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Sushita's red prawn croquettes. Food and drink Croquette Day: eight places in Malaga province to try original recipesTo mark this international day, we travel around the province in search of some of the best original recipes
Friday, 16 January 2026, 11:37
One of the most versatile and loved dishes is honoured on 16 January. On Friday, Malaga province also celebrates International Croquette Day and, to mark this occasion, we take you around the province's best places to try original recipes, with the variety of fillings that chefs offer.
Croquettes are not an easy dish to make. Knowing how to balance the ingredients is one of the keys to this dish which, curiously enough, is not Spanish, despite the success it enjoy in the country. It originated in France and its name comes from the verb 'croquer' (to crunch). The first recorded recipe dates back to the end of the 17th century in Le cuisinier roial et bourgeois by François Massialot, cook for the Duke of Orleans.
At that time, it was considered to be a formulation for making the best use of the ingredients: initially mashed potato and, from around the end of the 18th century, béchamel sauce. It was at the beginning of the 19th century that it spread throughout Spain. Since then, it has been gaining so much ground on tables and in bars that it is no longer clear which is more Spanish, the croquette or the omelette (tortilla).
Malaga is no stranger to this culinary phenomenon. There are more and more options to choose from, although it is becoming increasingly difficult to find homemade croquettes. For this reason, we highlight some of the newest and most original recipes in the province.
- Ménade
Inspired by Los Montes
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The restaurant located in the Baviera golf club in Caleta de Vélez won first prize at II Campeonato de Málaga de Croquetas in November thanks to this recipe that was born from family influences.
Pablo Vega says that it all started with his wife's idea that "everything can be made into a croquette". "We turned to a dish that we really liked and that's how we gave shape to our Los Montes dish, making sure that the customer would find all the elements of this dish in the croquette," Vega says. They make the dough with manteca colorá and meat stock, lomo en manteca, chorizo, lots of garlic and peppers.
- Sushita
Red prawn and tuna with katsuobushi
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It was only two months ago that Sushita opened in the heart of the city centre. Expectations were high, not only for its sushi menu, but also for other dishes such as gyozas and croquettes. They offer two versions "combining the most traditional products of Mediterranean gastronomy with touches of Japanese cuisine": croquettes with red praws, served with a sweet chilli sauce and Chinese spring onion, and bluefin tuna croquettes with eel sauce and katsuobushi (the dried, smoked bonito flakes presented like fine shavings that often draw attention because they appear to "dance" as they fall over the dish).
- Rub Smokehouse
From brisket
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This recipe was created at home, almost by chance. Sergio Redondo, who runs Rub Smokehouse in Huelin, says: "The brisket is a large piece and, when I make it for myself, I always only portion out what is necessary for the family. The idea came up with a small leftover: to transform it into a croquette that respects the product and its original flavour." He makes it with a "simple" béchamel sauce over very low heat for at least six hours. He reduces it by hand in a small pot, "with patience and a lot of care". "There are no strange ingredients or gimmicks, just a good béchamel sauce, a generous amount of smoked brisket and a little of its own juice to enhance the flavour," the chef says.
- La Lepera
Shrimps and prawns in garlic sauce
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A croquette created by the García family's De Huelva, La Lepera and Los Choqueros restaurants cannot be anything else but a dish with a seafood essence. One of the most emblematic croquettes are those made with garlic prawns by Encarna Gómez. They can be tried at De Huelva. La Lepera offers shrimp croquettes and Los Choqueros squid in its own ink croquettes.
- Zabor Fetén
Mexican
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In this restaurant in Torremolinos you can enjoy various versions of croquettes. You can find them with oxtail, Iberian ham and spinach, as well as more original versions such as those with suckling pig and apple or Mexican croquettes, filled with spicy chicken, with crispy nacho breading and a touch of guacamole, served with sweet potato.
Manuel Pinto says that the idea for these croquettes comes from their way of understanding tapas: "To start from something very much our own, like the croquette, and give it an international twist." "We wanted a recognisable but surprising snack, so we mixed the slightly spicy chicken with a batter of nachos and a touch of guacamole, looking for that contrast between crunchiness, creaminess and spiciness reminiscent of Mexican cuisine, without losing the essence of a good tapa," he says.
- Arte de Cozina & Arte de Tapas
From goat cheese to chorizo
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Charo Carmona still makes the recipe taught to her by her mother-in-law in both her Arte de Cozina and Arte de Tapas (Antequera). She uses a frying pan, "good flour, good oil and lactose-free milk". The result is the assortment that she serves in her restaurants: the classic croquettes from stew and other more innovative ones, although they are increasingly replicated, such as croquettes from spinach, prawns, goat's cheese, mushrooms and cod. She also serves one less common recipe: croquettes with chorizo.
- Taberna Curro Castilla
With Malaga goat salchichón
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In Taberna Curro Castilla (Avenida Sor Teresa Prat), José Francisco Salguero has been making croquettes with Malaga goat salchichón for some years now. A dish with a strong local stamp that also uses pumpkin, which makes it smooth and creamy without detracting from its flavour. He adds homemade alioli on the side. Customers can also opt for other traditional croquettes on the menu.
- La Huerta
Rice pudding
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As always, we finish with the dessert. Pepi Flores, the soul of La Huerta de Casabermeja, says that she created this recipe when she made a little bit too much rice pudding one day. To not let it go to waste, she decided to add some béchamel sauce, sugar and cinnamon and turn it into the croquette that won tsecond prize at II Campeonato de Málaga de Croquetas.
Of course, she also makes some traditional croquettes with stew, pringá, oxtail or cheeks.
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