Langoustines on Sweet Potato Rosti with Lime Mayonnaise
Author: 
Recipe type: Brunch
Cuisine: British
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2
 
A brunch or light lunch recipe using Scottish langoustines 'langos', boiled, peeled and served on sweet potato rosti with a lime mayonnaise dressing.
Ingredients
For the rosti
  • 1 medium sweet potato ~380g, peeled and grated
  • 1 small onion, finely cliced
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 large egg beaten
  • olive oil
  • salt
for the lime mayonnaise
  • 2 Tbs mayonnaise (homemade or good quality shop bought)
  • ½ Tbs lime juice
  • zest of 1 lime
  • pinch salt, black pepper
For the dish
  • 8 langoustines
  • 2 spring onions
  • 100g baby spinach
  • olive oil
  • salt, black pepper
Instructions
  1. First prep your lime mayonnaise. Stir the mayonnaise with the lime juice, zest and seasoning, set aside.
  2. Next make your rosti. Grate the sweet potato and place in a bowl with a pinch of salt. Let it sit for 10 minutes, then squeeze out any liquid by placing the grated potato in a sieve and pushing down on it, alternatively just squeeze out the potato juice with your clean hands. Place the sweet potato in a clean bowl and set aside.
  3. Meanwhile warm a tsp of olive oil then sauté the onion in a large frying pan for 3-4 minutes before adding the garlic for a further minute. Remove from the heat and add to the sweet potato bowl and stir. Pour in the whisked egg.
  4. Return the frying pan to a medium heat and drop in some more olive oil. Using your hands or a large spoon scoop the sweet potato into a rosti the size of the palm of your hand and drop into the pan. Continue till you use up all the mixture - ideally you are looking for 4 rostis, but if you make them too big they will be hard to manoeuvre in the pan. After a 3-4 minutes the rosti will be browned on the bottom. Using a fish slice flip them over and continue to cook. Once they are finished transfer to a plate and keep them warm in the oven on a very low heat.
  5. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and drop in your langos. Turn the heat down to a simmer, add a lid, and cook for 7-8 minutes, till the flesh is opaque. Drain, then refresh in cold water, and de-shell* (see notes).
  6. Finally warm up the frying pan again with a touch of oil and sauté your spring onions till charred add the spinach and cook until just wilted.
  7. Plate up by placing the 2 rosti on the plate, along with the spinach, then top with the de-shelled lango meat, drizzle with lime mayo and finish with the spring onions.
Notes
To de-shell the langos, pull off the head, then pinch the sides of the body together between your fingers to crack and loosen the shell. Now, peel back the shell and wriggle out the lango meat. If you've patience you can also crack the claws and pull the meat out of there.
If you're nervous of this process I suggest you watch the quick video I've linked to in the text above.
Recipe by Ceri Jones Chef at https://cerijoneschef.com/langoustines-lime-mayonnaise/