Nuria Cmolik is taking fried food to the next level.
When her husband and brother-in-law tried traditional Spanish croquetas in her hometown of Madrid, the trio knew they wanted to bring the ball-shaped snack with a crunchy outside and a creamy, bechamel inside to Cleveland.
Since May, The Croqueteria has been serving up flavors such as garlic shrimp, wild mushroom, and spinach and blue cheese at the Cleveland Flea and Night Market Cleveland, and the company is still adding onto its menu.
“We use panko to bread them because it is crunchier and it is lighter than regular breadcrumbs,” says Cmolik. Making the Spanish delicacies ($5 for three) is a three-day process that starts with making the bechamel cream and ends with breading each croqueta so it is ready to fry when ordered.
“There is a lack of true Spanish food in Cleveland,” she says. “But the good thing about Cleveland is that people love to try new things and are not scared to pay for food they haven’t had before.” 216-352-8456, thecroqueteria.com
Best of Cleveland 2017: Croquetas
The Croqueteria is making Clevelanders fall in love with Spanish cuisine.
best of cleveland
12:00 PM EST
October 30, 2017