Prawn Croquettes

Best enjoyed with Roodeberg Rosé

Makes 17 croquettes

Ingredients
For the croquette mixture
125g butter
½ cup of flour
2½ cups of lukewarm milk
salt and pepper
½ teaspoon of freshly ground nutmeg
400g of prawns, cooked, peeled and diced

For the crumb coat
½ cup of flour to lightly coat the croquettes
1 cup of Panko breadcrumbs
2 large eggs, beaten
Canola oil for frying

Method
For the croquette mixture, heat a medium saucepan on a medium-low heat.

Melt the butter in the pan, then sprinkle in the flour, stirring constantly with a whisk.

Allow the flour to cook in the butter for a couple of minutes. Slowly drizzle in the lukewarm milk, little by little, stirring the whole time, until you get a thick, smooth sauce. The sauce will thicken as it begins to heat.

Add the chopped prawns, nutmeg, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Combine the mixture, and cool it completely. When the mixture has cooled, form croquettes by taking a heaped tablespoon of the mixture and rolling it in your hands, like you would if you were making a meatball. Roll each croquette in the flour, then coat it in the beaten egg, and finally, roll it through the Panko crumbs.

Heat the oil in a large pan. Fry the croquettes in batches, for about 4-5 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on a paper towel, and serve hot.