Creamy Shrimp Croquettes

Servings: 2

Ingredients
Creamy Shrimp Mixture
150g fresh medium size prawns/shrimps in shell
50g onion roughly chopped
300ml milk
A couple of shakes of nutmeg powder
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp of salt
Pepper
30g butter
40g flour

Croquettes
2 tbsp flour
1 egg , beaten
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
Neutral oil (vegetable, canola) for deep frying

Serving
Shredded cabbage
2 sprigs parsley

Instructions
Making Creamy Shrimp Mixture
Add the Creamy Shrimp Mixture ingredients, except butter and flour, to a saucepan and heat over medium-high heat.
When the outside of the milk starts bubbling, shake the pan occasionally so that the milk does not burn along the side of the pan.
When the milk starts simmering gently, turn the heat down to low and simmer for a minute or until the prawns become red and curled up.
Remove from the heat and leave for another minute. Put the milk through a sieve and reserve for the béchamel sauce.
Let the prawns cool down a bit, then remove heads and peel the shells. Chop each prawn into 3-4 small pieces.
Melt butter in a frying pan over low heat.
Add flour and mix well. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly ensuring the roux does not change colour.
Add 1/3 of the reserved milk and mix well to incorporate until lump-free.
Add the remaining milk to the roux in two batches and mix well in the same way.
Add prawn pieces and mix to spread prawns evenly.
Transfer the mixture to a tray and shape it into a square or a rectangle of about 2.5cm/1” thickness.
Cover the surface of the mixture with cling wrap to prevent it from drying up. Let it cool down, then chill in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Making Croquettes
Divide the shrimp mixture into 6 equal portions.
Oil your hands and shape each portion into a fat log shape.
Place flour, egg and breadcrumbs individually in shallow plates or bowls.
Coat each piece with flour, egg, then breadcrumbs. Ensure that the surface of the croquette is well covered with the coatings otherwise, the soft cream will ooze out from the gap while frying.
Heat oil in a deep fry pan to 175-180C. Gently drop a few pieces in and fry for a couple of minutes until the breadcrumbs become golden brown.
Transfer the croquette to a plate lined with kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil or a tray with a rack.
Serve immediately with shredded cabbage and a stem of parsley leaves.