettes • Croquetes de Alheira

Servings: 24
Time: 1hr 30mins
Difficulty: Normal
Rating: ★★★★★
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Let's get frying these delicious portuguese alheira croquettes, perfect as a snack, appetizer, or even a main dish, and absolutely ideal for parties and Easter gatherings!

Ingredients

Smoked Sausage – 1 (Portuguese Mirandela Alheira)
Onion – 1 Large
Garlic – 2 Cloves
Butter – 3 Tablespoons
Flour – 4 Tablespoons
Milk – 200ml (Hot)
Breadcrumbs – For Sprinkling
Cooking Oil – For Frying
Olive Oil – A Drizzle
Pepper – A Pinch
Salt – A Pinch

Directions

Start by making the béchamel sauce, in a small saucepan, combine the butter, flour, and a pinch of salt, and form a roux, let it cook for a bit.

Then add half the hot milk and stir well until it forms a paste, stir well, pour in the rest of the milk, and stir again, you want a very thick sauce. Cook for another minute, taste, and adjust the salt and pepper, then set aside to cool.

In a frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil, sauté the finely chopped onion and garlic, season with a pinch of salt, and cook until the onion is golden brown, remove from the heat.

Remove the casing from the alheira sausage, since we’re only using the filling, place the filling in a bowl, followed by the sautéed mixture and the thick béchamel sauce, mix everything well until it forms a thick dough.
Take pieces of the mixture and shape them, try to make them all roughly the same size. If necessary, use a scale to ensure they’re all uniform, as this prevents some from being smaller than others and frying unevenly.

Prepare a plate with breadcrumbs and coat each ball generously in the breadcrumbs. If you like, you can now store the croquettes in the freezer (to fry later) or proceed to fry them.

To fry, heat oil in a wide, deep skillet. When the oil is hot, add the croquettes and fry them on all sides until they’re golden brown. Since the filling is already cooked, you only need to make sure the outside is nicely browned.
Transfer them to a wire rack to drain or place them on kitchen paper, and that’s it, they’re ready to enjoy. Bon appétit and Happy Easter!

Notes & Tips: These work great as little round balls for parties, they are quicker to shape than cylinders and just as delicious, nobody is going to complain once they taste them.

After coating with breadcrumbs, you can freeze the croquettes raw on a tray and then transfer them to a freezer bag. When you want them, simply fry them straight from frozen, no need to thaw, just add a couple of extra minutes in the oil.

Try to keep all pieces roughly the same size, either by eye or with a kitchen scale. Uneven sizes mean some will brown faster than others, and nobody wants a burnt croquette next to an undercooked one.

The béchamel needs to be quite thick, much thicker than a regular sauce. If it feels too loose, cook it a little longer before mixing it with the alheira. The mixture needs to hold its shape when you go to form the croquettes.

Alheira can be found in Portuguese specialty stores, some European delis, or online. If you cannot find Alheira de Mirandela specifically, any quality alheira will work beautifully in this recipe. If you can’t find any, then find another sausage with a creamy dense filling, like British and Irish Sausage.

For extra crunch, you can double coat the croquettes, after the first breadcrumb layer, dip briefly in whisked egg and coat with breadcrumbs a second time before frying.

This recipe for Crispy Portuguese Smoked Sausage Croquettes • Croquetes de Alheira was originally created on BakeAfter.com. Esta receita de Croquetes de Alheira de Mirandela foi publicada em português no Iguaria.com.