Langoustine & white asparagus dish

Today we're going to make a beautiful langoustine and white asparagus dish! It’s a langoustine and asparagus tartare with a langoustine reduction, a foamy langoustine sauce, some crispy buckwheat and a mushroom cream.

How to clean the langoustines

1.5 kg

langoustine 5-7 (that means that there are 5 to 7 in a kilogram)

When buying langoustines always double check the belly of the tail, it needs to be completely white for the best quality. If it has some black spots it means the tails contains sand, which obviously is bad. Now twist the tails of the heads and keep both separate. The heads and claws we keep for the bisque. Keep those in your fridge for later. Then let’s peel the tails, press the tail to break the shell and peel it off. Be gentle so you don’t damage the meat. Always start at the top and work down to the tail side. Once you’re there slowly twist it to remove it all at once. If you’re lucky the intestine will also come out. If not be sure to remove it later on. This is very bitter. Then continue with the remaining tails. Now always be sure to double check the quality. If a tail is already very soft, it’s better to use it for a tartare because if you panfry it, it will fall apart and the texture will be very bad. Then take all the good tails and trim the big end. This is just to tighty it up, so don’t cut off too much. Now chop those trimmings and the soft tail or tails into a nice tartare. Don’t over chop it, you want to keep that lovely texture. Then transfer it into a bowl and keep it in your fridge for later.

The langoustine bisque

12	langoustine heads and claws
1	carrot
0.5	leek
3	celery sticks
1	onion
300 g	canned tomatoes
1 g	coriander seeds
2 g	black pepper
4 cloves	garlic
2	bay leaves
300 g	white wine
1 liter	water

Place all the langoustine heads and claws in a mixing bowl and beat it with a flat beater till it’s a thick paste. We do this so you can pan fry a larger surface and create more flavor. If you don’t have a stand mixer that’s strong enough cut the heads and claws a couple of times with a cleaver or an old chefs knife. After that pour a drizzle of oil in a hot pan and pan fry the langoustine paste on a medium high heat till a nice golden brown color has formed. This is going to take some time, so be patient! Meanwhile we can cut the vegetables. First peel the carrot and cut it in four even pieces. Cut those pieces in thin slices. Now cut a leek in half and wash it well. Then cut half of the leek in thin slices as well. Also do this with the celery sticks. Then cut the onion in half, clean it and slice it in thin slices. The final thing to prep is the canned tomato. Open up the can and blend it till smooth. Now as you can see a beautiful color has formed and there’s a nice fond on the bottom of the pan as well. So now add your cut vegetables and pan fry it for another couple of minutes. Once the vegetables have a good color as well add the blended canned tomatoes and also add the coriander seeds, the black pepper, the garlic that’s cut in half and the bay leaves. And then again, continue panfrying till a nice fond has formed on the bottom of the pan. When making bisque it’s all about creating layers of flavor, this takes time. After that deglaze the pan with the white wine and let it reduce until almost everything has evaporated. Then add the water to submerge all your ingredients and let it simmer on a medium low heat for 45 minutes. Once that’s done pass the bisque through a fine sieve and let it drip for at least 30 minutes so you don’t waste a single drop. After that bring the bisque to a simmer once more and use a ladle to remove any oil or protein that floats on top. Do this for a couple of minutes till you have a beautiful clear bisque.

The langoustine sauce

300 g	langoustine bisque
150 g	cream
	salt
	lime juice

First measure 300 grams of the bisque into a saucepan and add the cream. Reduce this for about 25% till you’re happy with the flavor. When that’s the case season it with salt and a squeeze of lime juice. Give it a final taste for seasoning and keep it in your fridge for later.

The langoustine & jalapeño reduction

The remaining bisque we need to reduce till it’s a super nice thickened reduction. It’s going to be a flavor bomb! Once it's reduced transfer it into a bowl. Then cut a jalapeño in half and remove the seeds. Now cut it in thin slices and cut those slices in small cubes. Add it to the bisque reduction and give it a good mix. Then keep it in your fridge for later.

The white asparagus

10	white asparagus
300 g	water
1 g	salt
10 g	butter

First we need to peel them. We only peel the stem and not the tip. Now I always say you need to peel them 1.5 times, this means that with every peel the peeler needs to be overlapping half of the previously peeled part. In case you have a peeler that takes off a lot you can just peel them normally, but mine are very thin and the skin of a asparagus is quite thick. Now transfer the peels into a saucepan and also add the water. Then cover the pan with a lid and let it simmer on a low heat for 15 minutes. Now let it cool down in the pan. After that pass the broth through a fine sieve. Then take the asparagus and level all the tips. Now cut off the bottoms, normally you only cut off a little bit, but this time I cut off a bit more because I need them for another recipe. Then transfer the asparagus into a vacuum bag and also add 100 grams of the asparagus broth, the salt and the butter. Now vacuum this 100%. Once it’s vacuumed cook the asparagus in a steam oven at 100 degrees Celsius for 8 minutes. Then directly cool them down in ice water to prevent them from overcooking. Once they have cooled down you can take them out of the bag and separate the tips from the stems. The tips I slice in 6 equal pieces and set aside for later. Now the stems you can slice in thin slices and then in small cubes also known as brunoise. Then add equal amounts of asparagus to the langoustine tartare and season it with a touch of lime zest, some olive oil and salt. Give it a gently mix and keep it in your fridge for later.

The white asparagus rings

2	shallots
20 g	butter
3 g	salt
120 g	asparagus broth (the one we just made)
80 g	white wine
150 g	cream
200 g	white asparagus trimmings
1	bay leaf
3 g	agar powder

Cut the shallots in half and peel them, then slice them in thin slices. Then add the butter to a pan and start glazing the shallots with the salt. Once softened deglaze the pan with the asparagus broth and also add the white wine, the cream, the asparagus trimmings and the bay leaf. Now cover it with a lid and let it simmer on a low heat for 30 minutes. After that remove the bay leaf and blend it till smooth. Once smooth add the agar powder and while mixing bring this to a boil for 30 seconds. Then fill your desired mold with the base, find a link to this one in the description of this video. Now let it freeze till completely solid. Then gently take both out of the mold and keep them covered in your freezer for later.

The mushroom cream

500 g	mushroom varieties
3	shallots
4 cloves	garlic
4 g	salt
2	bay leaves
3 sprigs	thyme
200 g	vegetable broth
150 g	cream
	Xanthan gum
	White wine vinegar

For this recipe I use 500 grams of delicious mushroom varieties that are already starting to go down in quality. For pan frying the quality isn’t there anymore, but for a cream it’s still great! First we need to clean them. Wash them well in some salted water and repeat this until all the leaves, sand and bugs have been removed. Repeat this at least two times. Once cleaned transfer them into a salad spinner and spin it a couple of times to remove any excess water. The dryer, the better. After that cut the shallots in half and clean them. Now slice them in thin slices. Then pour a drizzle of oil in a hot pan and start pan frying the shallots. Now also chop the garlic and add those to the pan as well. When some color starts to form add the cleaned mushrooms with the salt and pan fry everything till golden brown. Meanwhile use some cooking twine to bind the bay leaves and the thyme together. Also add it to the pan and continue pan frying. Once a nice color has formed deglaze the pan with the vegetable broth. Also add the cream and then reduce it till almost all the liquid has evaporated. Then remove the herb bundle and transfer it into a blender. Now blend it till smooth. Once smooth season with salt and also add a knife tip of xanthan gum, this will prevent the cream from leaking any moisture once plated. Blend it once more. Now I always add a drizzle of white wine vinegar as well, this will bring balance in the heavy flavors and make the whole cream more pleasant to eat. You can use any vinegar you like, another vinegar I love is sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar. Just use the one you think will complement the dish the most. Then transfer it into a piping bottle and keep it in your fridge for later.

The puffed buckwheat

First season a pan of boiling water with a generous amount of salt. Then add some buckwheat and boil it till it’s just overcooked. Once it’s cooked just let it boil for another 5 minutes, then you know it’s done. Now drain it and let it drip for a couple of minutes. Then spread it on a metal tray and make sure it’s evenly spread. Now dry it at 50 degrees Celsius till all the moisture has evaporated. This is going to take some time, so be patient! Every hour you need to give it a good mix to prevent the buckwheat from sticking to each other. Once it’s completely dry heat up some frying oil till it’s 210 degrees Celsius. Then carefully add a some of the dried buckwheat and deep fry it till puffed and crispy. This will only take a couple of seconds. Now take it out of the oil and spread it on some kitchen paper. Continue deep frying the remaining buckwheat. Once everything is puffed and crispy season it well with salt and keep it covered for later.

The final prep

For this we need to make the little herb bundle. I make these by tying some delicious herbs and flowers together with a piece of blanched chives. Here I use some fennel leaves, oxalis leaves and flowers and savory leaves.

How to finish the dish

First place the rings on your plate and use a round cutter to shape the langoustine and asparagus tartare in a round shape. Use a cocktail stamp or a flat wine cork. Now drizzle some of the langoustine and jalapeño reduction on top. Then add a drizzle of oil to a hot frying pan and pan fry the langoustines back side down till golden brown. Add some salt for seasoning. Once golden add a knot of butter and pan fry the other side for a couple of seconds as well. Then place them on an oven rack and pour the hot fat on top. Now season with some flaky salt and pipe the hot mushroom cream on top. Then cover it completely with the puffed buckwheat. Now carefully place the langoustine on top of the tartare and also add two of the portioned asparagus tops. Then decorate it with the herbs bundle and some small salty fingers. Now serve the plate like this and finish it on the table with the delicious langoustine sauce. For me the combination of the cold and hot elements is great and it will really surprise your guests.