It has been another busy week which has taken me all round Lewis and Harris.
Beach at Uig
So aiming for a lazy weekend I went down to the Saturday market in Stornoway and picked up some Langoustines from the the fishermen’s cooperative stall with a view to a late lunch on the beach.
To work up a bit of an appetite I took the surfboard and snorkelling gear so that I could have some fun in the sea regardless of the conditions.
On my last swim I was put off a little by the presence of a massive Jellyfish but fortunately the waves were far too big that would allow me to make out any impending danger!
Like last time I was struck by the ferocity of the Gannets diving at fish just a few meters from me. This time I was also joined by seals who seemed delighted to show me how surfing should be done! I tried to get it on video…
…but the best I could manage was a long distance shot of them playing just in front of me.
Needless to say after the pounding I received in the waves I was ready for some grub. The ‘recipe’ itself is really straightforward; the deliciousness comes from fresh ingredients (langoustines, lemon, garlic and parsley) and a good baton of crusty bread.
Langoustines on the beach
Ingredients:
10 langoustines tails per person
Enough olive oil to cover the base of a frying pan
The juice from half a lemon
A bunch of flat-leaf parsley
30g Butter
2 cloves of garlic (thinly sliced)
Your favourite crusty baguette
1 Uninterrupted sea view (diving Gannets optional)
The procedure is summarised in the video below but with the following change- let the oil heat up for a bit longer before adding langoustines…I had to rush things a little as my camera was threatening to run out of battery.
It was delicious! The langoustines were melt in your mouth and the lemon and parsley freshened up what could have been an overly rich sauce.
Being up here now you are constantly confronted with aspects of Scottish heritage and tradition and as such I have been reflecting on my own. I remember a Scouts’ trip to Lochgoilhead where amoung the usual rubbish I tended to pick up at the souvenir shop I brought back an Urquhart clan bookmark, which had the following Coat of Arms:
Urquhart Coat of Arms
The clan motto is “Meane weil, speak weil and do weil” or more contemporaneously “Mean well, speak well and do well” and I think it captures quite succinctly how I would aspire to live. But, as I munched down on the buttery langoustines, I thought how traditions move on and how successive generations influence and alter heritage somewhat. Given my own family upbringing and traditions I think it is time a fourth strand was added to our motto…
“eet weil”
At home in the Hebrides 