Historically, North Shields was one of many quays up and down our coastline pulling in salmon, herring, crab and prawns from the North Sea. Today it is England’s largest prawn port. It always baffles me that the langoustine is not more popular here, with most of them being sold to the European market. I’ll continue to champion them, however, because combined with aïoli they are one of the finest meals going…
SERVES 4
• salt
• live langoustines, about 6 per person
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 2 egg yolks
• olive oil (don't use extra virgin olive oil as it will be too bitter)
EQUIPMENT
• pestle and mortar or blender
Alternatives
lobster
Add 10g of salt per litre of water – the water is meant to be as salty as the sea– to your biggest pan that will fit all of the langoustines with plenty of room to manoeuvre. Bring the water to a furious boil, then slide all the langoustines in at once. Cover with a lid. Ideally it will come straight back to the boil, but you may have to wait a couple of minutes. Make sure it is on the biggest hob and the highest heat. Time 5 minutes from when the water is boiling again.
As soon as the timer goes, drain the langoustines into a colander, then leave them to steam dry. Don’t be tempted to run cold water over them, as it makes them go soggy. Just spread them out as best you can in the sink or colander.
While they are cooling, make the aïoli. See page 45.
Crack your langoustines down the middle of their bellies and pull the shell open to remove the sweet meat. (Keep the shells for a stock.) Dip into the garlicky aïoli for an utter treat.
NOTES
The langoustines should be moving their claws and antennae; the more sprightly they are, the fresher they are. Before you cook them you should keep them in the fridge or pop them in the freezer for 30 minutes, which will put them into a sleep. If you can only get pre-cooked langoustines, then skip the cooking stage entirely and go straight to the eating part!