Croquettes de Crevettes Grises

Croquettes de crevettes grises are a thick béchamel studded with tiny North Sea grey shrimp, breaded and fried until the shell shatters around a molten centre. Croquettes exist in some form across many cuisines, but this version is distinctly tied to Belgium's North Sea coast, built specifically around the small, sweet, grey shrimp caught along that shoreline. The local tradition is to peel them by hand, although today much of the North Sea catch is shipped abroad, for example to Morocco, to be peeled.

What it really is

A very thick béchamel — reduced further than a standard sauce so it can set firm once chilled — mixes with a generous quantity of tiny, peeled grey shrimp, then chills until firm enough to shape into short cylinders. Each shape coats in flour, egg and breadcrumbs before frying in hot oil until the crust turns deep golden and shatters at the first bite, releasing the still-molten shrimp filling inside. Getting the filling firm enough to hold its shape before frying, without losing that molten centre once cooked, is the real skill in making them well.

The grey shrimp are what make this a coastal Belgian dish rather than a generic croquette. Small, sweet and traditionally hand-peeled, from North Sea catches, they carry a flavour that other shrimp varieties don't replicate — a croquette made with larger, milder shrimp is a different, less specifically Belgian dish.

How it's served

• Hot, straight from the fryer, usually two or three to a portion.
• Classically with a wedge of lemon and fried parsley; a simple green salad alongside is common.
• As a starter, a staple on menus along the Belgian coast.

How to write it on the menu

• Flag the crustaceans, dairy, wheat and egg.
• Say if the grey shrimp are genuinely North Sea catch, since that's part of what regulars are paying for.
• Note that the filling stays molten right after frying, so guests know to let it cool slightly.