Saffron Rice Timbale with Langoustines

Twist the heads from the langoustines and reserve them. Peel the tails, devein, and keep the tail meat refrigerated. Finely chop the reserved heads and shells.

In a large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over high heat until shimmering. Add the chopped shells and heads and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes until deeply orange and fragrant.

Add the tomato paste to the shells and stir for 1 minute until it darkens slightly and coats everything.

Pour in the lobster bisque and 200 ml of the hot fish stock, scraping up any caramelised bits. Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing firmly. Combine this enriched stock with the remaining fish stock and keep hot.

Bloom the saffron threads by stirring them into 100 ml of the hot combined stock. Set aside for 10 minutes to steep until the liquid is deeply golden.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Generously butter four 200 ml timbale moulds or ramekins, then line the bases with a small disc of baking paper.

In a wide, heavy-bottomed ovenproof sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, shallots, and diced fennel and soften for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until translucent and sweet but not coloured.

Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute until fragrant.

Add the rice and stir for 2 minutes, coating every grain in the fat until the edges turn translucent.

Pour in the white wine and stir constantly for 2 minutes until fully absorbed.

Add the saffron-bloomed stock along with enough remaining hot stock to just cover the rice. Stir once, cover tightly with a lid or foil, and transfer to the oven for 18 minutes until the rice is just cooked with a very slight remaining bite.

Remove the rice from the oven. Fold in the lemon zest and parsley, then taste and adjust salt and white pepper. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then pack the saffron rice firmly into the prepared timbale moulds, pressing with the back of a spoon. Cover loosely with foil and keep warm in the turned-off oven, door ajar.

Pat the langoustine tails completely dry with kitchen paper and season lightly with sea salt and white pepper. Heat the neutral oil in a heavy skillet over high heat until just smoking. Sear the langoustine tails for 90 seconds on the first side until pink and caramelised, then flip and cook for 60 seconds on the second side, checking that the internal temperature reaches 63°C on a meat thermometer.

Remove the langoustines from the pan immediately and rest on a warm plate. Reduce the heat to medium-low and deglaze the skillet with a splash of white wine, scraping up the fond. Add the double cream and reduce for 2 minutes until slightly thickened, then remove from the heat and whisk in the cold cubed butter piece by piece until emulsified into a glossy nage. Squeeze in a little lemon juice and taste for seasoning.

Run a thin knife around each timbale mould and unmould onto warmed plates with a confident inversion. Arrange 4 langoustine tails alongside or on top of each timbale. Spoon the saffron-butter nage generously around the base and finish with reserved fennel fronds and lemon zest.