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–+ servings

Croquettes de Camembert

Appetizer, Appetizers & Snacks, Snack
Croquettes de Camembert are crispy, golden-fried cheese balls with a molten, oozing centre. The outside is all crunch and crumb, the inside is pure Norman indulgence. These are great for apéro, serve them hot and watch them disappear.
Croquettes de Camembert recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 8 Croquettes de Camembert

Ingredients 

  • 1 camembert preferably raw milk Camembert de Normandie AOP
  • 1 shallot
  • 1 tbsp chives
  • 1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley
  • 2 eggs
  • 150 gr breadcrumbs
  • vegetable oil or sunflower oil, for deep frying
  • salt and black pepper

Equipment

Instructions

  1. 1. Prepare the camembert
    Take the Camembert out of the fridge 30 minutes before you start, it's much easier to work with when it's not fridge-cold. Carefully slice off the white rind from all sides (don't throw it away; it's edible, just not what you want here). Cut the cheese into rough cubes and put them in a large bowl.
  2. 2. Mix the filling
    Add the finely diced shallot, chives and parsley to the bowl. Season with a small pinch of salt and a good grinding of black pepper. Using a spatula, mash and fold everything together until you have a smooth, workable paste. If your Camembert is particularly ripe and runny, you might want to pop the bowl in the fridge for 10 minutes to firm things up a bit.
  3. 3. Shape the croquettes
    Using your hands, roll the mixture into small balls, roughly the size of a large walnut. You should get about 8–10 from one Camembert.
  4. 4. Set up your breading station
    Get three shallow bowls ready. Put the beaten eggs in one, and the breadcrumbs in the other. This is the classic French pané setup. Have a clean plate standing by for the coated croquettes.
  5. 5. Bread the croquettes (twice)
    Take each Camembert ball and roll it in the eggs first, then coat it generously in breadcrumbs. Here's the key: do it all again. Back into the egg, back into the breadcrumbs. This double coating is what gives you that properly crispy shell and stops the cheese from escaping during frying.
  6. 6. Fry until golden
    Heat your oil to 180°C in a heavy-bottomed pan or deep fryer. If you don't have a thermometer, drop a small cube of bread in, it should sizzle immediately and turn golden in about 30 seconds. Carefully lower 3–4 croquettes at a time into the hot oil (don't overcrowd the pan). Fry for 4–5 minutes, turning occasionally, until they're deep golden brown all over. Use a skimmed spoon to lift them out and drain on kitchen paper.
  7. 7. Serve immediately
    Croquettes de Camembert wait for no one. Serve them hot, scattered over a handful of fresh salad leaves. They don't need much else, perhaps a drizzle of honey if you want to be fancy. Cut one open and watch the cheese ooze out. That's the moment.

Notes

  • Cheese choice: A proper raw milk Camembert de Normandie AOP will give you the best flavour. If you can't find one, any good-quality Camembert will work. Avoid the rubbery supermarket basics if you can
  • The double breading: Don't skip this. Single coating means cheese explosion in your oil. Not in a good way.
  • Make ahead: You can bread the croquettes de camembert and freeze them for up to a month. Fry straight from frozen, adding an extra minute or two to the cooking time.
  • Air fryer option: Spray generously with oil and cook at 190°C for 6–8 minutes, turning halfway. Not quite the same as deep-fried, but still pretty good.