Sea Asparagus and Langoustines

Defrost Whole Langoustine by removing from packaging and placing in a single layer into a perforated container to defrost at a refrigerated temperature (1-4⁰C) for a minimum of 4 hours to a maximum of 12 hours (overnight).

To Prepare Citrus Aioli

In a small pot of water, boil garlic for 15 minutes or until the clove of garlic is very soft.

In a tall bowl or cup, combine lemon juice, salt, pepper and turmeric. Using an immersion blender, puree the garlic together with the lemon juice mixture. Once smooth, slowly add in olive oil and puree until smooth.

To Prepare Poached Langoustines

After the langoustines have defrosted, remove heads and peel tail while leaving the tail flap shell intact. Using a bamboo skewer, skewer the langoustine lengthwise, preventing the langoustine from curling while cooking. Reserve the heads for plating purposes.

In a small pot, sauté shallots and garlic with butter until translucent. Add in bay leaf, fennel seed, and white wine. Bring to a boil and allow to evaporate until almost dry. Add in water and bring back to a boil. Add in langoustine tails and heads, cover the pot with a lid, and shut off heat. Allow langoustines to poach for 10 minutes, then remove and reserve for use later.

To Prepare ‘Sea’ Asparagus Wrapping

Cut off the asparagus tips. Using a vegetable peeler, make thin strips of asparagus lengthwise. In a bowl, mix sea salt and water. Briefly dip asparagus strips into the sea salt water.

To Prepare Toast Points

Trim the edges off white bread and cut into pieces of bread that are 8 cm by 2.5 cm. In a skillet, toast bread with butter until golden brown. Remove from pan and cover with a damp paper towel to prevent drying out.

To plate

Wrap a poached langoustine tail with a strip of asparagus. On each toast point, place a small line of citrus aioli. Place the asparagus wrapped langoustine tail on top. Remove the bamboo skewer from inside the langoustine and optionally garnish with microgreens or caviar.