Not a prawn, not a lobster | Langoustine
The sweet meat of the langoustine is neither a prawn nor a lobster, though the delicate flavours in my opinion are superior to both cousins.
Rachel Zammit Cutajar
Originally found off the coast of Norway (which is how they acquired their other name, Norway lobster) langoustines are a member of the lobster family and are closely related to Dublin Bay prawns and scampi, for which they are often mistaken.
These days they are caught along the Atlantic coast, including Scotland, as well as the western Mediterranean and the Adriatic, though overfishing has meant that they are extremely rare, and even more of a delicacy than they were previously.
Unlike other crustaceans, langoustine don't change colour when they are cooked. They have pink, narrow smooth-shelled bodies, with long knobbled claws, and tend not to carry much meat.
The shell, head and thorax (the upper torso) can't be eaten, but the tail and the meat in the claws can. As they go off very quickly, most langoustine are cooked and frozen at sea, which means it's quite hard to find live ones.
Fresh langoustines need roasting or boiling in well-salted water before being pulled from their shells. They can also be served grilled or on the BBQ. They are delicious served with just a squeeze of lemon and a dollop of mayonnaise, garlic butter or aïoli, but can also be added to curry, pasta and paella. Alternatively, deep-fry them in batter, or peel and poach them and make traditional Scampi Provençal.
Pre-boiled langoustines should be reheated gently; don't re-cook them or they'll toughen. Alternatively, eat pre-boiled langoustines cold in a salad with a vinegar dressing.
When buying fresh langoustines be sure that they are still moving to be sure that they are completely fresh. Until you are ready to cook your langoustine, keep them in a box in the fridge covered with damp newspaper. Use live langoustine as soon as possible after buying them - preferably the same day. Cooked langoustine can be kept in the fridge for up to two days.
Langoustines should be cooked live but if you are squirmish about cooking live creatures, freeze them for between one and two hours to render them unconscious.
