Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
LATIN NAME
Nephrops norvegicus
ALSO KNOWN AS
Dublin bay prawns, Norway lobster, scampi
SEASONALITY
Avoid in spring and summer when spawning
HABITAT
Widely found in the northeast Atlantic from Scandinavia to North Africa; also in the Mediterranean
MCS RATING
2–4
REC MINIMUM SIZE
3cm carapace length (from back of eye socket to end of main body shell, not including tail)
MORE RECIPES
Lobster with béarnaise mayonnaise
SOURCING
Langoustine, Dublin bay prawns, scampi – whatever you call them, these bug-eyed middleweights of the shellfish world (bigger than a prawn, smaller than a lobster) are a rich seafood treat. They’re hugely important to the Scottish fishing industry – currently second only to mackerel. In fact, one-third of all the langoustine landed worldwide come from Scottish waters. A lot of them are packed off to Europe and, until recently, most langoustine that did stay in this country were processed into crumbed scampi.
But we’re waking up to the appeal of langoustine served whole in their shells – simply boiled or perhaps smokily barbecued. Confronting a plate of these critters, shell on and unashamedly themselves, is an engaging experience. Crack, peel and dip – into lemony mayonnaise, garlic butter, or a simple dressing of good olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper (plus finely chopped chilli and chives if you like).
These shellfish are shy. They live in burrows on silty areas of the seabed and venture out only for feeding or breeding. ‘Berried’ (egg-bearing) females will stay in their little homes for months while they incubate their eggs – a behaviour that has helped to protect them from the trawlers that seek them out. But trawling for langoustine, which is the primary means of fishing them, inevitably has some negative impacts. The delicate benthic fauna of the seabed is disturbed by the trawl, and untargeted species such as cod, haddock and whiting are still being discarded in some fisheries – though hopefully the new discard ban (see Cod) will reduce this.
Creel-caught langoustine from the west coast of Scotland are the most sustainable choice. If you can source whole, live langoustine, treat them like the mini lobsters they are, first chilling them until insensible in the freezer, then boiling as described in the recipe below.
To get to the sweet, fragile meat, first twist the head off, then pinch the shell of the tail to crack it, before pulling it away from the flesh, as you would with a prawn. Many people discard the heads (or use them in fish stock), but they contain good meat – a delicious, creamy pink paste. A small, thin-ended tool will help you get to it.
If you want to serve pre-cooked langoustine warm, they must be reheated very gently or the delicate flesh will be ruined.
GRILLED LANGOUSTINE WITH LEMON AND PARSLEY BUTTER
The sweet, delicate meat of the langoustine is always at its best when treated simply. If you can only get frozen raw langoustine, defrost them in the fridge, then split and grill them from raw. This recipe also works well with a couple of lobsters. Serves 4
1kg live langoustine
2 lemons
75g butter, softened
1 small garlic clove, grated or crushed
1 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Sea salt and black pepper
To kill the langoustine humanely, first place them in the freezer for about 30 minutes to chill them to the point of torpor. Bring a large pan of well-salted water (about 10g salt per litre) to the boil. Drop in the cold langoustine, bring back to the boil and cook for 3–5 minutes. You’ll be able to see the meat inside the tail shells turning white as they cook through. Remove and allow to cool.
Finely grate the zest of 1 lemon and combine it with the soft butter, along with the garlic and parsley. Season with a little salt and pepper, mixing well to combine.
Preheat the grill to high. Place the cooled langoustine on a board and use a sharp, heavy cook’s knife to split them in half from head to tail. Lay the halves on a large baking tray, cut side up, and spread a little of the seasoned butter over each half. Grill the langoustine for 5–7 minutes or until bubbling. Serve immediately with the other lemon, cut into wedges, and fresh bread.