“You can’t beat a simply grilled langoustine with a hint of butter. Add a touch of garlic if you prefer, but seaweed is delicious, and very good for you as it’s packed full of minerals. Finish with a squeeze lemon and a pinch of good salt. Try charring the lemon on the griddle or pan - it gives the citrus fruit more flavour. Parsley is great but do replace it with your favourite herb if you prefer.”

Serves 4
10 minutes prep time, 10 minutes cooking time

INGREDIENTS

12 langoustines, if they are not alive and kicking, don’t buy them!

A small handful of lava seaweed, available online or from a good forager

A few sprigs of curly parsley

Half a lemon

1 clove garlic, chopped (optional)

200g unsalted butter

Good salt and pepper

2 lemons, halved

Sea purslane as a garnish, optional

METHOD

Place a large pan of water on to boil and season heavily with salt. When boiling, add the langoustines and cook for one minute, then remove and place into a bowl of ice-cold water until they are cold. This kills the prawns and just gently cooks them.

Next, cut the langoustines from head to toe on a chopping board. Start half way down the prawn where the tail meets the head then turn the langoustines around and do the same through the head. There will now be two halves of each langoustine. Place them on a grill tray.

Melt the butter on the hob on a low heat for a few minutes. Chop the seaweed and parsley and add it to the pan along with the garlic and a good squeeze of lemon juice. Combine with a spoon or pastry brush and season with salt and pepper.

Brush the flesh side of the langoustines with the prepared butter and cook under the very hot grill for 3 to 5 minutes until hot. Add an extra squeeze of lemon juice and place onto warmed plates. Place the lemon halves cut-side-down on a griddle or frying pan to char and serve alongside the langoustines. Add some sea purslane as a garnish. Eat at once.