Langouste à la vanille is the national dish of Comoros, an African archipelago set in the channel between Mozambique and Madagascar. It’s perfect with lobster and is also delicious with langoustines or scallops. It's not a sweet sauce, the vanilla adds a depth of flavour that you don't expect, it's a great versatile sauce.
Serves two
INGREDIENTS
- 2 medium dressed lobsters
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 shallots finely chopped
- 50ml of white wine
- 2 vanilla beans, split and the seeds scraped
- 100ml double cream
- Salt and pepper to taste
If making this in the summer, place the lobster halves shell side down on the grill for a couple of minutes then turn over and cook for another couple of minutes to heat through. The charr from the BBQ will be delicious!
If making this in the winter or if you don't want to BBQ, then heat the grill to medium and place the lobsters under the grill to heat through. Add a dash of wine to the meat to prevent it from drying out.
Melt the butter in a pan and add the shallots and cook until soft.
Add the wine, vanilla pod and seeds bring to a fast simmer and reduce by half.
Stir in the cream and season to taste.
Spoon over the lobster and enjoy.