Langoustine Bouillabaisse – a twist on a classic French seafood soup

Last Updated on December 12, 2025

British Bouillabaisse – a langoustine-based fish soup.

Guest post by Louis York

Bouillabaisse originated in Marseille and, by definition, is peasant food. Using the fish they could not sell in the market, fishermen would simmer these fish in a herby broth and serve them with crusty bread. This recipe is not for that dish. Langoustine can be found in some recipes, but in general, they are excluded from the classic peasant dish. But a langoustine bouillabaisse is a wonderful creation – find out why!

Instead of mixing the flavours of the different fish, Bradley’s Fish, with their wide range of products, has enabled us to create a recipe that really shows off a British seafood classic, highlighting the distinct flavour of a brilliant ingredient, langoustine. Bradley’s stocks both British langoustines and langoustine shells, both of which can be delivered frozen, meaning that with the additional store cupboard ingredients, this recipe could be rustled up for a lazy Sunday lunch without much trouble at all.

The stock could even be made in advance, placing a few defrosted langoustines and some slices of crusty bread on the grill and serving them in the broth with the mayonnaise and a big green salad.
What makes langoustines the perfect ingredient to showcase, especially when it comes to British seafood, is their unique flavour. Almost Jurassic in appearance, langoustine and their shells are sweet in the way that you might find in the perfect bite of crab, lobster or king prawn, every time.

With the opportunity from Bradley’s to source both the langoustines themselves and their shells, caught in British waters, why dilute that flavour with other seafood and fish in the broth? Instead, by supporting langoustine’s subtle taste with a base of vegetables and good quality bread, the langoustines can be allowed to be the star of their own dish.

Print Recipe

Langoustine Bouillabaisse

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time4 hours hrs

Total Time4 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Course: Soup

Cuisine: British, European, French

Keyword: british seafood, langoustine, seafood, soup

Servings: 4 people

Author: Fiona Maclean

Equipment

• heavy bottomed pan
• oven
• Wooden spoon
• chopping board
• knife

Ingredients

• 700 g Bradley's frozen langoustines defrosted
• 1 kg Bradley's langoustine shells defrosted
• 2 vine tomatoes peeled, deseeded and diced
• 1 leek topped and tailed and diced
• 1 fennel bulb diced
• 1 white onion peeled and diced
• 2 fresh bay leaves
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 50 g butter
• 50 ml oil
• 60 g tomato paste
• 250 g crusty bread

Instructions

• Add the butter, olive oil, diced fennel bulb, fronds removed and retained, diced onion, diced tomatoes and diced leek to a heavy-bottomed pan on a medium-high heat. Season with salt and pepper.
• Stir until softened and the onion is translucent.
• Then, add the tomato paste and stir until fully distributed.
• Add the langoustine shells, stir to distribute the vegetable mix and then add with tap water until it just covers the shells. Add the bay leaves and thyme
• Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
• Strain out the solids, making sure to get as much of the juice out of the shells once the broth has attained a deep brown colour and tastes distinctly of the langoustines. Preheat the oven to 220°C.
• Slice the bread into inch cubes, toss with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, once the oven is up to temperature, let toast until golden brown and crispy
• Once the bread is in the oven, bring the broth to a simmer and add the langoustines to poach. At this point, taste the broth and season if needed with salt and pepper.
• Alternatively, you could grill the langoustines and slices of the bread on a griddle or barbecue for a smokier flavour.
• Once the langoustines are warmed, plate by adding the langoustines and croutons to a wide, shallow bowl and then pouring in the broth.
• Top with a dollop of fresh mayonnaise, mixed with a few strands of saffron if you have them, the fennel fronds, a twist of black pepper and a wedge of lemon as well if you like.

Bradley’s Fish is a well-established business that has operated for seventy-five years (in fact, they are celebrating their 75th anniversary this year).  Their comprehensive range of fish is all delivered frozen to ensure that it is kept in the best possible condition.  Their fish is frozen at sea as soon as it is caught; in that way, it can be delivered to your door in prime condition.  And, of course, you can just fill up your freezer for the ultimate easy ‘ready meal’.