Zagrebački Odrezak
A breaded veal cutlet stuffed with ham and cheese, fried until golden and crisp. Zagreb's answer to cordon bleu.
- prep
- 25 min
- cook
- 15 min
- total
- 40 min
- serves
- 4
- level
- medium
Zagrebački odrezak is Zagreb's version of the stuffed, breaded cutlet found across Central Europe: veal folded around ham and cheese, then breaded and fried until the outside is crisp and the inside runs molten.
It shares obvious DNA with cordon bleu, and nobody in Zagreb seems particularly bothered about who came first.
Part of our 20 best Croatian recipes list.
method
Lay each pounded veal cutlet flat, and season with salt and pepper.
Place a slice of ham and a slice of cheese on one half of each cutlet, fold the other half over to enclose, and press the edges to seal. Secure with a toothpick if needed.
Set up three shallow dishes: flour, beaten egg, and breadcrumbs.
Coat each stuffed cutlet in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs, pressing gently so the crumb sticks well, especially at the sealed edge.
Heat the oil in a wide pan to about 175°C (350°F).
Fry the cutlets for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until deeply golden and the cheese inside is melted. Drain on paper towels.
Remove any toothpicks and serve hot with lemon wedges.
chef's tips
- Sealing the edge properly matters more than usual here since the cheese needs somewhere to go once it melts, rather than leaking straight into the frying oil.
- Pound the veal evenly and not too thin at the edges, or it tears when you try to fold and seal it around the filling.
- This dish is named for Zagreb but closely resembles cordon bleu, and the two likely share the same culinary lineage rather than one copying the other.
- Chicken breast, pounded thin, is a workable and common substitute for veal if that is easier to find.