Best langoustines, find it at Au Tilleul
At eat drink men woman blog, i find this interesting article about Langoustines, what is Langoustines anyway,
A langoustine is a marine crustacean which looks a little like a miniature lobster and a lot like the river dwelling crayfish. Its proper name is Nephrops norvegicus. It can grow up to a foot in length and is prized for its delicious tail meat. Smaller langoustine have their upper parts discarded and their tails used for scampi. Larger langoustine are sold to be cooked whole. Then the meat from the tail and, in larger specimens the claws, is eaten either as part of a more complex dish or straight from the shell. They are a common feature in the traditional French bistro seafood platter and a very important element in Spanish cuisine. Amazingly most langoustine are currently exported from Scotland to continental European markets. Long considered waste and discarded by fishing fleets hungry for white fish catches they are now the mains stay of the fishing economy in some parts of Scotland.
And this is their story :
On our way to Italy for a non-vacation in December, we need some relaxation ahead of a very diffcult period (we spare you the details). And where best to find it than during the natural stop in Alsace, at our discovery of last Summer, Jacques Lorentz’s Au Tilleul? As you’ll recall it is in the village with the typically French
sounding name of Mittelhausbergen, off Strasbourg, here:
We had another wonderful and stunningly inexpensive dinner at Au Tilleul. Among the many superb items, the Langoustines were particularly superb. The dish arrives to your table like this:
with the langoustine resting on a bed of cereals and grains. Then, the waitress pours on it a clear consomme’, et voila’:
This dish is light, this dish is beautiful, this dish is elegant, this dish is tasty: in a nutshell, this dish is great. The delicate, sweet, succulent meat of the Langoustine is just caressed by the equally delicate consomme’. The cereals and grains then add some texture and crunch. Perfect.
And, just to to tempt you a little more if you have a sweet tooth, here’s how we concluded the dinner…
