The prawn cocktail isn’t just for Christmas and this langoustine version of the classic recipe would make the perfect Hogmanay starter.
This delightful dish has been enjoyed by diners around the world since the 1960s, and with good reason as the marriage of tangy Marie Rose sauce, prawns and crispy lettuce and tomato is nothing short of perfection.
Over the years there have been many twists on the prawn cocktail, but perhaps the most popular is upgrading from prawns to langoustine.
Adding langoustine is a great way to push the boat out at Christmas, and a great finest example of the langoustine cocktail can be found in Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire at family-run restaurant, The Captain’s Table.
Julie Masson, Director at The Captain’s Table, explains why the dish is so popular: “We like to keep things simple and focus on the highest quality ingredients for our langoustine cocktail, and we’re proud to say that it has been dubbed the “best prawn cocktail ever” by our customers – even though there are no prawns involved!
“People comment on the freshness, the size of the langoustines, perfectly mixed sauce, and of course the taste. The flesh of the langoustine is firm and white, with the familiar pink tinge. As far as we and our customers are concerned, there is no better langoustine cocktail to be had in the north east. Caught, landed and served within hours.”
The Captain’s Table langoustine cocktail
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 150g of the freshest langoustines, cooked
- A few leaves of fresh iceberg lettuce
- A few leaves of lollo rosso
- A handful of cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 3-4 slices of cucumber
- A lemon wedge
For the Marie rose sauce (per person):
- 2-3 heaped tbsp good quality mayonnaise,
- 1-2 tbsp Heinz tomato sauce,
- 1 tbsp squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp Sprinkle of paprika
Method
- Firstly make the Marie Rose sauce by mixing all of the ingredients together in a bowl until it is a nice pink colour. Taste if you feel you need more of any ingredient and then add a small amount at a time (if it’s too creamy add some more lemon juice, if it isn’t flavoured enough add more tomato sauce, and if it’s too tart add more mayo). Remember the paprika takes a few minutes to develop in the sauce so don’t be too generous with it! Keep the sauce mix covered and refrigerated until ready to use.
- Arrange your salad in a dish or plate using a few leaves of iceberg and lollo rosso lettuce, a handful of quartered cherry tomatoes and around three slices of cucumber.
- Place your cooked langoustines on top of the salad and add a dollop of Marie Rose sauce.
- Add a freshly cut lemon segment to each portion for squeezing over and add a sprinkle paprika on the top to serve.
Recipe from Love Seafood who are on a big, bold mission to get more people eating seafood.