Scampi (also known as langoustines) are one of my favorite types of seafood. Unlike jumbo shrimp (which are only available frozen in the Netherlands), they are available freshly caught, which means that if they are very fresh you can eat them as sashimi. (They are fresh enough if they have been stored on ice and smell like the ocean.) Both taste and texture of raw scampi are delicious. As an added bonus they are very photogenic. I thought they would combine well with green apple, and so they do. And thus this simple to make but great tasting and great looking appetizer was born.
Ingredients
For 2 servings as an appetizer
6-8 medium scampi
1 green apple (Granny Smith)
salt
1 lime
very good extra virgin olive oil
Preparation
Start by peeling the scampi. Reserve the heads and shells to make stock for another dish and to decorate the final dish. Rinse briefly under cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
Cut the scampi meat into pea-size pieces. Make sure to remove the vein. Add a bit of lime juice, a bit of salt and a bit of extra virgin olive oil and mix. Taste and add a bit more if you like. You want the delicate flavor of the raw scampi to stand out, so don’t overwhelm it with too much salt, oil or lime!
Wash and dry the green apple. Remove the core. Cut 4 nice round slices from the middle of about 3 mm (1/8 inch) thick. Rub the slices lightly with lime juice to prevent them from turning brown.
Start assembling the dish by putting a slice of green apple in the middle of each plate.
Divide the scampi tartare over the apple slices and arrange it nicely.
Finish with a final slice of apple.
Decorate the plate with the scampi heads and claws.
Wine pairing
White wine is obviously the way to go for this. This elegant dish requires an elegant wine. Grüner veltliner (from Austria) or Albariño (from Spain) are likely candidates. The veltliner because it usually has a bit of apple in the nose, the albariño because it smells like the ocean. It comes from the Spanish region of Galicia that receives a lot of wind from the Atlantic.
Stefan's Gourmet Blog 
You have surpassed yourself here. That is a fantastic looking dish. I cooked some Authentic Norwegian Dublin Bay Langoustine (the post later will explain) at the weekend. The advice on the stock is identical. Mine ended up in a prawn with black bean sauce. A pale interloper compared with this. Well done (or not done at all).
Best,
Conor
LikeLike
Thanks! Usually I’m not that much into making it look nice, but the scampi just ask for it 🙂
LikeLike
You always present your food so wonderfully!
LikeLike
Thanks, but it’s just the scampi that are so photogenic 😉
LikeLike
Great presentation!
LikeLike
I’m not a fan of shellfish, but I’m kind of obsessed with this photo.
LikeLike
When you open your restaurant, this will surely become your signature dish.
LikeLike
Like the ‘when’ you use 😉
LikeLike
Truly inspired presentation. Over here scampi is just prawns deep fried (I think at least) so its good to read about what they really are…
LikeLike
Scampi / langoustines are a kind of small lobsters because they have claws and unflexible skin. Shrimp does not have claws and their skin is flexible.
Names of food are often confused in other languages. Or what to think of “entree” meaning main course rather than appetizer in the US…
LikeLike
Hi, Stefen. What a beautiful memory of your delicious meal in Sicily. I love your recreation with the crisp, tart apple and the luscious langoustines. We actually have langoustines in Albuquerque, New Mexico (the land-locked high dessert). They come in frozen – I wonder how they would taste in this recipe. It is beautiful and I would love to make it – simple, elegant and tasty. I am a fan of Albariño. It is readily available here, too and exceptionally well-priced. Thank you for sharing. Gorgeous food!
LikeLike
I’ve never tried frozen langoustines, but if they are good quality it should be nice.
LikeLike
If only we had the seafood here that you do! 😉
LikeLike