Cachopo
Spanish Cordon Bleu Recipe
Golden & crispy on the outside, juicy in the middle, melty cheese where it counts and ridiculously tasty... That’s Cachopo! 🥩 🧀 😋
Cachopo is Spain's best-kept crispy secret and it landed right on our table in the heart of Asturias 🇪🇸 Thin, juicy veal, golden-crusted on the outside, with ham and gooey cheese in the middle and a bold hit of flavor ⚡️ It blew us away! Cachopo is outrageously tasty and far too good to leave behind in Asturias... so we didn't ... We brought it into our home and we'd love to pass it on to yours!
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Cachopo is Spain's best-kept crispy secret and it landed right on our table in the heart of Asturias 🇪🇸 Thin, juicy veal, golden-crusted on the outside, with ham and gooey cheese in the middle and a bold hit of flavor ⚡️ It blew us away! Cachopo is outrageously tasty and far too good to leave behind in Asturias... so we didn't ... We brought it into our home and we'd love to pass it on to yours!
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Why We Love It!
- Crispy on the outside, melty on the inside: That contrast between the golden, crispy crust and the gooey cheese-ham filling gives crunch and melt all at once...
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Comfort Food: It's unapologetically hearty comfort food!
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Umami: Cachopo is umami in a nutshell - veal for richness, ham for savoriness and cheese for pure satisfaction.
- A joy to make: Layering and building it is almost as rewarding as that first bite. Almost.
What Is Cachopo?
Cachopo is a beloved regional classic from Asturias in northern Spain.
It’s comparable to schnitzel or cordon bleu but while schnitzel is simply breaded meat and cordon bleu is a folded and stuffed pork or chicken cutlet, Cachopo takes it a step further.
Traditionally, it’s made with two thin slices of veal, filled with cured Serrano ham and cheese, then breaded in flour, eggs and breadcrumb and fried to golden perfection… This gives a deeply satisfying contrast of taste and textures – crispy on the outside, tender and melty on the inside. And it’s served with fries and roasted red peppers.
We’ve put our own spin on it by breading it with flour, eggs and Japanese panko, giving it a lighter and even crispier finish. And we serve it with fresh-cut Frietjes and a crisp green salad for balance and freshness.
The best part? It’s really fun to make: you assemble Cachopo layer by layer, then coat and fry until it crackles. And then that first bite: through the crunch, into the gooey center… comfort food doesn’t get better than this!
Ingredients
Cachopo
left to right top to bottom – check our ‘Recipe’ card below for quantity info
- Veal: Use very thinly sliced, around 5 mm or 0.2 inches thick.
- Panko: We prefer Japanese panko over breadcrumbs for a lighter, extra-crispy crust that stays crunchy.
- Cheese: To keep it truly Spanish, we fill our Cachopo with Manchego cheese.
- Flour: We use plain wheat flour for the initial coating.
- Lemon
- Water: Just a little water to loosen the eggs for breading.
- Black Pepper
- Seasalt
- Eggs
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Cured ham: We use Serrano ham for that authentic Spanish flavor – but any good cured ham will work.
How To Make Cachopo
Crack & Beat
Start by cracking the eggs into a bowl, then add the water to loosen the eggs and beat them lightly.
Layer
Place two slices of veal on a plate and season with black pepper and just a little salt, as the cured ham is salty too, so go easy. Then add the cheese - as much as you like, the more, the melt-ier 🫠 Cover the cheese completely with cured ham and place the second slice of veal on top.
Coat
Then set out three large bowls: one with the flour, one with the egg mixture and one with the panko. Take the assembled meat and coat it on both sides, first in flour, then dip it into the egg and finally cover it with panko.
Fry
Heat a pan with the olive oil and test the temperature by dropping in a few panko crumbs. If they turn golden, the oil is ready. Carefully place the meat in the pan. Once the edges start to turn golden brown, flip it over. Let it cook for a few more minutes so the inside warms through and the cheese has time to melt.
Serve!
Remove the Cachopo from the pan and if you’re making more than one, keep it warm in the oven at around 210°F/100°C so the cheese stays perfectly melted and the crust crisp until they’re all cooked.
Give it a little squeeze of lemon and slice the Cachopo just before serving!
Serving Tips & Pairings
- Salad: Balance the richness of Cachopo with a zesty salad of fresh tomato, crisp romaine lettuce and onion. Add a little fresh parsley, then finish with a drizzle of fruity olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of sea salt.
- Veggies: Serve it with green peas, sautéed mushrooms – Funghi Trifolati or grilled asparagus – Espárragos!
- Traditional Sides: For the true Asturian experience, serve it with golden fries – our crispy Frietjes – and Ramiro peppers – roasted sweet pointed red peppers.
- Dips: If fries are joining the party, let them dive into Mayonnaise Maison or Sauce Algérienne.
- Bites: Make mini Cachopines – slice Capocho into mouth-sized bites. Perfect for parties or as a fun snack!
- Drinks:
- Pair it with Limonata or Ginger beer.
- A smooth and fruity young red Tempranillo or a crisp white Albariño is perfect with Cachopo! Or keep it bold with a refreshing pint, a Pezzo da Novanta tripel, a crisp Hoegaarden Witbier or a Duvel…
Substitutions & Variations
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Cheese: You can swap Manchego for your favorite, or simply the cheese you have at hand — from creamy Camembert to nutty Gruyère, Mozzarella, or even blue cheese. It won’t be Asturian anymore, but the possibilities are endless, and each one will taste and melt differently!
- Veal: Swap the veal for chicken, beef or pork.
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Ham: Replace jamón with serrano, prosciutto or even smoked turkey.
- Herbs: Slip a few sage leaves into the stuffing – or thyme, or another herb you love.
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Veggie twist: Use eggplant or zucchini slices or portobello mushrooms in stead of veal and stuff it with sautéed spinach, mushrooms, red peppers…
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Seafood Style – Cachopo de Pescado: Use thinly sliced sole or hake, cod fillets, tuna steak, or salmon. Coat it the same way and fry shorter – fish cooks faster than meat! Fill them with:
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sautéed spinach and ricotta
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cooked prawns in garlic butter
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mushrooms with mozzarella
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fresh herbs
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FAQs
The way to pronounce Cachopo is ‘ kah-cho-po ‘, with the stress on ‘cho’.
It’s fine to fill and coat them a few hours ahead of time, but nothing beats the taste of having them fresh from the pan.
Recipe
Cachopo
Ingredients
- 2 piece eggs
- 100 g panko
- 100 g Manchego - or some more - the more, the meltier 🫠
- 1 tbspn water
- 2 pieces Serrano ham
- 400 g veal round/ top side - about ⅜ inch/ 1cm thick
- 1 pinch seasalt
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 1/4 l extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Start by cracking the eggs into a bowl, then add the water to loosen the eggs and beat them lightly.
- Place two slices of veal on a plate and season with black pepper and just a little salt, as the cured ham is salty too, so go easy. Then add the cheese - as much as you like. The more you use, the more deliciously it melts 🫠 Cover the cheese completely with cured ham and place the second slice of veal on top.
- Then set out three large bowls: one with the flour, one with the egg mixture and one with the panko. Take the assembled meat and coat it on both sides, first in flour, then dip it into the egg and finally cover it with panko.
- Heat a pan with the olive oil and test the temperature by dropping in a few panko crumbs. If they turn golden, the oil is ready. Carefully place the meat in the pan. Once the edges start to turn golden brown, flip it over. Let it cook for a few more minutes so the inside warms through and the cheese has time to melt.
- Remove the Cachopo from the pan and if you’re making more than one, keep it warm in the oven at around 210°F/100°C so the cheese stays perfectly melted and the crust crisp until they’re all cooked.Give it a little squeeze of lemon and slice the Cachopo just before serving!
Nutrition
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