This tapa has been on the menu at a Melbourne institution for a sweet 16 years…

But we’re not honouring croquetas from Bar Lourinhã because they’ve gone the distance, we’re doing it because they are as close as possible to the perfect mouthful!

Image credit Bar Lourinhã (copyright 2022 @jojogamvrosphotograpy)

Is that the full name?

Well, sort of. Matt McConnell, the executive chef at Bar Lourinhã, changes the flavours up all the time. Sometimes jamón croqueta will be on the menu, other times spiced cauliflower or corn and smoked chilli, among others. You can’t box in this kind of creativity, nor would you want to…

Where do you get it?

Bar Lourinhã, 37 Little Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000

Why is it a winner?

Picture this: An overcast Melbourne evening, and you’re feeling as grey as the sky, but you find shelter in the warm embrace of a small and intimate bar in one of the city’s streets. By the time you order the croqueta, let’s say it’s the jamón ones this time, your mood’s already improved. But when you take a bite of that deep fried parcel of goodness, with its creamy interior studded with Spain’s finest ham and its crusty exterior of deep-fried breadcrumbs, life is back to full colour. You’re home, you’re safe, you’re dipping it in the delicious aioli and you’re washing it down with a cold Portuguese beer. You need nothing else. Ever.

What inspired the chef?

“
Croquetas have always been on the menu at Bar Lourinhã. In 2008 I spent a whole day in Barcelona eating and rating the croquetas. I was probably a bit drunk by the end of it, but it gave me a real sense of how people put a fresh spin on croquetas, which are a very traditional dish. Sometimes we make the Portuguese-style croqueta, which is also a bit French, with potatoes, but more commonly it’s the traditional Spanish style which is based on a thick bechamel sauce. We take offcuts of serrano ham, fold it through the bechamel mix, crumb and fry them to order. We also serve it with a beautiful little house aioli.
„
Matt McConnell, executive chef and co-owner of Bar Lourinhã

Anything else to know?

Hungry yet? Then head to Bar Lourinhã! But if you want to have a go at frying up these babies at home, Casa Lourinhã croquetas can be bought online at Providoor, or at some of Melbourne’s finest grocers, including McCoppins Food and Wine. The prawn croquetas are also something special and you can get them from Carlton North’s Fishmonger’s Son.

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