Langoustine dish | Bisque, flan, tartare and pan fried

Today we're making a delicious langoustine dish. It's a langoustine flan with a celery jelly, a pan seared langoustine, fresh almonds and a langoustine and razor clam tartare.

How to clean the langoustines

First remove the heads from the tails. Keep the heads for later to make a beautiful bisque. Now press the tail to break it and then remove it. Do this with all the tails. Now make a tweezer or a small knife to make an incision at the back of the tail and gently remove the intestine. Keep the tails in your fridge for later.

The langoustine bisque

1	onion
0.5	leek
2	carrots
3	sticky of celery
	the heads and claws from 8 big langoustines
300 grams	canned tomatoes
4 cloves	garlic
2 grams	pepper grains
1 grams	coriander seeds
2	bay leaves
300 grams	white wine

First cut the onion in half and clean it, now chop it. Then cut the leek halfway and wash it. Also chop it. Now clean the carrots and then chop them. Also do this with the celery. After that heat up a big pot, add a splash of oil and start pan frying the langoustine heads. Crush them with a ladle or spoon and fry till golden. Then add your vegetable and fry for another 5 to 10 minutes. Now add the canned tomatoes, the garlic cut in half, the pepper grains, the coriander seeds and the bay leaves. Fry for 5 more minutes and then deglaze it with the white wine. Let this reduce. Then cover the langoustines completely with water and let it simmer for 45 minutes. After that pass the bisque and let the sauce drip for at least 30 minutes so you don’t waste a single drop. Now let the bisque reduce for at least 50%.

The langoustine flan

3 leaves or 5 grams	gelatin
90 grams	langoustine bisque
120 grams	cream
2 grams	salt
75 grams	egg yolk
	Salt and lime juice

First soak the gelatin in cold water. Then pour the bisque into a saucepan and also add the cream, the salt and the egg yolk. Then mix it well and while stirring cook it till it’s 85 degrees Celsius. Once cooked dissolve your gelatin. Then season with salt and some lime juice. Now cover the bottom of a plate with a thin layer and tap the bottom to spread it. Then let it set in your fridge.

The celery jelly

200 grams	celery
120 grams	cucumber
75 grams	apple juice
15 grams	white wine vinegar
2 grams	salt
6	lovage leaves

First chop the celery. Do the same with the cucumber. Now also add the apple juice, the white wine vinegar, the salt and the lovage leaves. Then transfer it into a blender and blend till smooth. Now pour it on a sieve that’s lined with a kitchen paper to clarify with broth. Let this drain in your fridge.

2 leaves or 3.3 grams	gelatin
200 grams	celery broth

Well that’s draining soak the gelatin in cold water. Then pour 100 grams of the celery broth in a saucepan and heat this up till lukewarm. Now dissolve your gelatin and then while stirring add another 100 grams of the broth. Once it’s at room temperature add a thin layer of the jelly on the bisque flan. Let this set in your fridge.

The razor clam and langoustine tartare

Take some razor clams and press them so the meat comes out. Then remove it. Transfer them on a metal tray and give them a quick toast with a blow torch. This is purely for flavor and not to cook them, so when toasted directly cool them down in your freezer. Now chilled chop it into a nice tartare. Then transfer it into a bowl. Now take the langoustine tails and trim the sides. Also take the two smallest ones and chop them. Then add it to the razor clams. Now season it with a drizzle of olive oil, a touch of lime zest and some salt. Gently mix it so you don’t bruise the seafood to much. Now cover it and keep it in your fridge for later. Then the almonds. Take a small knife and make an incision at the top. Now twist it to open it up and take the almond out. Then remove the skin.

So let’s start finishing the dish. First lay two lines of the tartare on the jelly and put a couple of fresh almonds on top. Then decorate with Nastirium leaves, woodruff flowers, white aster flowers, licorice grass, the sorrel flowers and the sorrel leaves. Now heat up a frying pan and season your langoustines with salt. Then add a splash of oil to the pan and pan fry your langoustines back side down. Once golden add a knot of butter and turn down the heat. Then gently let the langoustines cook on the back side for another minute. Now take them out of the pan and season with lime zest and flaky salt. Put the langoustine in the middle of the tartare and it’s ready to be served!