Scottish Langoustine with Saffron Aioli
Simple, but sensational, the key to this is getting the best and freshest langoustines you can find, so as to ensure the very sweetest, most succulent flesh. You can get them delivered live and snapping (and pot or creel-caught, which is the most sustainable option), but if that’s impossible, buy them cooked from a decent fishmonger.
Ingredients
For the Aioli
A pinch of saffron
1 tsp boiling water
1 lemon, cut in half
1 garlic clove, diced
1.5 tsp Dijon mustard
1 egg yolk
125ml vegetable oil
For the Langoustines
3 baby green courgettes, peeled into stripes with a potato peeler
18 langoustine tails, cooked and peeled
To serve
A pinch of chilli flakes
Wedges of lime
Method
STEP 1
Place the saffron in a small bowl, add the boiling water and set aside.
STEP 2
Clean the inside of a mixing bowl and the wire of a balloon whisk with one of the cut sides of the lemon, rubbing it all over, and catching any pips as you go. Whisk the garlic, Dijon mustard and egg yolk together in the lemon-rubbed bowl with the whisk, they slowly pour in 50ml of the oil, whisking all the time until the mixture thickens. Pour in the remaining oil and whisk again until a thick aioli (which looks like mayonnaise) has formed. Slowly add the saffron water and adjust the seasoning to taste with lemon juice, salt and pepper.
STEP 3
Bring a large saucepan of well salted water to the boil. Add the strips of baby courgette, then lift out with a slotted spoon and refresh in a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking.
STEP 4
Pat the slices of courgette dry on kitchen paper, then roll each strip around a langoustine tail. (Any extra courgette slices can be tossed into a salad, or used as a sandwich filling with ham and chutney.)
STEP 5
Place a dot of the aioli on top of each courgette-wrapped langoustine. (Any leftover aioli is delicious with roasted potatoes or fish.)
STEP 6
Sprinkle a pinch of chilli flakes over the platter and dot some lime wedges around for squeezing.
