I hope everyone had a great weekend. We enjoyed our stay-cation in Half Moon Bay as I mentioned in my previous post. Half Moon Bay is located along the coast line of California and it’s about 23 miles south of San Francisco. From where we live, it only takes us 30 minutes or so to get there. It’s a rustic coastal town with amazing Pacific Ocean views. We enjoyed eating lots of seafood, swimming in the very warm indoor pool, and having a nice Sunday brunch at the hotel. I shared some of the food pictures from my iPhone on my facebook page, but my husband will be posting his very first (and last?) post about our Sunday brunch review tomorrow on Just One Cookbook. Although it’s not our regular posting day, I hope you will come and say hello to my husband.
When I posted Korokke (Japanese croquette that is usually made of potato and meat) recipe on my website about a month ago, I received a request of Japanese Creamy Croquette from one of the readers. I’m sorry it took a long time for me to post this recipe, but thank you for patiently waiting for this recipe and I hope you like it.
Both kinds of croquettes are very popular in Japan. Since my dad likes potatoes, my mom usually cooked regular croquette and it was more like a treat to eat creamy kind. This time I put corns inside so my kids will enjoy eating them more since they are crazy about corn.
To be honest, this is not easy to make. The mixture tends to be very sticky and it’s very hard to make ball/patty shapes. But I’m very sure, and my family would also agree, that it’ll be worth your effort. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 1 large onion
- 3 Tbsp. butter
- 1/3 cup (50g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ cup milk, at room temperature
- 1 vegetable bouillon cube
- ½ tsp. Kosher salt (more if you don’t use bouillon)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 can (6oz, 170g) crab meat, or fresh crab meat, squeeze the water out
- ½ cup corn kernels
- Flour
- 2 eggs, beaten (+ 2 Tbsp. oil)
- Panko
- Vegetable oil for deep frying
Instructions:
- Cut onion in half and slice the onion with a slicer.
- In a large non-stick frying pan, heat butter on medium-low heat. Add sliced onion and sauté until translucent.
- When the onion is translucent, turn off the heat. Then add flour and mix well. Turn the heat back on and stir constantly for 1-2 minutes.
- Pour the milk in, a little at a time, stirring in order to eliminate lumps and to make a smooth, thick Béchamel sauce. Keep stirring over low heat for 5-10 minutes. You want your sauce to be the consistency of a thick mustard.
- Add a vegetable bouillon cube, salt, and pepper and mix well.
- Add crab meat and corn and cook off as much moisture as possible while stirring. Take off from heat and allow to cool.
- Spread the mixture on the bottom of a baking pan. Cover with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge for 1 hour. If you don’t chill the mixture enough, the croquette might explode while deep frying from the moisture.
- After 1 hour, prepare the three bowls: one with flour, one with 2 beaten eggs (add 2 Tbsp. oil in here), and one with Panko. Divide the chilled mixture into 10 equal portions.
- Lightly coat your hands with olive oil and scoop each portion out to make a small round cake, followed by dredging in the flour, diping into the egg, and then coating with Panko. Repeat this process with all the croquettes. Cover them with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge for at least 10 minutes.
- In a large non-stick frying pan, heat ½ inch of oil on medium-high heat. When it’s hot (180C/350F), fix the shape of the croquettes and slip them into the oil to deep fry. Do not crowd the pan (maybe 4-5 at a time) and do not disturb them until the bottom side is golden brown. Then flip and wait till the other side also turns golden brown. Transfer the croquettes onto paper towel and serve immediately.
Enjoy!
Hi, I'm Nami. Thanks for stopping by Just One Cookbook. You can read little bit more about me 
{ 129 comments… read them below or add one }
ああああ～コロッケの写真を見てお腹がついてきっちゃいました～ ＞＜ カニアレルギーなのに、食べたくなりました。どうしましょう、なみさん。。。 Ｔ Ｔ
日本だったらスーパーでパッと買えるクリームコロッケ。こちらでは自分で作るしかないからね。実は私もカニアレルギー！20歳くらいで発見。カニ好きなのに。少しなら大抵大丈夫。コロッケとかならね。でも北海道で思いっきり食べれなくなった（涙）。Arudhiコメントありがとう！
I want to be your neighbor. I want your leftovers. oh this looks so yum!
Thanks Katrina! “I” want to be your neighbor to eat all your sweets. I don’t bake so that would be my dream!!!!! I’ll be over as soon as I smell something sweet.
Lovely!! I really like crab croquette. Yours look so delicious, really wish I could have some!
Thank you Jen!
Gorgeous! You’d never guess these were difficult to form from your beautiful photos…I’d love a plateful of these! Glad you had a nice weekend, Nami~
Hi Liz! Thanks for your comment! Haha only the difficult part is to make patties… very sticky and you feel like you can’t make a ball shape!
looks delicious, I’m not much into frying at home, so I’ll just admire your hard work.
Thanks Kat! Well you are lucky that スーパー is nearby and you can get all kinds of deep fried stuff!
I have been planning to make your korokke for some time (and so many other recipes you have posted!), but this one looks delicious too! When I read the instructions and look at the photos, I see what you mean by difficult… You are such a talented cook! I’ll try it one day, but only when I feel brave enough
You are so lucky to have such a place 30 minutes from your house!!! I am glad you enjoyed your weekend. Looking forward to read your husband’s post!
Hi Sissi! Yes, making patties is the difficult part. You probably wonder “is Nami serious? How am I supposed to make a ball shape with this!”…. but try your best. The end result will be creamy inside… you can make it harder by adding more flour, but you know you will lose that soft creamy texture. Thanks for your compliment!
Sounds like a wonderful time. These croquettes look beautiful!
Thanks Belinda!
look like you had a great weekend, good for you. Your croquettes sound very good, i’m sure my kids will like this, must try to cook for them very soon.
Thanks Sonia! My kids loved them. I should include something more challenging veggies for them…like spinach? Hehehe.
Half Moon Bay sounds like a terrific place to spend the weekend… lucky you!
The croquettes look amazing…I would definitely love these!
Hi Kate! Yes, HMB is very nice place for a visit. Thanks for your kind words!
I am in love with this dish, sounds so good and delicious, and looks heavenly! Love it from the recipe to the fantastic pictures Nami!
Thank you so much for sharing with us, and I can’t wait to see next post!!!
Hi Sandra! Thanks for making this dish already! You are the sweetest!
I am so jealous you got to visit half moon bay AND you only live 30 minutes away from there! How awesome
LOVE easy recipes that involve ANY sort of sea food… especially crab!
Hi Allie! Yes, I’m fortunate to live so close to the beautiful Pacific ocean. Unlike LA, it’s a bit cold for swimming unless it’s summer time, but I get to see the ocean…and thinking of my home in Japan…. LOL.
Nami you know how to make all my favorites! I never knew this was how you made the creamy version. I just got a new Japanese cookbook as a gift and they had a croquette pie in there!
Hi Lindsey! Yes… creamy version is A LOT harder to me, than making regular Korokke. You got a Japanese cookbook! Is it written by English or Japanese? What’s croquette “pie”?????
Oh Nami, these look wonderful! They do look creamy and so flavourful, I am glad one of your readers put in a special request!
Thank you Carolyn!! I’m glad she requested too. Otherwise I might have forgotten about this. =P
I’m sure the difficulty of making this would be all worth it! It looks so good, Nami!
Btw, I have a surprise waiting for you… Check it out on this post! :-*
Yes, it’s worth it at the end…. so you need to be patient till the end……that’s the hard part for me.
Thank you for the award!! What a wonderful surprise. 
You are so kind Tina!!!
These look so delicious Nami! I was just making crab cakes this past weekend…topped with pineapple salsa. My kids were gobbling them up as quick as I could cook them! I love how you added the corn kernels and once again, your picture inspires me to want to make these!
Hi Terris! Yum I love crab cakes and you added pineapple salsa….that’s amazing (are you going to share the recipe? hehee). My kids love corns so it’s definitely a magic ingredient at my house.
Aw, loved your comment on my blog! Thanks girl!
So I had my first croquette like…a few weeks ago…and I was smitten…and I’m pretty sure that this looks even better than the one I had. And healthier. I’m dreaming of croquettes now! Sigh.
Hi Charissa! Oh you are welcome. I enjoy visiting your blog.
Korokke (Japanese croquette) is my most favorite dish. My mom makes it so good that I always ask her when she visit me in the US or when I go back to Japan. I have my regular Korokke recipe (not a creamy kind) in my blog as well. 
Now I feel like making it again…
Thank you for your effort, Nami! ^___^ Sorry for not being able to reply last time since I have been dealing with exams, etc. It looks difficult as you said, but hopefully I can try to make it after my exam
I really love creamy korokke. Thank you once again!
Hi Jessica! Yes, it’s not easy to deal with compared to regular Korokke, but that’s only when you make patties. Your hands get messy and you probably wonder why you are even doing this! But trust me, it’s MUCH better than store bought Korokke, so I hope you find time to make it. You can add more flour to make it thicker, but try your best not to, so you can get very creamy texture when you eat.
I guess you are a student. 
Good luck with your exam!
The korokke and this one is new to me but they just made me like Japanese food even more. This is my type of food. Crab and corn and breadcrumbs = super yum. I’m glad you had a nice break, Nami.
Hi Adora! Haha thank you for liking Japanese food. It always makes me happy when I find someone likes Japanese food. It’s an instant connection.
A lot of people think Japanese food means raw food or teriyaki chicken, so I’m on a mission to let everyone know there are a lot more good stuff in Japanese cuisine. LOL. Me too, I love anything fried with Panko. So dangerous… Thank you for your kind comments all the time Adora! 
It’s funny that the Japanese people love some rather European recipes so much! Today, in my Japanese course, we learned a couple of new Japanese words that have been taken from English, it’s so funny!
We’re learning Katakana currently, so most of the new vocabulary is like that.
Kathy! You didn’t tell me you are learning Japanese! How cooooool!!! My husband studied Japanese in school, and he said カタカナ is harder than Hiragana. We have SO MANY foreign words becoming to Japanese, like coffee (コーヒー), cake (ケーキ), blog (ブログ)… isn’t that funny?
In fact, Western influence is mostly from Europe instead of the US. Lots of bread, sweets, food got a huge influence from European countries…. that’s why bread and sweets are really good stuff in Japan…
Yeah, I’m learning it (again, had already a course a couple of years ago), and I enjoy it a lot! I especially love how you “draw” the writing.
I think Katakana is harder because it’s not used as much as Hiragana, and also many signs look rather alike (more than in Hiragana) – like Katakana shi, so, tsu, n (don’t have the signs at hand here). I’ve been very interested in Japanese culture for almost 15 years now, more than in any other country, and this is also why the tsunami disaster hit me so much.
Hi Kath! Wow… 15 years! No wonder you like to hang out in Asian market. LOL. I hope I can take you to a Japanese supermarket here or there and we can talk about the food all day, in Japanese of course.
Good luck with your Japanese and let me know if I can help you with anything.
Love croquettes. Great recipe!
Thanks Christine!
These look delicious, Nami! Happy to hear you’ve had a nice weekend and looking forward to reading your husbands post
Hi Gourmantine! Thanks! I hope you enjoy his post.
I hope you had a great time over the weekend and I hope you feel better soon.
The pictures are breath taking..I can almost taste them
great job as always Nami
Thank you for your kind compliment, Sawsan! I’m feeling a little bit better I think? Moms can’t get sick.
Wow, I thought this picture was from Half Moon Bay!!! Good to hear that you had a great weekend ; )
Hi Mika-san! Hahahaha you are funny. Check out the pictures from HMB. It’s a lot better than this picture….
Your crab croquettes look fabulous, I haven’t had any croquettes for ages, and since I love crab, would love to try this ones. I am glad that you and your family had a great time over the weekend
Hope you have a great week ahead Nami!
Thanks Juliana! Until I had kids I didn’t even make Korokke by myself. I always waited to go home (go back to Japan) to eat my mom’s. But now, my kids love deep-fried breaded food, so I have no choice but cooking at home.
These croquettes sound and look delicious…! Who wouldn’t like a creamy CRAB croquette (Well, ok, maybe people who’re not into seafood…), but I would kill for it…;)!
Hi CG! I know who wouldn’t! I am even allergic to crab (I just developed this allergy when I turned 20 or so) but I still eat it. LOL!
So glad that you had a fun weekend.I love seafood and like it more when it is fried.I sometimes make shrimp croquettes but crab is new for me.They look so so delicious.I really like the addition of corn kernels..they would give them such a bite..cant wait to try these.Thank you
Thank you Tanvi! I had delicious fish & chips and fried calamari during the trip and realized how much I love deep fried seafood just like you said! My kids love corns so it’s always safe to put for food I have a doubt if kids would like it or not…
Awwww!!! Another yummy dish! Love it!
Now I’ve got alot of new dishes to learn & my family won’t be so boring with the few circulations of dishes every week! LOL
Hi Lyn! Well thank you for your kind comment Lyn! Your daugthers are so cute and I know you want to cook something yummy for them. Kids respond to us very quickly when they eat and we just love their smile and excitement when they see or eat yummy food. We moms work really hard.
Tks Nami! Yes you’re totally right about that! I presumed all moms are the same…
Sounds like you had a wonderful vacation and I am so happy for you! These crab cakes are so perfect and I now must have one!
Thank you Maris! The vacation was short, but we had very fun 2 days.
I am sure you would enjoy this croquette. 
I love any types of croquettes- these look so delicious!!! I’m putting these on my list for the cooking club! You have amazing photos, also. I’m definitely loving your food.
Hi Sarah! I hope you will like this croquette. Making patties is really difficult as it’s very creamy… you can add more flour, but you will lose the creamy texture when you bite it when you eat. So… good luck with making patties. At the end it’s all worth it.
Thank you for visiting Sarah! 
Croquettes. Such a sophistocated name for something so yummy, you know? Doesn’t the name just leap out at you? I love these adorable croquettes (I love that word more each time I write it) …so satisfying, but so light. The plate in the photo is beautiful. The lemon and the salad on the side…perfect plate especially for summer.
Haha! Thank you Kate! Japanese write croquette “Korokke” – not so fancy all the sudden! LOL. While growing up I didn’t know Korokke is from Western influenced food because it is such a common Japanese dish there.
this looks delicious wonderfully presented
Thank you!!
It’s nice that you and your family had a relaxing weekend away. It’s also lovely that you’ve shared this recipe with us. I can imagine the creamy korokke would be hard to shape as they are so soft, but again you made it look so easy and not messy at all
! These look delicious, I’m sure they’ll be a hit with my kids too.
Hi Maya! Yeah it was too soft but I was too stubborn not to add flour so it will stay creamy when we eat. It went alright but it wasn’t easy as regular potato & meat croquette. Thanks for coming to my site Maya!
love this recipe your a fab cook pleased you had a fun vacation love the California coast, great to know you and we both can relate as ex pats hugs Rebecca
Thank you Rebecca!
Mmmm these sound so good!! Your pictures are stunning as always : )
Thank you Holly!
omg!!! THese look great!!!! Your next door still got vancy to rental haha… i would like to be your neighbour. I love all these quick and easy veggie dish that’s great for finger food as well as serve it as dish or freezed it for later use. Thumb up for this
Ellena, how are you feeling? I hope you will feel better soon.
Haha, I would totally live next to you if I have such an opportunity, or even live in your house! LOL. You are one of talented cooks who can cook anything from A to Z!
Even if you didn’t mention that it’s hard to make, I can already see the details from the photos themselves!! Phew!!:p
It is indeed a tedious process, and even you, as an expert cook can find it hard to perfect it, I’d probably mess it all up…LOL!!! But, but, but, the end result is simply amazing and tempting!:D It’s really worth the efforts and time spent, after all, eh?
Hi Christy! I kind of mentioned that it’s not easy… at the end because I don’t want to surprise everyone with difficult steps. But the only part is to make patties. It’s just too creamy that it’s hard to make shapes. But only that part.
But even I enjoyed eating at the end, so all my effort was worth it. 
I’ll say this is worth the effort! These look amazing! Crab croquettes are so delicate and delicious. Great recipe.
Half Moon Bay is so beautiful…where did you stay? We’re only about 30 minutes away as well and try to get over there frequently. Always fun!
Hi Karen! Yes it is – totally worth making them. Sorry, I think I answered to your question wrong… (I thought you asked where we live, and I left on your comment section). We stayed at Ritz and kids had so much keep going back to the swimming pool.
Wow these crab croquettes look amazing!!! What a great meal Nami!
Thank you Kara!
These look well worth the effort! I’m totally into pretty much anything fried and crusted with panko…but the crab-corn combo sounds especially delicious and I bet the crispy-creamy contrast of textures is just fabulous…Yum!
Hi Celia! Me and my kids too. We love Panko crusted food and kids would eat anything if there are corn inside! Thanks for your kind comments.
I love crab cakes/croquettes. I understand how it can be time-consuming, at the end, it is well worth the effort.
Hi Victor! Yes, totally worth the effort (only my effort, but yes!). I still think it’s a lot easier than making a cake!
If I made this, I would have to eat them all by myself. No one else in my house likes crab. How weird, right? But I think that’s the perfect reason to make this recipe! So I can eat them all by myself…
Hehehe… That filling does not look easy to handle at all, and yet you’ve made some perfectly shaped croquettes. Great job! And thanks for sharing another great recipe, Nami! 
Hi Marsha! You are so funny. I’m not sure if you read my post on Korokke (Japanese croquette) but my record of Korokke is 6 pieces. This is crazy. Yes, as you see in the picture, filling is tough part… I was almost like giving up to take pictures of it because I was worried that they may not look great. Somehow managed though… Thanks for your kind comment Marsha!
Nami, what a fabulous recipe for creamy crab croquettes and very clever to chill the mixture in the baking dish first before making the croquettes.
Mandy
Hi Mandy! One time I didn’t chill the mixture enough and my precious croquettes exploded in the oil….so I made sure everyone remembers to chill the mixture….
Thank you for your kind comment all the time!
You know you’re successful when you get over 10 comments a posting :p
Way to go!
This recipe looks really tasty! I wonder what other food items could be stuffed inside of them…
Thank you Jeff! I love croquette (in Japanese it’s Korokke). Traditional croquette is potatoes and ground beef and that’s still my #1 favorite food. I wrote a post about the recipe in case you are interested! If you go to a Japanese restaurant, you can probably eat this Korokke, but I have to say it’s just not the same if you cook at home… In Japan people are very creative and put different things. I like creamy shrimp (instead of crab) as well. Thank you for visiting Jeff!
Enjoyed your pictures on Facebook. Looks like you had fun at Half Moon Bay. These creamy crab croquettes look wonderful! I don’t think 10 is enough for my family. I will probably have to make a double batch.
Hi Biren! I know soon my kids get older, we have to fight till the last piece and definitely 10 is not enough (since I eat probably 4 pieces at least).
This is a fantastic recipe that I have a feeling my family would like too! I am sure it is well worth the effort! I am looking forward to reading your husband’s post about your stay-cation!
Thank you Manu! I’m sure croquette is more familiar food than the US, but I am not sure what’s the traditional kind in Europe (France only?). Thank you for your comment on my husband post! He’ll be responding later.
Sounds like a great stay-cation!
The crab croquettes do not look straight-forward to make but I am sure the results (cos they look really delicious) made it satisfying.
Hi Tigerfish! Yes it was – since we didn’t have to drive for a long time, we didn’t waste time at all! Yeah… the part that you have to make patties…. I struggle to make a perfect shape. It wasn’t easy to make a nice shape when it’s too creamy. But I want inside to be nice and creamy so I refused to add more flour. LOL.
Girl that is an awsome picture!!!!! If I were a seafood lover I would be all over this one. Beautiful work Nami.
Thank you Sandra! I think inside can be anything. In Japan, the most common filling for creamy croquettes is crab.
These look so yummy! Perfect for the high tea or perfect to relish on a rainy day. I loved the photographs!
Thank you Purabi!
Oh wow Nami! This sounds so wonderful. The photos are beautiful and are making my mouth water, especially that one of the croquette cut in half, it looks so creamy and wonderful. It would be a huge hit in our house. Do you think shrimp could work as a substitute for crab? Unfortunately crab is hard to come by in Israel.
Hi Beth! Yes, shrimp works just fine. Anything to go with white sauce. I have regular Korokke (croquette) which is meat and potato. That’s still my #1 favorite Japanese food.
Thank you for your kind comment Beth!
Hi Jill! You have been to HMB!
Oh yes, HWY 1 is very nice… I get car sick by the windy road but the view is absolutely amazing. Thanks for your kind comment Jill. 
Hi Mindy! Thank you for your kind words Mindy! I’m so envious that you are going to NYC. I’ve never been there but I assume it’s big city like Tokyo. Lots of shopping and great food! I’m going to visit your blog soon. Have a wonderful time in NYC! Don’t forget to take yummy food and share with us!
Hi Kate! Oh you used to live in Japan! Where did you live? So you must know all these goodies…
You can use oven to cook, I think. Just spray the bottom of the pan, and spray or drizzle oil on the top of croquette. I am used to deep frying in 1/4 inch oil. 
Arrhhh now I remember. I’m so sorry asking you “again”. Yes please do the oven trick and let me know. Maybe it slowly cook and it may not explode etc… I’d love to know if it’s easier. I made Chicken Katsu before with this method and it works fine. It wasn’t as oily/juicy but I guess we can say it’s a lot healthier.
Thanks Maria!
Hello Nami,
Its a lovely post and dishes are so good. Am sure you had a lovely time enjoying these. Have a great day…cheers !
Thank you Sonia! It’s so good and dangerous because you want to eat more but you think it’s creamy and heavy and think about calorie….but it’s so worth it.
First of all, GORGEOUS picture! And I can totally see how this would be worth the effort. It looks delicious!
Thank you Tiffany! Yes… the crispy panko texture and creamy inside. 110% worth it!
CONGRATS ON TOP 9!!! ^_^
Thank you Sandra!!!
Nami, your pictures ar breathtaking, I want some croquettes, I am so hungry now!!!! Thank you so much for the step-by-step instructions, and sharing this lovely recipe! I am going to make them, looking forward to it, yummm
Thank you Tanja! I feel bad that the pictures of step-by-step is not so good.
But hopefully you can sort of guess…. Thank you for visiting my site! 
I live in Maryland where crabs are sort of sacred. Everyone argues over the best way to prepare and how to eat them. I want to try this preparation! I really want to reach through the computer and take one… They look AMAZING!
Hi Kim! Thank you for your kind comment! Wow you will make a very nice one for sure! I wish I can have yours.
Thank you for stopping by!
Woo-hoo you did it!!! Congratulations on Top 9!!!
Thanks Sandra!
I am so happy everyone on Foodbuzz will see this wonderful recipe. It looks so good and your photos are so professional and beautiful. The fact that you can do this and be a great mom to two little ones amazes me completely. You inspire me!
Thank you so much Denise! Your kids are all grownup and I sometimes can’t wait for my kids to grow faster, but I know, I need to enjoy this moment. You have been a great inspiration to me too. You have a beautiful family and I hope my family will be close like yours.
Congrats on the Top 9!! What gorgeous photos you have and it sounds like a wonderful stay-cation. I’m actually from San Rafael and miss the city! Haven’t been to Half Moon Bay in ages…
Thank you Kim! Oh you were from San Rafael? It’s very nice up there… Well but you are still near the ocean (and warmer!).
Beautiful croquettes Nami
I love them, definitely will have to try your recipe!
Thank you Suzana! I hope you will like it. With your cooking skills, I don’t have to say it’s difficult to make the patties. Hehee
Thank you Lin Ann! My kids really loved them because I put corns inside… so easily tricked!
Thank you Alisha! Yes, very creamy and we all loved these croquettes!
Hi Ananda! I use a can crab for this dish because it’s already a lot of work to make this and I didn’t want to spend another hour preparing crab while looking after 2 kids.
I hope you can find a very good quality of can of crab meat. It tastes still delicious. 
Hi Nami, thank you for sharing this delicious recipe, I try making them today and they are really yummy. Posted in my blog and link back the credit to you
http://rabbitcancook.wordpress.com/2013/02/06/japanese-creamy-crab-croquette/
Cheers.
Thank you so much Meilita! I am so excited to hear that you tried this recipe. Thank you!!!
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