Polpete (Croatian Meat Patties)

Across Croatia, a plate of polpete signals a familiar kind of comfort: a pan of small, browned patties, often tucked beside mashed potatoes, rice, or a spoonful of tomato sauce. In coastal Dalmatia, they might arrive at the table in a light tomato and white wine “šalša,” while in Istria and the inland regions they frequently appear plain and crisp from the pan, sometimes with a simple pan gravy and a pile of potatoes or seasonal vegetables.

At their core, polpete are modest meat patties made from minced beef and pork, soft bread soaked in milk or water, grated onion, garlic, and fresh herbs. Istrian versions often lean on marjoram and parsley for fragrance, while Dalmatian cooks tend to tie the flavor profile into the tomato-based sauces that already anchor much of the local cooking. The mixture is richer and more finely seasoned than a burger, yet looser and more tender than many meatballs from elsewhere in Europe.

Polpete sit in a wider family of Balkan ground-meat dishes that includes ćevapi and pljeskavica, but they play a different role at home.Ćevapi usually belong to the grill, headlining outings to specialized grill houses, while pljeskavica resembles a larger patty, often served as a single centerpiece. Polpete, by contrast, tend to appear in everyday kitchens: a way to turn a small amount of minced meat, leftover bread, and pantry aromatics into a filling meal that suits both adults and children.

Texture sets well-made polpete apart. The bread, first soaked and then gently squeezed, loosens the meat and traps moisture. Finely grated onion blends seamlessly into the mixture instead of leaving sharp chunks. A single egg gives just enough structure. The result, once pan-fried, carries a thin, crisp surface, while the center stays soft and juicy rather than dense. Many Croatian cooks highlight this combination of a lightly crunchy exterior and tender interior as the mark of a proper polpeta.

This version follows that home-style model closely. It uses a mix of beef and pork for balanced flavor and fat, stale white bread for tenderness, and a restrained set of seasonings: garlic, grated onion, fresh parsley, sweet paprika, and a pinch of marjoram. The mixture rests briefly before shaping so the bread can hydrate fully and the flavors meld. The patties are then coated in a thin layer of breadcrumbs, which gives them a satisfying crust during shallow frying without turning them into heavy croquettes.

The recipe is built for a typical family kitchen. The ingredients sit firmly in everyday territory: standard minced meat, old bread, a splash of milk, one egg, a handful of herbs. The method fits a weeknight, yet leaves room for weekend variations. The patties can stand alone, perhaps with mashed potatoes and a cucumber salad, or they can be folded into a tomato-and-wine sauce for a Dalmatian-style version. Leftovers reheat well, making them useful for next-day lunches or quick meals.

Dietary and planning needs also fit easily into this format. The mixture can be assembled earlier in the day and held chilled, ready to shape and fry later. With gluten-free bread and crumbs, the patties adapt to a gluten-free table. Swapping in plant-based milk and skipping the pan gravy removes dairy from the core dish. The recipe below reflects the way many Croatian families cook polpete at home: straightforward, adaptable, and quietly satisfying, with methodical steps that reward a bit of attention to detail.