Croquetes de alheira are one of the most popular snacks in petisqueiras (Portuguese tapas place) and snack bars across the country. Like the name suggests, it’s made from alheiras – a Portuguese poultry and bread sausage, that’s rolled into little balls, breaded and deep fried. Turning into a delicious bite to have while enjoying a cold imperial, or a nice glass of Portuguese white wine.
What is Alheira?
Alheiras are Portuguese sausages that have the classic horseshoe shape of Portuguese smoked sausages. What makes them different, however, is that they are made of poultry instead of pork. The filling also has bread, which results in a less robust and more soft sausage. These two main ingredients are then seasoned with garlic, and paprika. To bind the ingredients together, olive oil and sometimes lard is also used.
It’s believed alheiras were originally a pork-free invention. That’s because their creation is credited to the Portuguese Jewish community that were forced to convert to Christianity during the 15th century.
The Jewish Origin of Alheira
Many of them secretly retained their beliefs and practices, one of which was not to consume pork. Since the diet of the average Portuguese was pork-heavy, and since it was common to produce your own sausages, hanging them outdoors while smoking.
The Jewish-Portuguese created a pork less sausage in order to not raise suspicions among the communities they were hiding in. It didn’t take long for this unconventional sausage to become part of Portuguese culture. With a total of three types of alheiras under the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status: Alheira de Vinhais, Alheira de Barroso-Montalegre, and Alheira de Mirandela. The latter was considered in 2011 as one of The Seven Wonders of Portuguese Gastronomy – Sete Maravilhas da Gastronomia.
Discover: The Seven Wonders of Portuguese Gastronomy
About our Croquetes de Alheira Recipe
This is perhaps one of the simplest recipes you will find on this website, with the bonus that it only requires a handful of ingredients. The alheira is of course the star of this recipe, and since it already has a doughy texture, you don’t need to add any flour or starch. You only need onions and some parsley for some extra flavour, since alheiras are already pre-seasoned. Although we’re calling them croquetes de alheira, we are actually rolling them into balls of approximately 30g, you could go for the traditional cylinder shape if you want.
For breading we used standard breadcrumbs, but you could also use panko! As for frying, we stuck to the classic way, deep frying in vegetable oil, but it can also be done in the air fryer or oven. Alheiras can be found in most supermarkets in Portugal. For those outside of the country, it’s worth taking a look at shops specialized in Portuguese products.
How to Make Croquetes de Alheira
This recipe yields around 15 croquettes of 30g each, each croquette has a calorie estimate of around 80 calories.
Croquetes de Alheira – Portuguese Sausage Croquettes
15
servings50
minutes30
minutes80
kcalCroquetes de Alheira are some of the simplest croquettes you can put together. Bursting with traditional Portuguese flavour they are a quick and easy to make!
Ingredients
2 Whole Alheria Sausages – 200g Each
1 Small Onion – finely diced
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1/3 cup Fresh Parsley – finely chooped
Black Pepper
Salt
2 Egg
80 g Bread Crumbs
1 l Vegetable Oil
Directions
- Place a medium non-stick skillet over low heat. Once hot, add the olive oil and diced onion. Fry the onion until it starts to soften.
- Remove the casings of the sausages, crumbling the meat with your hands. Add to the frying pan, cook until it starts to gain some colour. At this point the sausage meat will stick together forming kind of a dough. Remove from the heat, and transfer to a bowl.
- Season it with the chopped parsley and some black pepper. Cover with cling film, then pop it in the fridge for approximately 30 minutes.
- Place a deep-frying pan over low to medium heat, add the vegetable oil, let it heat up slowly while you roll your croquettes.
- Divide the dough into 15 parts of approximately 30g each, shape them into balls.
- Place two different bowls on a surface, add the eggs to one of them, then beat slightly. Season with some salt and black pepper. Pour your breadcrumbs into the other bowl, also season it. Dip the croquettes first in the eggs, then into the breadcrumbs, making sure all sides are coated.
- Check the temperature of the oil, it should be around 190 °C. Alternatively, you can use the handle of a wooden spoon to check the temperature by sticking it into the oil. Many bubbles that are gently and float should form around the wood.
- Fry the croquettes until golden brown, you might need to divide it in three batches depending on the size of your pan, as to not lower the temperature. Let them rest for a couple on minutes on top of kitchen paper before serving. We served ours with a honey mustard sauce, but it’s also delicious with chilli jam.
If you tried this recipe, let us know in the comments!
More Portuguese Snacks and Petiscos?
- Peixinhos da Horta – Portuguese Fried Green Beans
- Pastéis de Bacalhau: How To Make Portuguese Codfish Cakes!
- Rissóis de Camarão – Portuguese Shrimp Rissoles
- Gambas ao Alhinho – Portuguese Fried Garlic Prawns
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