NEW RECIPE: Spicy Langoustine Cioppino with Fisherman's Rice

© Constantine William Spyrou

This is the third part of the MasterChef challenges from this season that I will be doing on my blog, and this brings me up to date with the current season's challenges until the new episode comes out this week! This challenge was an elimination challenge, in which the winner of the Mystery Box challenge (who was Natascha with her lemon chocolate tart) got to pick the challenging ingredient that the remaining contestants had to work with. Out of first-cut veal chops, langoustines, and Stilton Blue Cheese, she ended up choosing the langoustines, trying to trip up all of the contestants.

Langoustines look like giant shrimp, but their flavor is much more similar to lobster, and just like lobster, they prefer to be poached and shocked to reach cooked perfection. Langoustines can be extremely expensive and virtually impossible for me to get, so this is a real challenge for me. The fact that langoustines are cooked very similar to lobster makes it easier though, so I think this cioppino would be just the thing for the Langoustines. Tomato and shellfish go very well as illustrated by San Francisco in their classic seafood dish, and adding a spicy kick and making my own rice under the 60-minute time limit should take the langoustine to a whole new level!

Recipe makes one serving of cioppino.

For the Langoustine Stock:

Langoustine heads and shells
3 cups water
1 chopped onion
1/4 cup celery, chopped
1/4 cup carrots, chopped
1/4 fennel, chopped
2 tablespoons cracked black peppercorns
Salt to season

For the Cioppino Sauce:

2 langoustine tails (raw)
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1 clove of fresh garlic
1/2 teaspoon capers
1/2 teaspoon chili flake
1/4 cup Langoustine stock
2 tbsp fresh chopped basil
2 tsp dried oregano
Salt and pepper to season

For the Fisherman's Rice: 

1/2 cup basmati rice, washed
1 cup langoustine stock
1/4 cup vermicilli noodles, diced
2 tsp butter
Salt and pepper to season

Cooking/Assembling:

1. Make the stock first. In a pot, add the water, langoustine heads/shells, and the aromatics for the stock. Bring to a boil and cook for about 30-45 minutes, straining regularly.
2. Next, make the fisherman's rice. Start by sauteeing the vermicilli noodles in the butter until they are brown-colored. Add the washed rice, salt and pepper, and the langoustine stock. Bring up to a boil, and steam for 10-15 minutes until the rice is fork tender. Fluff the rice, and set aside.
3. Boil the langoustines in salted water for 3 minutes, then immediately shock in an ice bath to stop the cooking process. When cooled, chop up and set aside.
4. In a hot pan, add some olive oil and the garlic cloves. Add the tomatoes, oregano, chili flake, and langoustine stock, and cook together for 3-4 minutes. Add in the chopped basil, salt and pepper to taste, fresh chopped basil, and langoustine tails in literally 20 seconds before you are ready to take the cioppino off the heat. Serve with the Fisherman's Rice.


The chili flake adds a nice kick to the dish but doesn't overpower at all. Neither do the capers, allowing the flavor of the langoustine to shine through. 

I hope you enjoy this dish! Let me know what you think and what you would change! If you make it, let me know how it turns out! Enjoy! =)