Islas Canarias Offers a Heart-Shaped Croqueta Box for Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is coming. Instead of sending a box of chocolates to your sweetheart, show your love in the most Miami way possible, with a colossal heart of croquetas.

Islas Canarias' is offering a red heart-shaped box, complete with a label reading, "I love you like a Cuban loves croquetas," filled with the fried golden morsels.

The restaurant, which has served Cuban cuisine in Miami-Dade for more than 40 years, will open its pre-order list Monday, February 4, for limited-edition boxes loaded with croquetas made exclusively for the romantic holiday.

“Islas Canarias stays true to its Cuban heritage in all we do, and Valentine’s Day is no different," says Jon Andrade, whose family owns the restaurant. "What better way to celebrate love than with what Miamians love most? Islas Canarias croquetas.”

Priced at $25 per box including tax, each order includes 20 party-size ham croquetas. All pickups will be available at Islas Canarias Bakery (3804 SW 137th Ave., Miami) Monday, February 11, through Thursday, February 14.

“We wanted to give Miami our HAM, which stands for our 'heart and more,'" Andrade says.

Croqueta-making runs deep for Andrade and his sister Eileen, the siblings behind Finka Table & Tap in Southwest Miami-Dade. Long before they were born, their grandfather was making the fried snacks in Cuba and then at the family's Miami restaurant, Islas Canarias. Though they've been sworn to secrecy regarding the family's croqueta recipe, they will say each one is made with a blend of ham, onions, milk, nutmeg, garlic, parsley, and passion.

Another thing that sets these croquetas apart from others is the quality. Islas Canarias and Finka serve theirs fresh, never frozen. The savory delights are made daily, which is exactly how they will be prepared for the Valentine's Day boxes.

Islas Canarias. 3804 SW 137th Ave., Miami; 305-559-0111; islascanariasrestaurant.com. Pre-order begins Monday, February 4; pickup is Monday, February 11, through Thursday, February 14. Check the restaurant's Instagram page for pre-order information.