How to cook langoustines

Step-by-step cooking

1. Step 1:

   

   Prepare all the necessary ingredients. I have Argentine langoustines of category L1, which means the largest size. The length of such crustaceans ranges from 20-25 cm . There are also langoustines of the L2 and L3 categories, the length of which is 15-20 cm and 11-15 cm, respectively. Be careful, the size of langoustines affects the cooking time. I do not advise buying boxes labeled LR, which means that the package contains langoustines of different sizes.

2. Step 2:

   

   Pour tap water into a large saucepan and put the pan on fire, bring the water to a boil. Langoustines should be cooked in a large amount of water and it is better to use a large saucepan so that when lowering the crustaceans, the water does not come out of the edges of the pan. In boiling water, add bay leaf, pepper and salt, mix.

3. Step 3:

   

   Lower the langoustines into boiling water with spices. Before cooking, langoustines do not need to be defrosted and cleaned from the shell, so this allows you to preserve the juiciness of seafood. You can add other spices, but you need to be extremely careful, as langoustines absorb the aroma of marinade, garlic and herbs very well. When foam forms on the surface, remove it with a spoon with holes.

5. Step 4:

   

   Cook the langoustines in slightly boiling water. Since I have boiled-frozen langoustines (red shade), I cook them for 2-3 minutes after boiling. If the langoustines are raw-frozen (dark greenish shade), then their preparation takes much longer: for the category L1 - 17-20 minutes, L2 – 12-15 minutes, L3 – about 10 minutes. You should not digest langoustines, as this has a bad effect on their organoleptic qualities (smell, taste and appearance).

6. Step 5:

   

   Remove the pan from the heat, close the lid and let the langoustines stand for a while. Thanks to this, seafood will be even better saturated with flavors. After a few minutes, using a slotted spoon, put the boiled langoustines on a dish.

7. Step 6:

   

   Since the shell was not removed during cooking, accordingly, the intestinal vein was not removed. How to remove an intestinal vein in langoustines? With scissors, cut the shells along the entire back, dilute the edges and remove the tract. This is done easily and simply. It is advisable to immediately take the offal and cleaning from the eaten dish into the trash can, otherwise a rotten smell will appear in the kitchen. When serving, langoustines can be sprinkled with lemon juice if desired.