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This Thursday is International Croquette Day and Seven Compete to be the Best in Spain in 2025

This Thursday is International Croquette Day and Seven Compete to be the Best in Spain in 2025

Recipes from Asturias, Castilla y León, Galicia, Valencia, and Madrid will compete on January 27th in the XI edition of the championship to be held at Madrid Fusión

Guillermo Elejabeitia

Jueves, 16 de enero 2025, 00:40

Relegated to the domestic recipe book for much of its history, the croquette has been experiencing a golden era in recent years, becoming a star on the menu of countless restaurants. The annual celebration of the Best Iberian Ham Croquette Championship at Madrid Fusión for eleven editions has played a role in this, elevating the average level of the recipe and stimulating chefs' competitiveness. The next event will be on January 27th.

This time, seven establishments from Asturias, Castilla y León, Galicia, Valencia, and Madrid are vying for the prize in front of a jury of internationally renowned chefs such as Gastón Acurio, José Pizarro, and Xanty Elías. Last year's winner, Carlos Griffo from Madrid's Quinqué, will also be present to share insights with the finalists about the croquette fever that winning sparks among customers.

  1. Simpar Santiago de Compostela

    A Galician Going All Out

Aware of the potential of gastronomic congresses to build a reputation in the culinary world, Galician Áxel Smyth has been on a roll lately. A few months ago, he won first place in the San Sebastián Gastronomika Tripe Contest, and at Madrid Fusión, he not only aims for the New Chef Award but also intends to complete his accolades by crafting the best croquette in the country. His contest recipe boasts an exceptionally creamy béchamel and a very crispy coating in a perfectly sized spherical shape. So perfect, it's impressive.

  1. La Pandora Avilés

    Inspired by His Grandmother and Great-grandmother

Born into a family of restaurateurs, Alejandro Villa grew up watching his grandmother and great-grandmother cook. Instead of cartoons, he was glued to the TV watching Arguiñano, and by eight, he was donning an apron to bake cakes and pastries. Someone with the craft in their veins couldn't make a mediocre croquette. The one served at La Pandora is made from a béchamel so fluid it breaks at the first touch, a delight that invites finger-licking.

  1. Flama Valencia

    Cordoban Milk and Charcoal Heat

A newcomer that, in just two years since opening, is making waves in Valencia. As its name suggests, the restaurant makes flames its hallmark, and chef Edu Espejo applies one of the oldest culinary techniques to a menu that blends raw products, haute creative cuisine, and traditional recipes like these croquettes he presents at the contest, made with butter, milk, and cream from Fuente Obejuna, the Cordoban town where his mother was born.

  1. La Barra de la Tasquería Madrid

    The Little Brother of an Offal Temple

Chef Javi Estevez has moved La Tasquería—a Michelin star and a Repsol sun—to a larger space and has transformed its former location into a more informal restaurant, dedicated to paying homage to classic bar dishes and traditional stews. Alongside shrimp salad, tongue sandwich, or ear bun with brava sauce, a splendidly creamy croquette, usually made with mushrooms but adapted with Iberian ham for the contest by head chef Adrián Collantes, is a must among the appetizers.

  1. Santabar Alicante

    Much More Than a Roadside Bar

It might seem like just another roadside bar, but it has rightfully become a reference in Alicante's informal gastronomy. The chalkboard listing the day's specialties is a temptation for those traveling between Alicante and San Juan, making a pit stop to savor a salad, a coca amo tonyna, cod fritters, or croquettes that could make them champions at Madrid Fusión, so creamy they "weep" béchamel.

  1. Jardín Palacio de los Duques Madrid

    Gastronomy with Tradition in a Grand Hotel

A grand hotel like Madrid's Gran Meliá Palacio de los Duques has never neglected its gastronomic chapter. After the departure of the Torres brothers, it has hired a chef with a solid career and trained hand like Manuel Arenilla. At 30, he may not yet have the media projection of the Barcelona twins, but he has managed to build a very traditional yet fresh and fun proposal. Trained in kitchens like Echaurren or the Dani García group, his croquettes draw from good sources.

  1. El Portal de Lino Salamanca

    An Emblem of Salamanca Hospitality

Located just a few meters from Salamanca's Central Market, El Portal de Lino is the most gastronomic version of the Tapas group, a reference in the city's hospitality scene led by chef Jorge Lozano and Soraya Sánchez. The house has experience in participating in gastronomic contests, having been a finalist in the 2021 Tripe Contest organized by Gastronomika and also reaching the final of the Russian salad championship. Now they are betting on a croquette made with "Grandma Manuela's" recipe, a symbol of the house from day one.

Madrid Fusión, the Culinary Olympics

Nearly a hundred chefs are sharpening their knives to compete from January 27th to 29th in the culinary Olympics. In addition to presentations by the world's most influential figures, tastings, and live demonstrations, the world's most important culinary summit is the ideal stage for chefs to test their skills in cooking contests.

The croquette contest is usually the most attention-grabbing each year, but over the three days of the congress, up to thirteen competitions will be held, and six awards will be given. Alongside the classics focusing on signature sandwiches, cheese recipes, or dishes with Italian ingredients, which have been part of the program for over a decade, recent years have seen the addition of contests highlighting Madrid's pantry, Tenerife's mojos, or escabeches.

This edition of Madrid Fusión incorporates four new features, aimed at selecting the best Steak Tartare prepared in the dining room, the best dish with apple, the best recipe with partridge, or the best sweet crumbs in the country.

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