Steamed langoustine with seaweed salad and custard of the shell

by Ollie Dabbous
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8
1 hour 40 minutes

Ingredients

Langoustine oil

  • 75g of rapeseed oil
  • 75g of olive oil
  • 60g of langoustine shells, smashed
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1 star anise
  • 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
  • 1 slice of ginger
  • 1 pinch of fennel seeds
  • 1 pinch of fenugreek seeds
  • 1 pinch of coriander seeds
  • 1 pinch of black peppercorns
  • 1 sprig of thyme

Chive and ginger emulsion

  • 60g of egg yolk, pasteurised
  • 15g of ginger, 10g finely grated and squeezed to extract the liquid, 5g finely chopped and blanched in boiling water for 1 minute
  • 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
  • 100ml of water
  • 30g of sushi vinegar
  • 150g of chives, chopped
  • 1g of xanthan gum
  • 200g of vegetable oil
  • salt

Jus

  • 250g of tomatoes, very ripe, chopped
  • 280g of langoustine shells, smashed
  • 1 dash of olive oil
  • 60g of white wine, boiled
  • 2 tsp cognac, boiled
  • 20g of double cream
  • 1 pinch of arrowroot
  • 1 dash of lemon juice
  • salt

Custard

  • 165g of eggs, beaten
  • 165g of double cream
  • 165g of whole milk

Seaweed salad

  • 100g of dried seaweed
  • 300g of dashi
  • 10g of pickled ginger
  • 5g of toasted sesame seeds
  • 1 spring onion, julienned
  • 10g of sushi vinegar

Langoustines

  • 8 langoustine tails, the largest you can find, shells and claws reserved for the jus and oil
  • 1 lime, or yuzu

To garnish

  • edible flowers, such as pea flowers and alyssum flowers
  • 1 spring onion, finely julienned and soaked in iced water to crisp up
  • 1 handful of samphire, blanched for 10 seconds in boiling water
  • 1 pickled onion, ideally red, sliced into thin petals

Method

1
Make the langoustine oil the day before you plan to serve the dish. Add a splash of the rapeseed oil to a saucepan and the rest of the ingredients (apart from the oils). Cook for a few minutes until fragrant, then add the remaining rapeseed oil and olive oil and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and leave to infuse for 2 hours, then strain through a fine sieve lined with muslin cloth in the fridge overnight. This will leave you with much more langoustine oil than you need for this dish, but it is an amazing thing to drizzle over other dishes and will keep in the fridge for a few weeks
  • 75g of rapeseed oil
  • 75g of olive oil
  • 60g of langoustine shells, smashed
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1 star anise
  • 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
  • 1 slice of ginger
  • 1 pinch of fennel seeds
  • 1 pinch of fenugreek seeds
  • 1 pinch of coriander seeds
  • 1 pinch of black peppercorns
  • 1 sprig of thyme
2
To make the emulsion, blend the egg yolk, liquid from the grated ginger, garlic, water, vinegar and 50g of the chives together, then blitz in the xanthan gum. With the motor running, gradually drizzle in 200g vegetable oil until emulsified. Fold through the remaining chives and blanched ginger and season to taste. Set aside
  • 60g of egg yolk, pasteurised
  • 15g of ginger, 10g finely grated and squeezed to extract the liquid, 5g finely chopped and blanched in boiling water for 1 minute
  • 1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
  • 100ml of water
  • 30g of sushi vinegar
  • 150g of chives, chopped
  • 1g of xanthan gum
  • 200g of vegetable oil
  • salt
3
To make the jus, place the tomatoes in a saucepan with a pinch of salt and simmer, covered, until they break down and release their liquid. Continue cooking uncovered until they reduce by around 50g, then blitz until completely smooth in a blender. Pass through a fine sieve – you will need 200g of fondue for this recipe
  • 250g of tomatoes, very ripe, chopped
  • salt
4
Sear the langoustine shells in a dash of oil until coloured, then lift out half of them and set aside. Add the blitzed tomatoes, wine, cream and a pinch of salt. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes, then strain through a fine sieve into a clean pan. Add the Cognac, the other half of the shells and simmer for another 10 minutes, ensuring the mixture doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan. Pass through a fine sieve (ideally lined with a muslin cloth) and add a pinch of arrowroot to thicken slightly. Season with lemon juice and salt to taste, then set aside
  • 1 dash of olive oil
  • 280g of langoustine shells, smashed
  • 60g of white wine, boiled
  • 20g of double cream
  • 2 tsp cognac, boiled
  • 1 pinch of arrowroot
  • 1 dash of lemon juice
5
To make the custards, preheat an oven to 120°C. Weigh out 250g of the langoustine jus and blitz with the eggs, cream and milk with a pinch of salt. Divide between 8 bowls, cover in cling film, then place on a deep baking tray filled with hot water. Transfer to the oven and cook for 10-12 minutes, or until just set. Note: if you have a steam oven, simply steam the custards at 90°C
  • 165g of eggs, beaten
  • 165g of double cream
  • 165g of whole milk
6
While the custards steam, soak the dried seaweed in the dashi for 5-10 minutes and skewer each langoustine tail with 2 skewers to ensure it doesn’t curl up during cooking
  • 100g of dried seaweed
  • 300g of dashi
  • 8 langoustine tails, the largest you can find, shells and claws reserved for the jus and oil
7
Drain the seaweed from the dashi and mix with the rest of the ingredients for the salad. Set aside
  • 10g of pickled ginger
  • 5g of toasted sesame seeds
  • 1 spring onion, julienned
  • 10g of sushi vinegar
8
Once just set (but still with plenty of wobble), remove the custards from the oven and set aside. Meanwhile, drizzle the langoustine tails with a little langoustine oil and a pinch of salt, then place in a large bamboo steamer and steam for 2 minutes, or until just cooked
9
When ready to serve, drizzle some more langoustine oil over the warm custards, then garnish with pickled red onion, samphire, spring onion and edible flowers
  • edible flowers, such as pea flowers and alyssum flowers
  • 1 spring onion, finely julienned and soaked in iced water to crisp up
  • 1 handful of samphire, blanched for 10 seconds in boiling water
  • 1 pickled onion, ideally red, sliced into thin petals
10
Add a spoonful of the ginger and chive emulsion to a separate plate, then top with the seaweed salad. Lightly zest the lime (or yuzu) over each langoustine tail, then place the tails on top of the salad. Serve alongside the custard
  • 1 lime, or yuzu