Bitterballen, a Dutch traditional snack. Hereby I share with you three recipes with different fillings: beef, shrimp, and cheese. Serve them as a snack at your next party!
Sorry, due to some health issues I'm a bit late with publicizing this challenge (and I even hosted it). But here it is. I tought it was fun to do and hope that you all enjoyed it. I will look at your blogs!
Three recipes to prepare bitterballen
Recipe Source:
- Kaasbitterbal: Smulweb Peter Goossens
- Garnalen bitterbal: https://www.24kitchen.nl
Notes:
Bitterballen (a small deep-fried kroket (croquette)) is a traditional Dutch snack available in every snack bar. It's got the shape of a meatball, and so they're also called Dutch meatballs. It used to be a method to use leftover meat and was served as an entrée. Now it is a real treat that you can get anywhere around the Netherlands. In the Netherlands, we eat about 300 million bitterballen portions each year (about 25 per person each year).
Bitterballen are filled croquettes made from a roux (a mixture of cooked flour and butter) that is made into a salpicon (by the addition of milk and/or stock and sometimes gelatine) to which the filling (meat, seafood, or cheese) is added and then shaped into small balls which are breaded (crumbed) and deep-fried until golden brown.
Salpicon refers to a preparation made of one or more ingredients that are minced or diced, and bound with a sauce. A roux is a mixture of fat and flour that is cooked until thick and bubblying.
Preparation time: 30 minutes and 2 hours or more waiting time
Equipment required:
- Deep fryer (or use a large skillet filled with 1 - 2 inches of sunflower oil)
- Saucepans
- Knives
- Bowls for breading (crumbing)
📖 Recipe
RECIPE CARD
The traditional Dutch bitterbal with a beef filling. The recipe is easy and you'll get a very delicious snack.
Ingredients
Beef filling
- 1⅓ lbs rump roast, lean, cubed
- 4 cups beef stock
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 onion
- 1 stick butter
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper, salt and nutmeg
- ⅙ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Breading
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs, L, slightly beaten
- 1 cup dry bread crumbs
Deep-frying
- sunflower oil, for deep frying
All my recipes are written both in Metric (gram / ml) and US Customary (cups / pounds). Here you can select which type of amount you would like to see.
Instructions
Beef filling
- Cook the meat (cubed beef) in the beef stock with 1 teaspoon salt for about 2-3 hours, until it’s fork-tender. Let it cool to room temperature and finely slice the beef. Take 2 cups (500 ml) of stock and set aside.1⅓ lbs rump roast, 4 cups beef stock, 1 teaspoon salt
- Slice the onion finely.1 onion
- Make a roux by melting the butter and glazing (browning) the onion for about 2 minutes.1 stick butter
- Then add the flour all at once and stir on heat for another 3 minutes.1 cup all-purpose flour
- Add the stock, whisk well and let it come to a boil (keep stirring). The roux absorbs all the liquid. Cook at a high simmer for another 5 minutes. Add the cooked soup meat (cubed beef).
- Add the nutmeg, pepper, and salt to the beef mixture.⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper, ⅙ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Take a cooled plate or oven dish (rinsed in cold water) spread the filling over the plate and cover with some plastic wrap and allow cooling down for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator (better to let it cool overnight).
Breading
- Put three bowls in front of you and fill the first one with flour, the second one with the eggs (beat the eggs), and the third one with bread crumbs.1 cup all-purpose flour, 2 eggs, 1 cup dry bread crumbs
- Take the filling and take a spoon of filling and make a ball of it. Roll it through the bowl with flour, then the eggs, and at last through the bread crumbs.
- Repeat the breading (crumbing) process again if you wish.
- Place on plate and repeat for the rest of the filling. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Deep fry
- Heat your frying pan to 350°F/180°C (medium heat). Check the temperature by placing a small cube of bread in the heated oil, it should sizzle and brown in a minute or two.sunflower oil
- Deep-fry the bitterballen for about 3 to 4 minutes until done (golden brown).
- Serve mustard on the side.
Nutrition
Calories: 110kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 7gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 32mgSodium: 223mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 110IUVitamin C: 1mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
📖 Recipe
RECIPE CARD
A recipe to prepare homemade shrimp bitterballen. Easy to prepare, a really delicious snack.
Ingredients
Shrimp filling
- 2 shallot
- ½ oz. chives
- 1 stick butter
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup white wine, dry like a caubernet sauvignon
- 2½ cups fish stock
- 9 oz. cocktail shrimp
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ ground black pepper
Breading
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs, size L, slightly beaten
- 1 cup dry bread crumbs
Deep-fryer
- sunflower oil, for deep frying
All my recipes are written both in Metric (gram / ml) and US Customary (cups / pounds). Here you can select which type of amount you would like to see.
Instructions
Shrimp filling
- Peel and slice the shallots finely.2 shallot
- Cut the chives into small pieces.½ oz. chives
- Melt the butter and glaze (brown) the onion for about 2 minutes. Then add the flour all at once and while stirring, heat for another 3 minutes.1 stick butter, 1 cup all-purpose flour
- Pour in the wine and stock, whisk very well and let it come to a boil (keep stirring). Cook at a high simmer for another 10 minutes.½ cup white wine, 2½ cups fish stock
- Add the shrimp and chives.9 oz. cocktail shrimp
- Finally, add pepper and salt.¼ teaspoon salt, ⅛ ground black pepper
- Take a cooled plate or oven dish (rinsed in some cold water) spread the filling over the plate. Cover with some plastic wrap and let cool down for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator (better to let it cool overnight).
Breading
- Take three bowls and fill the first one with flour, the second one with the eggs, and the third one with bread crumbs.1 cup all-purpose flour, 2 eggs, 1 cup dry bread crumbs
- Take the filling and take a spoon of filling and make a ball of it. Roll it through the bowl with flour, then the eggs, and at last through the bread crumbs.
- Repeat the breading (crumbing) process again if you wish.
- Place on a plate and repeat for the rest of the filling. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Deep fry
- Heat your frying pan to 350°F/180°C (medium heat). Check the temperature by placing a small cube of bread in the heated oil. It should sizzle and brown in a minute or two.sunflower oil
Nutrition
Calories: 50kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 3gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 32mgSodium: 181mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 37IUVitamin C: 1mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
📖 Recipe
RECIPE CARD
This is the recipe for cheese bitterballen. A delicious Dutch vegetarian snack.
Ingredients
Cheese filling
- ½ stick butter
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
- ⅓ cup cream
- 2 egg yolks, size L
- 2 teaspoons gelatin powder
- ½ teaspoons ground nutmeg, grated
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 80 grams Parmesan cheese, or grana padano, pecorino, etc. - grated
- 80 grams Brie cheese, Camembert, cream cheese, etc. - sliced into small pieces
- 80 grams grated cheddar cheese
Breading
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs, size L - beaten
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
Deep-Frying
- sunflower oil, for deep frying
All my recipes are written both in Metric (gram / ml) and US Customary (cups / pounds). Here you can select which type of amount you would like to see.
Instructions
Cheese filling
- Melt butter in a heavy-based saucepan.½ stick butter
- Add flour all at once and stir to cook for 3 minutes on medium heat.¾ cup all-purpose flour
- Add milk, egg yolks and cream and bring to the boil while stirring continuously.2 cups milk, ⅓ cup cream, 2 egg yolks
- Bring the heat to lowest and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring from time to time.
- While it is simmering, dissolve the gelatin with about 2 tablespoons water. Set aside.2 teaspoons gelatin powder
- Add nutmeg. Taste sauce and add salt and pepper.½ teaspoons ground nutmeg, ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper, ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Stir in the cheeses until well mixed in the sauce.80 grams Parmesan cheese, 80 grams Brie cheese, 80 grams grated cheddar cheese
- Add in the dissolved gelatin and stir until well combined.
- Remove from the heat and spread out the sauce in a baking dish or plate.
- Cool for about 30-60 minutes then cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Breading
- After refrigeration, the mixture would have hardened. With a spoon, scoop out enough cheese mixture to form into a ¾ - 1-inch ball (2½ cm).
- Roll the ball in the plain flour; then dip in the beaten egg; then roll in the breadcrumbs. (The breading may be repeated if you want a thicker crust.) Do the same for the rest of the mixture.1 cup all-purpose flour, 2 eggs, 1 cup breadcrumbs
- Place the balls on a plate and repeat for the rest of the filling. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- At this point you may freeze the bitterballen if you wish.
Deep frying
- Heat your frying pan to 350°F/180°C (medium heat). Check the temperature by placing a small cube of bread in the heated oil. It should sizzle and brown in a minute or two.sunflower oil
- Deep-fry the bitterballen for 3-4 minutes until golden. (For frozen bitterballen, add 1 more minute in the frying time.)
Nutrition
Calories: 113kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 4gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 131mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 229IUVitamin C: 1mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Sunita says
All your variations look great. Thank you for introducing me to these delicious meat balls.
andrea says
Glad to introduce you Sunita!