SCOTTISH LANGOUSTINE

(Nephrops, Dublin Bay Prawn, Nephrops Norvegicus)

Caught in the North Sea and inshore Scottish waters, Scotland has the worlds largest share of langoustines. Highly prized and sought after, they are versatile and cook in minutes. Similar to a king prawn, but actually a closer relation to the lobster, they grow to a maximum of 8.8 oz, have a meaty tail, soft shrimp-like texture and very sweet shellfish flavor.

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LOCATION &
FISHING METHOD

Found in the north sea and inshore

Trawled and caught using
pots and creels

SEASONALITY

February-November

PRIME SEASON:
October and November

SPECIES SIZE

Langoustine can grow up to 8.8 oz

Scotland produces ⅔ of the
world's langoustines

PREPARING LANGOUSTINE

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Tasting Notes

Strong, sweet, flavor with a soft, meaty texture.

Goes well with creamy, sharp delicate flavors such as: tomato • fennel • asparagus • citrus • butter • pumpkin • spinach

Cooking Methods

Steam

Boil

Grill

Pan Fry

Deep Fry

Did you know?

Langoustines taste

More Like Lobster

than shrimp

The Langoustine project

Recommendations to develop a profitable, sustainable and equitable supply chain.

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Langoustine Tacos

Ingredients

Langoustine

24 Langoustine
300 ml. vegetable oil

Flour Tortillas

100 g. sourdough starter
25 ml. olive oil
75 ml. water
200 g. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder

Basil Aioli

100 g. basil
250 ml. vegetable oil
3 egg yolks
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 clove confit garlic

Pickle liquor

375 ml. white wine vinegar
125 ml. apple cider vinegar
200 ml. water
250 g. granulated sugar
1 star anise
2 cloves
1/2 cinnamon stick
5 g. fennel seeds
1 orange, segmented
2 little gem lettuce, shredded
8 radishes, thinly sliced

Directions

Prepping the Langoustine

Place langoustines in the freezer for 30 minutes. Pierce each langoustines between the eyes with a knife. In a pot of boiling salted water, blanch the langoustines for 10 seconds and plunge into ice water. Separate the heads from the tails. Remove the shell and intestinal tract from the tails and thread them on the metal skewers.

shellfish oil

To make a shellfish oil, roast the langoustine heads and claws in the oven, place them in a saucepan and cover with vegetable oil. Allow to infuse on a low heat for 1 hour. Turn off the heat and allow to cool. Strain through muslin.

Make the flour tortillas

In a bowl combine all the ingredients for the flour tortillas to form a dough. Knead for 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place into an oiled bowl, cover and rest for 1 hour. Weigh 12g pieces of dough and flatten in a tortilla press. Place on a hot skillet for 1 minute on either side. Keep warm.

Make the pickle liquor

For the pickle liquor, place all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 mins. Cover and leave to cool then combine 100ml of pickle liquor with 100ml cold water. Add the sliced red onion. Allow to infuse for 10 minutes before straining the onions.

Make the basil aioli

Blanch the basil in boiling water and refresh in ice water. Squeeze out any excess water. De-hydrate for 60 mins at 113°F. Blend the basil with vegetable oil on high power. Strain through muslin into a jug. Blend the egg yolks, Dijon mustard, white wine vinegar, confit garlic. Slowly pour in the basil oil until emulsified. Place into a piping bag.

GRILL THE SKEWERS

Place the langoustine skewers on a barbecue, brushing each one with langoustine oil and turning regularly. Once cooked, rest and remove from the skewers.

Serve Tacos

To serve the tacos, spread basil aioli on the flour tortillas. Arrange the lettuce, pickled red onion, radishes, orange segments. Place the langoustine on top.