Langostino Bisque

This recipe came about as we were trying to figure out what type of seafood we would have for the week.  Typically we will get our seafood from Costco, but this time their salmon was less than desirable, and most of the other seafood was either ridiculously expensive or farmed.  The only wild caught option we could find was langostino.  After enlisting Siri, we found out what a langostino is.  The "squat lobster", as it is nicknamed, really does look a bit like a tiny lobster.  After cooking with it, I would say that it meets the requirement for a lobster-like taste and consistency (not as buttery) for a fraction of the cost.  Some food purists don't like how the langostino is used as a lobster impostor in some fast food campaigns, e.g. lobster bites, but there were no smoke and mirrors here.

In our typical fashion, we said, let's buy it!  We'll figure out what to make with it later.  I'm happy to say that this one actually did turn out well, and I hope we run into them again.  Definitely not what I was expecting, but a whole lot less expensive than crab or lobster but did the trick for this hearty bisque.

Ingredients

3 slices bacon, chopped

1 extra large onion

8 garlic cloves

1 large carrot

2 lbs langostinos

2 Tbsp ghee

1 tsp old bay

1/4 tsp cayenne

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp thyme 

3 C chicken broth

1 16 oz can coconut milk

6 oz tomato paste

Method

Add onion, garlic, bacon, carrot, ghee, to your dutch oven and sprinkle with thyme, and oregano.  

Roast in the oven for 1 hour at 350ºF.

After roasting the vegetables, place vegetables aside and sauté langostinos with old bay in the dutch oven over the stove for 3-5 minutes, mixing regularly.  In small batches, process the vegetables and langostinos in your food processor.  

Place the processed mixture back into the dutch oven with your coconut milk and chicken broth.  Simmer on medium heat for 5 minutes, and then stir in tomato paste.  Continue to simmer on low for 10-15 minutes.

Serve into your favorite soup bowl or mug, and enjoy!  This recipe fed us for about a week and a half eating it at least every other day.  We will do it again if we run into more langostinos.  What's the craziest thing you decided to impulse buy at the grocery store/farmers market that was a success? a dud?

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