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I adore this dish, with its Spanish aromas. The succulent langoustines sit on a bed of flavourful fritot (a regional ragout of vegetables from the south of Spain, typically made with tomatoes and peppers), dotted with semi-melted pieces of Manchego. Bread is essential, to mop up all the tasty juices. You could use another semi-hard cheese, such as Gruyère, in place of the Manchego but it won’t quite match it.

SERVES 2

4–6 raw langoustines, depending on size

100ml light olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 red or green pepper, halved, cored, deseeded and cut into large strips

140g tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and diced

1 garlic clove, chopped A knifetip of cayenne pepper 70ml water

120g Manchego, cut into large dice

Sea salt

A small handful of coriander leaves, to finish

Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil. As soon as it boils, drop in the langoustines and blanch at a gentle simmer for 2 minutes. Drain and drop into a bowl of cold water with a few ice cubes added. Leave for 5 minutes, then drain and place in a bowl. Cover with a damp tea towel and set aside.

Heat 50ml of the olive oil in a sauté pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and pepper and sauté for 2 minutes, then add the tomatoes and garlic and simmer over a gentle heat for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Set the fritot aside; keep warm.

Detach the langoustine heads from their tails. Keep the two nicest looking heads with their pincers for serving. Using the flat of a large knife, crush the other heads and carefully peel the tails, which should be only lightly cooked.

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Sprinkle the cayenne and some salt over the langoustine tails. When the oil is hot, add them to the pan and colour for 1 minute, turning occasionally. Remove from the pan and add to the fritot.

Add the crushed langoustine heads to the pan and colour for 3–4 minutes, then pour on the 70ml water and cook over a low heat for 2–3 minutes. Strain the liquor through a chinois into the fritot.

Heat the fritot in its sauté pan over a gentle heat for 2–3 minutes, stirring to incorporate the liquor. Add the Manchego and stir gently.

Tip the contents of the sauté pan into a warmed shallow serving dish, bringing the langoustine tails to the surface. Arrange the reserved langoustine heads on the edge of the dish and brush them with the remaining olive oil. Scatter over the coriander leaves and serve straight away.