Method

Remove the tail from each langoustine and place in a bowl to keep in the fridge (or freeze) until later but keep the shells

Pour half the olive oil into a frying pan and add the langoustine shells. Pan fry them for about 10 minutes.

Add the chopped onion, crushed garlic, fennel and carrot to the pan with the shells and fry until soft. This should take about 10 minutes

Add the dry white wine and brandy and bring to the boil to stave off the booze. Should be about 2 minutes

Add the fish stock, chopped tin tomato and paprika and reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes

Now you'll need a food processor/blender and add a few ladles at a time. Blitz on a high speed until fine and pour the mix into a bowl through a seive.

You'll have to force the mix through the seive to remove the hard shells and add as much flavour to the bisque. This is a key part so give it attention and time.

Once the mix has been passed through the seive you can freeze the base of the bisque until you need to prepare the final part

The day to serve the bisque has arrived so if you've frozen the langoustine tails and bisque base the now is the time to defrost in the fridge

First you need to add the remaining oil to a pan and fry off the langoustine tails until browned

Get the food processer/blender ready again and add the langoustine tails into the bisque base and blitz

Add the new mix to a saucepan and warm through for 10 minutes

A few minutes before serving, add the double cream

Just before taking to the table, garnish with some chopped basil leaves