Brussels' best prawn croquettes can be found here

A Saint-Gilles delicatessen has beaten some of Brussels' best-known restaurants to be crowned the home of the best prawn croquettes in the city.

New kid in town Fernand Obb Delicatessen was rated by the jury as way ahead of the other contestants in Visit Brussels' first annual croquette aux crevettes competition on Monday.

To enter, contestants must have an active establishment, cafeteria, bar or food truck in the Brussels Capital Region and have home-made prawn croquettes on the menu. More than 20 chefs entered the competition and they all headed to Comme Chez Soi restaurant to make their own versions which were judged by a panel of food journalists on crispiness, flavour and the quality of the shrimp.

Winning chef Cédric Mosbeux, a Brussels native, said: "The most important ingredients were love and the quality of the roux." As far as secrets are concerned, he said: "A pinch of this and a pinch of that."

Fernand Obb will be able to use the title Best Prawn Croquette in Brussels until next year’s competition. The name Obb is a homage to Saint-Gilles' original name Ob Brussel (above Brussels).

Belgians consume 4.5 million kilos of North Sea prawns each year - and a large proportion of these little crustaceans are eaten in croquettes, a breaded, deep fried combination of prawns, béchamel sauce and depending on the chef, parmesan cheese.

Supposedly this dish was invented during the First World War in the trenches of Flanders as a way of feeding the soldiers the abundantly available prawns in a form that would keep it fresh longer. But it’s not until the 1950s that it becomes a restaurant item and a recognised Belgian specialty.

Pierre Wynants, three-Michelin-star chef emeritus of Comme Chez Soi gave us his formula for the perfect croquettes: “It’s the little details, the crunch of the breading, it must be served piping hot, the quality of the prawn, the sauce should not be too thick but it also shouldn’t be too liquid, and the subtle taste of the North Sea prawns should not be overwhelmed by too many additions.”