Impress your Guests with a Fennel and Langoustine Ragoût with Saffron
David Scott Allen · Fish & Seafood · Main Course · Provencal Recipes · TasteWho wouldn’t like to have a neighbour who can whip up a Ragoût of Fennel and Langoustine with Saffron (recipe below) for a dinner party? This savoury “stew” is served on little boxes of puff pastry.
Inspired by Provence, David decided on a pink-theme for their dinner starting with a potted salmon appetizer (watch for the recipe) and this served this impressive seafood main course. The meal was paired with three rosé wines from Mirabeau Wines, in Cotignac. Read his full post and the tempting step-by-step photos here.

Ragoût of Fennel and Langoustines with Saffron
This recipe seems complex, but it is actually quite easy. The "boxes' of puff pastry are easy enough to make (details below).
Ingredients
- 1 lb (approx) all-butter puff pastry either homemade or purchased
- 3 tbsp butter
- 2 large fennel bulbs topped, cored, and diced
- 2 large shallot(s) peeled and diced
- 3-4 tablespoons Water
- 3/4 cup seafood stock
- 3/4 cup white wine
- 1 tsp saffron threads
- 3 large plum tomato(es) cored, seeded and diced
- 1 cup frozen peas thawed
- 1 pound Langoustine Tails cooked
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (35%)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Make 6 boxes from the puff pastry (about 4 1/2-inches square). See note below.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until deep golden-brown.
- While the boxes are baking, make the ragoût.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet.
- Add the fennel, shallot, and 3 tablespoons water; cover with a piece of rumpled parchment and cook over low heat, stirring once or twice, until the fennel and onion soften, about 10 minutes.
- Add another tablespoon of water, if needed, to keep it moist, but don't be concerned if it browns a little. That will add to the flavor and color to the ragoût.
- Add the stock, cover again with the parchment, and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the wine and saffron, cover once again with the parchment, and let simmer 5 minutes more.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the tomatoes, peas, and langoustine tails and raise the heat to medium-high.
- Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring, until peas are cooked but still brightly colored, and the langoustine tails are warmed through.
- Adjust seasoning and add cream. Bring to a simmer.
- Using a small spatula, take off the tops off the inner part of the box (where you scored the pastry).
- Fill the boxes with ragoût, letting some spill over onto the plate. Replace the box top and serve immediately.
Notes
You can substitute shrimp for the langoustine.To make the boxes: I use a sharp knife to cut around the edges and create a box with handles. See my illustration above in the post. (It might help to do a test using a square piece of paper so you can begin to understand the folds.) Use a little egg white to attach the strips to the bottom. Score the inside edge of the box with a sharp knife. Brush bottom with egg white, being careful the egg white doesn’t touch the sides or they won’t puff.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Legal
All rights reserved. Perfectly Provence articles and other content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten (including translations into other languages) or redistributed without written permission. For usage information, please contact us.
Syndication InformationAffiliate Information
As an Amazon Associate, this website earns from qualifying purchases. Some recipes, posts and pages may have affiliate links. If you purchase via these links, we receive a small commission that does not impact your price. Thank you in advance for supporting our work to maintain Perfectly Provence.
Next Post
Pears and Honey in One Sweet Tart RecipeRelated Provence Articles
Sautéed Prawns a Spicy Main Dish
March 22, 2019
This dish of Sautéed Prawns is really quick to prepare, and delicious. Have your mise-en-place ready and in under five minutes, the shrimp are ready to eat.…
Seared Scallops with a Citrus Beurre Blanc Sauce
February 14, 2023
Scallops are inherently sweet, so adding the sweet flavours of butter, tarragon, and carrots to the scallops adds more sweetness to the dish. It is delicate and delicious, but my taste buds crave a little contrast. So to create the perfect Cocoa & Lavender culinary marriage of sweet and tart, I added lemon to my …
Wild about Saffron in Provence
November 14, 2017
The number of local farmers producing saffron in Provence is increasing – it used to be widely grown in the south of France, but phylloxera wiped it out early in the last century – so it is good to see that it is being produced once more. Harvesting is an incredibly fiddly job for the safranieres, …
Understanding The Cost of Saffron in Provence
February 10, 2015
Nutmeg had a few items on her to-do list; number one was to replenish the wine stock before Ginger arrived. The challenge was making a decision in the Alpilles given the number of vineyards nearby. On this particular occasion, she chose Domaine de la Vallongue as they had reopened their boutique after some renovations and were featuring …
No Comment