Kani (Crab) Cream Korokke Recipe

Kani Cream Korokke is another popular western-style Japanese dish that has been around for a long time.  A mixture of creamy béchamel sauce and crab meat is coated with bread crumbs and deep-fried.  Kani Cream Korokke is often found on a menu at Yoshokuya (western style Japanese food restaurant) as well as some grocery stores and delis in Japan.  Although the cooking steps can be a little finicky, it is worthwhile to make this crunchy creamy morsel at home.

Korokke is originated from European croquettes, both potato and creamy ones, but they started to appear at Yoshokuya (western style Japanese restaurants) in the early 1900s in Japan.  They have been around over 100 years and are still very much loved by Japanese people so they can be called a Japanese food by now even though they are not “traditionally” Japanese.

When making the creamy filling, the béchamel sauce shouldn’t be too loose because it will be hard to handle.  On the other hand, if it is made to be too hard, then the creamy texture will be compromised.  It has to be hard enough to hold the shape but still creamy enough after being deep-fried.  Kani, crab meat, is the most standard filling for Cream Korokke, but shrimp and scallop are also delicious choices.  Seafood seems like the theme for Japanese Cream Korokke, but chicken or vegetables like corn and spinach should work if you are not into seafood.  When deep-frying the Korokke, don’t touch them a lot until the outer layer get hardened in the oil to avoid making holes. Just let them brown and gently roll over in the hot oil.  Once it’s poked, the cream may ooze out and the whole thing becomes a greasy mess, and nobody wants that.  When Cream Korokke is done right, it is so crispy, so creamy, and so delicious.  Serve immediately – piping hot Cream Korokke is the best!

This may be a dish that takes more work than you want for weekday dinner, however, you can do it when you have a little more time such as weekends and on special occasions.  Enjoy this western yet still traditional Japanese meal!

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Kani Cream Korokke Recipe

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: crab, korokke

*Links may contain ad. #CommissionsEarned

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp butter
• 2 1/2 Tbsp flour
• 1 cup milk
• 3/4-1 tsp salt
• White pepper
• 4 oz crabmeat
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 egg beaten
• 2 cups Panko bread crumbs
• Deep frying oil
• lemon wedges optional
• Tonkatsu Sauce optional

Instructions

• Heat butter in a frying pan at medium heat, add 2 1/2 Tablespoons flour, and cook for a minute until bubbling. Add half of milk, whisking and blending in well first, then add the rest of the milk and whisk until very smooth. Let boil and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper, and mix in crabmeat.
• Turn the crab mixture out and flatten on a mat, and chill for an hour in the fridge.
• Divide the chilled mixture into 6 equal pieces, forming cylinder shapes.
• Coat them with flour, then egg, and finally Panko.
• Heat frying oil at medium high heat, then add Korokke and fry until browned, for a couple of minutes.
• Squeeze lemon juice or drizzle Tonkatsu Sauce if you like.

Video