Langoustine
Photo: Benoît Prieur · CC0

History

Langoustine, also called the Dublin Bay prawn or scampi, is landed all along Scotland's west coast, much of it historically exported to Spain and France. As Glasgow's food scene grew, chefs kept more of the catch at home. Crabshakk helped lead that shift when it opened on Argyle Street in 2009, serving the shellfish barely cooked, and Finnieston became the place in the city to eat it.

Book a food experience

Tours, tastings and classes from the cities on this page, bookable on GetYourGuide.

Browse every bookable food experience

Common allergens: Crustaceans

Make it at home

Yield Serves 2Hands-on 15 minTotal 15 minDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 12 fresh langoustine
  • 100g butter
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 lemon
  • Handful of parsley, chopped
  • Sea salt

Method

  1. Bring a large pan of well-salted water to a rolling boil.
  2. Drop in the langoustine and cook for just 3 to 4 minutes until the shells turn bright, then lift out.
  3. Alternatively, split them lengthways and grill cut-side up under a hot grill for 3 minutes.
  4. Melt the butter with the garlic and a squeeze of lemon and warm gently without browning.
  5. Pour the garlic butter over the langoustine and scatter with parsley.
  6. Serve with the remaining lemon and plenty of bread for the juices.

Tip from the editors. Cook them briefly and stop the moment the shells turn; overcooked langoustine goes woolly and loses its sweetness.

Where to eat langoustine

Langoustine in Glasgow

Crabshakk ★ 4.6

£££ SeafoodFinnieston

Crabshakk is the tiny Finnieston seafood bar that sparked Glasgow's Argyle Street boom, a marble counter of langoustine, oysters and fried haddock.

OrderA plate of langoustine with garlic butter and a glass of the house white.

TipThe upstairs mezzanine and the counter both take walk-ins, so try your luck if the booking diary looks full.

Directions Book

The Finnieston ★ 4.2

£££ SeafoodFinnieston

The Finnieston is a snug former drovers' tavern on Argyle Street, Glasgow, pairing sustainable Scottish seafood with more than 60 gins in a candlelit room.

OrderA gin and tonic from the long list, then whatever shellfish is freshest that day.

TipIt is as much a gin bar as a restaurant, so come early for a drink before the kitchen gets busy.

Directions Book

Gamba ★ 4.4

££££ SeafoodCity Centre

Gamba is Glasgow's long-running seafood basement on West George Street, where a fish-first kitchen has drawn diners across Scotland for over two decades.

OrderThe fish soup with crab, ginger and prawn dumpling, a menu fixture since Gamba opened.

Book1 to 2 weeks ahead

TipThe pre-theatre menu before 18:45 is one of the best-value fine-dining seafood deals in the city.

Directions Book

All Glasgow signature dishes →

More cities are in research. Want langoustine covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

Browse all dishes →