Langoustines with seaweed and herb butter

You can’t beat a simply grilled langoustine with a hint of butter. Add a touch of garlic if you prefer, but seaweed is delicious, and very good for you as it’s packed full of minerals. Finish with a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of good salt. Try charring the lemon on the griddle or pan – it gives the citrus fruit more flavour. Parsley is great but do replace it with your favourite herb if you prefer.

Serves four 12 langoustines, if they are not alive and kicking, don’t buy them! a small handful of laver seaweed, available online or from a good forager a few sprigs of curly parsley ½ lemon 1 clove garlic, chopped (optional) 200g unsalted butter good salt and pepper 2 lemons, halved sea purslane as a garnish, optional

Put a large pan of water on to boil and season heavily with salt. When boiling, add the langoustines and cook for one minute (this kills and lightly cooks them), then remove and place into a bowl of ice-cold water until they are cold.

Cut the langoustines from head to toe on a chopping board. Start halfway down the prawn where the tail meets the head then turn the langoustines round and do the same through the head. There will now be two halves of each langoustine. Place them on a grill tray.

Melt the butter on the hob on a low heat for a few minutes. Chop the seaweed and parsley and add it to the pan along with the garlic and a good squeeze of lemon juice. Combine using a spoon or pastry brush and season with salt and pepper.

Brush the flesh side of the langoustines with the prepared butter and cook under the very hot grill for 3 to 5 minutes until hot. Add an extra squeeze of lemon juice and place onto warmed plates. Place the lemon halves cut-side-down on a griddle or frying pan to char and serve alongside the langoustines. Add some sea purslane as a garnish. Eat immediately.