Bitterballen (Dutch Beef Ragout Croquettes)

About This Recipe

Bitterballen are the defining snack food of Dutch café culture and are consumed in enormous quantities — at birthday parties (verjaardagen), at the legendary Dutch institution of 'borreltijd' (drinks time), and at every bruine kroeg (brown pub) in Amsterdam. They are essentially small, spherical Dutch beef croquettes: a thick, deeply savoury beef ragout (made from slow-braised beef in a rich roux sauce) is cooled until solid, shaped into small balls, breaded and deep-fried until shattering crispy on the outside with a molten, steaming ragout centre. The challenge and the joy: biting in carefully to avoid a scalding interior while dipping in sharp Dutch mustard.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 300 gbeef brisket or chuck(braised until tender, shredded)
• 60 gbutter
• 60 gplain flour
• 400 mlbeef stock(warm)
• 1 tbspWorcestershire sauce
• 1 tbspDijon mustard
• 2 tbspfresh parsley(finely chopped)
• 0.5 tspnutmeg
• 1 tspsalt
• 0.5 tspwhite pepper
• 3eggs(beaten, for coating)
• 150 gfine dry breadcrumbs
• plain flourfor dusting
• 1 litrevegetable oil(for frying)
• Dutch mustard (Zaanse mosterd)to serve

Instructions

1. 1

   Make ragout

   Melt butter in a saucepan. Whisk in flour and cook 2 min (roux). Gradually add warm stock, whisking constantly until smooth and thick. Add shredded beef, Worcestershire, mustard, parsley, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Cook stirring 5 min.

2. 2

   Set the ragout

   Pour into a shallow dish. Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface. Refrigerate minimum 3 hours or overnight until completely solid — it must be firm enough to shape.

   The ragout must be very firm when cold. If it is too soft to shape, add 1 tbsp more flour to the mix and re-cook briefly.

3. 3

   Shape

   With cold, wet hands, roll tablespoons of the firm ragout into small balls (3–4cm diameter). Work quickly — warmth will soften them. Return shaped balls to the fridge 30 min.

4. 4

   Bread

   Roll each ball in flour, then beaten egg, then breadcrumbs. Double-coat: dip again in egg then breadcrumbs for an extra-crispy shell. Return to fridge 30 min.

5. 5

   Deep fry

   Heat oil to 180°C. Fry bitterballen in batches of 6, 2–3 min until deep golden. Drain on paper towels.

6. 6

   Serve

   Serve immediately with Dutch mustard for dipping. The interior should be molten — warn guests to bite carefully.

Variations

• •

  Cheese bitterballen: replace beef with a thick Gouda cheese sauce

• •

  Mushroom ragout for a vegetarian version

• •

  Add curry powder to the ragout for a Dutch-Indonesian fusion version (kroket kari)

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

Storage

Shaped, breaded bitterballen freeze very well — fry directly from frozen, adding 1 extra minute.

Frequently Asked Questions