Langoustines, scallops, and salmon

When I go grocery shopping I make a point of stopping where all the discounted meats and fish are placed each day, just to see if I can find any good deals.

Langoustines

Today I found 2 discounted seafood items, scallops and langoustines. Scallops I've had many times and absolutely love.

I've never tried langoustine though. While it is sometimes called a Dublin Bay Prawn, it is actually a type of lobster. It can be found in the waters around Scotland but until recent years the majority of the catch was actually sold and eaten in France and other parts of Europe.

I've started seeing it at the fish counter in the past few years, but have always passed it over for more familiar seafood. When I found it today though it seemed the perfect time to try this seafood for myself.

After looking at various recipes and ideas on how to cook a langoustine, I decided to do something very simple. The result was this dish.

Langoustine in a creamy garlic butter over pasta

Langoustine in a creamy garlic butter sauce over pasta

 

 Pictured here served with salmon fillet and scallops

Serves 2
Cooking time: less than 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 slices streaky bacon, cut into pieces
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoon crushed garlic
• 4 spring onions, cut into thin rings
• tails of 6 langoustine, removed from shell and cut into 1/2 - 1 inch pieces
• 4 tablespoon creme fraiche
• salt and pepper to taste
• cooked spaghetti

Method

1. Remove shells from langoustine tails, rinse and cut into bite-size pieces. 
2. Heat the oil and butter in a saute pan, add the bacon and cook until it begins to crisp. 
3. Add in the garlic and spring onions, and cook until the onions begin to soften. 
4. Add the langoustine pieces, let cook 4 - 5 minutes turning occasionally. 
5. Let simmer another 4 - 5 minutes. 
6. Add in 4 tablespoons creme fraiche, season to taste. 
7. Toss in cooked pasta (I used spaghetti)



Really enjoying his dinner

8. Serve hot

I cooked the salmon fillets and the scallops in the same garlic butter but removed those from the pan before adding the creme fraiche to make a creamy sauce.

My youngest son loved this dish and gave it two very enthusiastic thumbs up.