How and how much to cook langoustines: simple recipes

Langoustines belong to the order of crustaceans, are close relatives of spiny lobsters, but outwardly resemble lobsters or large shrimps. These long-tailed crayfish can be found on sale in large and medium sizes. The first reach a length of 21-25 cm, the second - 15-20 cm. They are fresh frozen and boiled-frozen. Growth and the presence of pre-heat treatment affect only the cooking time of seafood, but not their organoleptic qualities. Knowing how to cook langoustines correctly, even a novice housewife can please guests with an unusual delicacy. It won’t take much of her time and effort. The result will be a tasty, appetizing and at the same time healthy snack that even those who watch their figure will not refuse.

How long to cook

The following factors influence the cooking time of crustaceans:

size;
preliminary heat treatment;
condition (fresh or frozen).

Duration of different methods of cooking langoustines

Preparation	Time (minutes)
In a saucepan	12–20
In the oven	10
In a frying pan	15–25

Cook the frozen shrimp for about 10 minutes. Fresh frozen seafood takes almost 2 times longer to cook.

How to choose?

Before you cook seafood, you need to choose it correctly. It is best to choose good langoustines in trusted places that sell top quality products.

It is strictly forbidden to purchase shrimp and langoustines with black heads. This is a sure sign that the crustaceans were most likely sick.
If the shell is too dry, this may be a consequence of long storage (if we are talking about fresh options).
When choosing frozen langoustines, it is very important that they are not excessively covered with frost and ice. The presence of ice may indicate that the product has been frozen several times.
To be sure of the quality of the product, you should check the date of manufacture, expiration date and other markings, including the manufacturer’s address. If the address is missing, this may indicate that the product is illegal.

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On store shelves you can find large and medium-sized langoustines. The former, as a rule, are no more than 25 cm, and the latter – 12-15 cm. Of course, it is best to purchase fresh crustaceans, but they are less common, since many carriers have difficulty transporting this kind of seafood.

In a saucepan

The easiest way to cook langoustines is on the stove. This method is suitable for cooking unpeeled, peeled, fresh and frozen shrimp.

Cooking stages:

Pour water into a saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium heat.
After boiling, salt the liquid at the rate of 1 tsp. salt per 0.5 liters of water.
Place the prepared seafood into a container, add a few bay leaves, black peppercorns and allspice.
Reduce heat to low.
Bring the crustaceans to readiness, remove the pan from the stove.
Leave the seafood in the broth for a few minutes, then remove it to a plate with a slotted spoon.
Decorate the dish and serve.

When cooking, if desired, you can add lemon slices, orange juice, cloves, dill, parsley, hot pepper, ground coriander or nutmeg.

Cooking features

You can cook langoustines in a saucepan, oven or frying pan. The first method is the simplest, the others are a little more complex, but even a novice cook can do them. To obtain the expected result, he must adhere to the recommendations accompanying the specific recipe, as well as know and take into account several important points.

The most important thing is to choose a quality product. Stale products not only have unsatisfactory organoleptic qualities, but can also cause harm to health. If the crustaceans have a dark head or suspicious spots on the shell, they are not suitable for consumption. You should not take products that have a too dry shell or are covered with an excessively large layer of ice. Also, when purchasing, you should always pay attention to the integrity of the packaging and the expiration date of the product indicated on it. It is important that the packaging contains information about the manufacturer, otherwise you may end up with a low-quality or even dangerous product in your hands.
There is no need to defrost the langoustines before cooking them in a pan. Before cooking in a frying pan or in the oven, it is better to let them thaw. Seafood should be defrosted in natural conditions, without exposing it to sudden temperature changes. Otherwise, they will lose some of the moisture, the protein will curdle, and as a result the meat will become tough, resembling rubber, so that the product will be irreparably damaged.
Usually, langoustines are not shelled before cooking, but it can be removed before serving the seafood. The shell helps keep seafood juicy. However, you should remember the presence of an intestinal vein, which must be removed before serving or before boiling seafood. To do this, the shell on the back is cut, then the dark strip running along the body is pulled out.
Seafood cannot be overcooked; this negatively affects its organoleptic qualities.
When cooking langoustines, add salt, black or white pepper, garlic, lemon juice and zest, dill and other herbs.
If langoustines are cooked in a frying pan or in the oven, they can be pre-marinated, this will make them even more aromatic and pleasant to the taste.

Langoustines are served as a separate appetizer or with a side dish. It is used as rice, pasta, fresh or baked vegetables. A fruit and vegetable salad will also work. Before serving, you can remove the shell from the langoustines, although this is not necessary. The tail is usually left on to make eating more convenient.

In the oven

Cooking technology:

First prepare the sauce. Wash, dry, finely chop a few sprigs of cilantro. Place the greens in a deep bowl.
Using a garlic press or knife, chop 1-2 cloves of garlic. Add 2 tbsp. l. olive oil, 1 tbsp. l. soy sauce and lemon juice. Salt and pepper the mixture to taste. Mix everything thoroughly.
Prepare 6-7 langoustines: defrost and rinse. They can be baked unpeeled. To make the appetizer beautiful when serving, place each shrimp on a wooden skewer.
Using a silicone brush, generously brush the seafood with the prepared sauce. Leave the langoustines to marinate for a while.
Cover a baking sheet with foil and add seafood. Place them in the oven, preheated to 220°C.
After 5 minutes, turn the crustaceans over and brush them with the remaining sauce.
Serve the appetizer hot as a side dish. If desired, garnish the dish with your favorite sauce or serve it separately.

Before placing the langoustines in the oven, leave them to marinate for 30 minutes.

Important additions to the recipe

Be sure to ask the sellers which langoustines are frozen: boiled or fresh, so that you know how long to cook them.

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In a frying pan with garlic and lime

This delicious delicacy can easily be prepared at home.

Recipe:

Thaw frozen seafood at room temperature and rinse thoroughly under running water. You don't have to clean them, but you can tear off the legs. For 1 serving you will need 4 large shrimp.
Peel and slice 3-4 cloves of garlic. Fry them for about 1 minute in a frying pan, preheating 2 tbsp. l. vegetable oil.
Then add the prepared shrimp. Fry them for 1.5–2 minutes on each side.
Salt and pepper the langoustines to taste, add a quarter of a lime or lemon, cut into slices.
Pour 30-40 ml of boiling water into the frying pan, simmer the seafood for 3-5 minutes so that they are cooked inside. Pour a little soy sauce, balsamic vinegar into the liquid, add sugar and other spices to taste.
After turning off the stove, leave the langoustines in the resulting sauce for another 5-6 minutes. They will absorb the required amount of liquid and become juicier and more tender.
Serve seafood warm. They go great with boiled rice.

Description

This is the most popular seafood delicacy. Lobster dishes are constantly present on the menus of expensive restaurants in Thailand, Bali, the Bahamas and the Caribbean islands.
Lobsters are often quite large in size. The length of large individuals can be up to 50 cm, and their weight can be more than three kilograms. And the largest specimen of lobster caught was about a meter long and weighed 11 kilograms! The shell of spiny lobsters is covered with spines, but they do not have claws, they only have long “whiskers”.

Lobster recipes, of which are quite varied, have become widespread in cooking. Only the tail and belly of the lobster are eaten. It would seem that this is not much, but given the weight of the lobster, it is safe to say that from one individual you can get about a kilogram of tasty and tender meat.

Recipes with lobsters recommend baking it with sauce, adding its meat to salads and soups, and grilling it. The stewed lobster in port wine sauce is especially good. If we cook at home, we can surprise everyone by grilling lobster and serving it with butter and basil.

Our stores most often sell frozen or canned lobster necks. Moreover, it must be taken into account that the smallest individuals go to the necks.

When transporting, fresh lobsters are placed in wet wood shavings. They are usually kept in aquariums until they are sold. If the lobsters are left there for too long, their quality will be negatively affected. You can check whether the lobster is really fresh using the “poke method”. If you pick up a lobster, it should strike with its tail. You need to pay attention that his tail must be curled inward.

Langoustines , unlike spiny lobsters, have meat only in the tail - their claws are “empty”. Although both are crustaceans, their sizes are different: langoustines are smaller (although this does not mean that dishes made from langoustines are less tasty). The British, however, call these crustaceans Dublin shrimp. You can prepare langoustine deliciously in the same way as regular crayfish: boil in boiling water with salt, then serve.

Crispy-crusted langoustines with ratatouille

Cooking technology:

Peel and cut into cubes 200 g of sweet pepper. To make the dish beautiful, take vegetables of different colors: red, yellow, green. In a similar way, cut 200 g of eggplant and zucchini.
Scald 500 g of tomatoes with boiling water and remove the skins. Cut the grain-free pulp into cubes.
Pour 1 tbsp into a heated frying pan. l. olive oil, fry the peppers and eggplants. After 1-2 minutes, add the zucchini. Fry all the vegetables for a few more minutes, stirring constantly.
Place the tomatoes and thyme stalk in a container. After 2 minutes, remove the ratatouille from the heat.
Drizzle 8 prepared langoustines with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Wrap each seafood in a mint leaf and dip in kataifi dough. Fry in a hot frying pan on 2 sides until golden brown. Place the cooked shrimp on a paper towel to remove excess oil.
To prepare the sauce, combine 80 ml of orange juice and 1 tbsp. l. mustard. Then, stirring the mixture with a whisk, add 3-4 tbsp. l. olive oil.
To beautifully decorate the delicacy, use a culinary ring. First, place the ratatouille on a plate, followed by the langoustines, 2 per serving. Garnish the dish with sauce.

Flambé mariscade

This delicious recipe will suitably decorate any holiday. Preparation does not take much time and effort.

What to take:

Langoustines – 1 kg;
Shrimp – 12 pcs.;
Pineapple – 1 pc.;
Passion fruit – 5 pcs.;
Rum – 70 ml;
Granulated sugar - ¼ cup;
Salt and black pepper - to taste.

How to cook:

Cut half the pineapple into cubes. Also cut the langoustines without peeling them.

Fry the crustaceans on both sides in hot oil for three minutes.

Fry the pineapple pieces and tiger prawns for one minute.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pour rum into the frying pan and set it on fire.

Add dry white wine and passion fruit core to the rum.

Pour sugar into the pan to make the sauce sweet and sour.

This is one of the most popular dishes in Cuban cuisine. Langoustines flambé is an original portioned appetizer. They should be served hot on a large platter, garnished with fresh herbs, such as parsley and rosemary. You can sprinkle lemon juice on top. This delicious appetizer goes well with white wine. When preparing the sauce, do not add too much sugar so that the characteristic sour taste of the fruit is not lost.

Useful tips

This is important to know:

You can leave the tails on when cleaning the langoustines. It’s more convenient to eat them this way.
When serving, garnish the dish with sauce, lemon slices and a sprig of herbs: cilantro or parsley.
During cooking, you can add hot sauce to the broth. It will add a special taste and piquancy to the meat.
Shrimp go well with dry wine, beer and many spirits.

Knowing how and how much to cook langoustines, you can always please your family and guests with a healthy delicacy. To diversify the menu, use different cooking methods and additional ingredients.