langoustine

IPA/ˌlɒŋɡuˈstiːn/
IPA/ˌlæŋɡuˈstiːn/

langoustine — noun

  • langoustinesingular
  • langoustinesplural

1. A type of shellfish found in cold European waters, with a slim pinkish body, nar

1.nounB2
Definition

A type of shellfish found in cold European waters, with a slim pinkish body, narrow pincers, and a mild flavour. It is often prepared by frying or grilling and served as a luxury seafood dish.

Example

Mei-Lin ordered grilled langoustines with garlic butter at the seaside restaurant.

collocation: grilled langoustines

The cook peeled the langoustines and added them to the creamy pasta sauce.

preparation context: peel and add to sauce

Synonyms
  • Dublin Bay prawn

    used mainly in Ireland and Britain for the same species

  • Norway lobster

    the biological common name, used in scientific and food-trade contexts

  • scampi

    refers to the prepared dish or the tail meat, especially on British menus

Usage Note

In British English, 'scampi' on menus usually refers to langoustine tails fried in batter. In American English, 'scampi' more often means a shrimp dish cooked in garlic butter.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These four terms all refer to the same species (Nephrops norvegicus), but they differ in usage. Langoustine is the standard name in English, borrowed from French, and is used in seafood markets and restaurants across Europe. Scampi is the most informal term and on British menus specifically means the breaded-and-fried tails of langoustines, whereas in the US 'shrimp scampi' is a completely different garlic-butter shrimp dish. Norway lobster is the common biological name and appears on packaging labels and in fishing-industry documents. Dublin Bay prawn is a regional Irish term rarely encountered outside Ireland or specialist seafood contexts. If you are ordering at a restaurant in London, 'scampi' will bring you fried langoustine tails; if you see 'langoustines' on a menu, they may be served whole or grilled.

langoustine ↗scampiNorway lobsterDublin Bay prawn

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • grilled langoustines
  • langoustine tails
  • langoustine scampi

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Langoustine comes from French, where it is a smaller version of 'langouste' (spiny lobster). The French word 'langouste' traces back to Latin 'locusta', which meant both 'lobster' and 'locust'. The name describes a smaller kind of lobster that lives in the cold waters of the North Atlantic.