Grilled Langoustines with Seaweed Butter
Saturday morning recipes with Simon Mayo & Nigel Barden
Every week on Simon Mayo's Saturday show, we're joined by food and wine expert, Nigel Barden, who talks us through incredible recipes and the wines that go with them. As well as satisfying your taste buds, we also satisfy your ears with a classical track that compliments the food perfectly.
Simon Mayo's show is on from 10am until 1pm every Saturday and you can listen here. On Saturday 8th June we made Grilled Langoustines with Seaweed Butter.
The full recipe is below:
Grilled Langoustines with Seaweed Butter
by Rosie Birkett from The Joyful Home Cook (HarperCollins)
photography by Helen Cathcart.
Langoustines, nephrops or Dublin Bay prawns are incredibly plentiful in the UK and we should be eating more of them. They make a wonderful canapé or starter for a special meal and are divine simply split and grilled in their shells with this umami seaweed butter. The butter will keep for a week in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer.
Serves 4 as a starter
Ingredients
8 langoustines or jumbo/large tiger prawns, split in half lengthways and digestive tracts removed
handful of wild fennel flowers, to garnish (optional)
For the seaweed butter 20g dried seaweed such as dulse or nori
1 shallot, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
½ tsp fennel seeds
pinch of pink peppercorns 100g unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ tsp sea salt
½ lemon, for squeezing
First, make the seaweed butter. Using a mini chopper or pestle and mortar, grind the seaweed until it has broken down into small flecks no more than 5mm in size. Put the shallot, garlic, fennel seeds and pink peppercorns into the bowl of a food processor with the seaweed and blitz, then add the butter, salt and a squeeze of lemon juice and blitz again until well combined. Transfer to a bowl and chill in the fridge until needed. If you’re making it ahead, lay a piece of cling film out on a clean surface. Spoon the butter into the centre, then roll it up tightly into a sausage shape. Keep in the fridge until ready to use.
When you’re ready to cook the langoustines or prawns, put them cut side up on a roasting tray and dot with the butter (about 2 teaspoons of butter on each langoustine or prawn). Grill or barbecue for 3–5 minutes, until the butter has melted and the flesh is cooked and just opaque. Serve garnished with wild fennel flowers, if you have some.
TIP: Look out for boxes of frozen langoustines at the fishmonger; they are usually a bit cheaper. You just have to thaw them in a sink of lukewarm water before you split and grill them.
What is Scala Radio?
Scala Radio is a brand-new entertainment radio station that breaks the mould of classical music in the UK, fronted by presenters Simon Mayo, Angellica Bell, Mark Kermode, Chris Rogers and William Orbit. Playing familiar masters from Mozart and Holst to surprising new works from living composers like Karl Jenkins, Rebecca Dale and Thom Yorke, film scores and musicals, along with performances by bright young artists like Alexis Ffrench, Jess Gillam and Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Scala Radio is an exciting discovery of classical music for modern life.
Featuring music that may be a surprising discovery or re-discovery, championed by presenters with personalities, and showcasing classical music through the lens of modern life.