This is where you want to go: the ultimate shrimp croquette festival
Every now and then, I get an irresistible craving for a perfectly fried, creamy shrimp croquette. A crispy coating, soft ragout, briny little shrimp – aaaahhh, so delicious! Then I jump on my bike, in the car, on the metro – I really don’t care, as long as I know I’ll have one in my hands within an hour. And I do keep it neatly to one, sometimes two when I’m feeling particularly wild. But if I were to go to this festival, all my shrimp croquette brakes would truly come off.
Because on Sunday, October 17, the brand-new Shrimp Croquette Festival is taking place! Did you read that correctly? A festival! For shrimp croquettes! Surely you’d want to go there..? In my eyes, the shrimp croquette (as I call it) is the ultimate snack: breaded and deep-fried, so by definition comfort food, but with a filling that’s just a little more refined than a standard shredded-meat croquette (or the mysterious contents you find in some croquettes).
Seaside resort full of deliciousness
So off to Ostend in West Flanders, a place that symbolizes delicious fish and seafood! The fact that they’re dedicating an entire day to this delicacy there is making my mouth water.
Wash it down with a star beer
By the way, do you know who Kobe Desramaults is? Perhaps not the most famous name, but among foodies, this Belgian Michelin-starred chef is a true gastronomic hero. At the moment, he’s not heading up a Michelin-starred restaurant, but he is in charge of Superette in Ghent, a wonderful bakery and pizzeria. And of course, Kobe knows what tastes good with such an approachable delicacy as the shrimp croquette: beer! So he helped develop the ultimate accompanying drink…
Fresh and briny
Together with Ostend’s city brewery ’t Koelschip, Desramaults developed KREVET wheat beer, which will be launched at the festival. It’s a wheat beer made with locally foraged herbs, with fresh citrus notes, and it’s sure to be the best compagnon de route to see you through an entire day of shrimp croquettes.
Get your hands dirty
You can also go shrimp fishing on a traditional local fishing boat, take workshops on how to make the croquettes yourself, and vote as a member of the public for which of the twelve participating restaurants prepares the best example. You understand: that means tasting at least twelve shrimp croquettes – not exactly a punishment, if you ask us.
For the full program and practical information, it’s best to visit the overarching website, and who knows, maybe we’ll see each other there!
Read also:
- Love shrimp croquettes? Then you should try these!
- Common mistakes when preparing shrimp
- Want to taste it: the Old Amsterdam cheese croquette
