When I posted my Korokke (Japanese potato croquette) recipe on my website about a month ago, one reader requested a recipe for Japanese creamy croquettes. I’m sorry it took a long time for me to post this recipe, but thank you for patiently waiting for this Creamy Crab Croquette recipe. I hope you like it!
Both kinds of croquettes are very popular in Japan. Since my dad likes potatoes, my mom usually cooked regular potato croquettes. It was more like a delicious treat to eat the kind with a creamy filling. This time, I put corn inside for my kids’ sakes since they are crazy about corn!
To be honest, the creamy croquette patties are challenging to form. The mixture is very sticky and it’s tough to make the patty shape. However, I’m very sure, and my family would also agree, that it’ll be worth your effort. Enjoy!
What is Creamy Crab Croquette?
Creamy Crab Croquettes are one of the most popular yoshoku (Western-style) menu items in Japan. Called kani cream korokke in Japanese, it’s made with thick béchamel sauce (white sauce) and crabmeat. We shape the mixture into patties, bread them in panko, and deep-fry until golden brown. These creamy croquettes are crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and totally irresistible.
The use of crab in this dish became popular sometime after the chef Tokuzo Akiyama of the Imperial Household Agency stated in 1923 that shellfish could be added to cream croquettes. Japanese cream croquettes were adapted from Japanese potato croquettes, which themselves were a modification of creamy French croquettes first introduced to Japan in 1887!
Ingredients You’ll Need
In this recipe, we use a béchamel sauce (white sauce) to bind the filling ingredients together.
- crabmeat – real or imitation; I use canned, but you could also use fresh crabmeat
- corn kernels – frozen or canned; you could also try very small pieces of ham, octopus, or cheese for added protein
- onion – I used a regular onion, but you could try other types like spring onions or green onions
- unsalted butter
- all-purpose flour (plain flour) – for the filling and breading
- milk
- kosher salt and black pepper
- eggs – I use large eggs
- panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
- olive oil – for the beaten egg
- neutral oil – for deep-frying
How To Make Creamy Crab Croquettes
Be patient with the patties, as the mixture is sticky and difficult to form into balls. Following are the basic cooking steps:
- Make the filling with the crab and corn. Spread the mixture on the bottom of a baking pan and chill for 1 hour. Divide the mixture into equal portions and form into round patties.
- Bread the patties in the flour, beaten egg, and panko crumbs. Chill for 10 minutes.
- Deep-fry in the hot oil over medium-high heat until golden brown, flipping halfway through cooking. Do not crowd the pan. Transfer to a paper towel and serve immediately.
3 Cooking Tips for Crab Croquettes
- Gradually add the milk to avoid lumps. When adding liquid to the flour and butter mixture, you must add milk just a little bit at a time while stirring constantly to completely incorporate it. Once the mixture is smooth, you can you drizzle in more milk and repeat. Otherwise, you may end up with clumps of pasty flour in your white sauce.
- Chill the creamy filling thoroughly so the croquettes don’t explode while deep-frying. Cool the filling mixture, spread it out in a baking pan, and chill in the fridge for 1 hour. Then, form the patties. Cooling and chilling help eliminate some of the excess moisture that could cause steam to form inside the patties and make the croquettes burst during cooking.
- Use a cookie scoop to form the patties. Since the filling is soft, a cookie scoop makes it easier to handle the sticky mixture and form croquettes that are the same size. I recommend a large cookie scoop for the job. If you don’t have one, you can always do it the old-fashioned way by hand as I demonstrate in the instructions below.
Other Korokke Recipes You’ll Love
In Japan, there’s no shortage of croquette variations. I hope you give some of these recipes a try!
- Japanese Croquettes (my Mom’s korokke recipe—the best!)
- Baked Croquettes
- Kabocha Croquettes
- Croquette Sandwich
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Creamy Crab Croquette
Ingredients
For the Filling
- 1 onion
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter (for cooking the onion)
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- 1¼ cups milk (at room temperature)
- 1 can real or imitation crabmeat (6 oz, 170 g; or use fresh crabmeat)
- ½ cup frozen or canned corn
- 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper
For the Panko Breading
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- 2 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell) (beaten)
- 1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (for coating your hands)
For Deep-Frying
Instructions
For the Crab and Corn Filling
- Cut 1 onion in half and thinly slice it with a mandoline slicer or knife. In a large, nonstick frying pan, heat 3 Tbsp unsalted butter on medium-low heat. Add the sliced onion.
- Sauté until translucent. When the onion is translucent, turn off the heat. Then add ⅓ cup all-purpose flour (plain flour).
- Mix well and then turn the heat back on and stir constantly for 1–2 minutes. Pour in 1¼ cups milk, a little bit at a time, stirring to eliminate lumps.
- Stir 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 thick mustard. Add 1 can real or imitation crabmeat and ½ cup frozen or canned corn and cook off as much moisture as possible while stirring. Season it with 1 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper.
- Take off from the heat and allow to cool.
- Spread the mixture on the bottom of a baking pan. Cover with plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator for 1 hour. If you don’t chill the mixture enough, the croquette might explode while deep-frying from the moisture. After 1 hour, divide the chilled mixture into 10 equal portions.
To Make the Patties
- Prepare three bowls: One with ⅓ cup all-purpose flour (plain flour), one with 2 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell) and 2 Tbsp oil, and one with 1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs). Beat the eggs and oil together. Lightly coat your hands with some of the 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Take each filling portion and make a small round patty, dredge in the flour, dip into the egg, and coat with panko. Repeat with the rest of the filling. Cover the patties with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes. Tip: Alternatively, you can use a cookie scoop instead of your hands. The scoop makes it easier to handle the soft and sticky filling and form croquettes of the same size. I recommend a large cookie scoop for the job.
To Deep-Fry
- In a large frying pan, heat ½ inch neutral oil on medium-high heat. When it’s hot (350ºF/180ºC), fix the shape of the croquettes and slip them into the oil to deep-fry. Do not crowd the pan (maybe 4–5 croquettes at a time) and do not disturb them until the bottom side is golden brown. Then, flip and wait until the other side also turns golden brown. Transfer the croquettes onto a paper towel and serve immediately.
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 3 days or in the freezer for a month. Reheat in the oven or the toaster oven until the outside is crispy and the inside is warm through.
Nutrition
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