Langoustines served with garlic and parsley butter

My daughter Jess and I had this exquisite dish at Café Fish, Tobermory, Mull, one sun-kissed Sunday evening at the end of April.

We had climbed some of Ben More before the rain stopped us halfway up, so we drove up to Calgary beach on the north west of the island and could not believe our eyes. The rain had completely cleared and the scene was more Caribbean than Hebridean, with the clean white sand and sea glistening under an unusually hot sun.

There was not a cloud in the sky, and though there was a scattering of people around, it still felt tranquil and idyllic.

● 12 whole langoustines

● 100g salted butter

● 5 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped

● 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

● 1 tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped

● Fresh rustic bread

● Lemon wedges

Bring a pan of water to a rolling boil (about 3 litres/5 pints of water for 12 langoustines). Without overcrowding the pan, add the langoustines and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, taking care not to overcook them. You can tell if they’re ready by checking the underside of the tail: when cooked the flesh will have turned white as opposed to translucent. Remove from the pan and drain.

Meanwhile, soften the butter and add the garlic, flat-leaf parsley (reserving a small amount for serving) and chives to the butter.

Split the langoustines in half and place on a grill pan, dot the butter over the langoustines and place under a hot grill until the butter has melted and langoustines have browned slightly, which will take a minute or so depending on the heat of your grill.

To serve, place the langoustines in a serving dish and pour the (by now melted) garlic butter over. Serve with fresh rustic bread and lemon wedges and sprinkle with remaining parsley.