Langouste—Spiny Lobster or Crayfish

The spiny lobster or crayfish is often looked down on in Britain, where it is compared disparagingly with the lobster. But it is one of the best of the English shellfish, particularly along the Devon and Cornish coasts, and, despite its lack of claws, its body is very tender and there is more of it than there is of the lobster. So it depends on what consistency you like - the extreme smoothness of the flesh of a lobster’s claw, or the textured sweetness of its body. I prefer the body-flesh, and delight in using crayfish in the classic lobster dishes, as well as cooking them in their own right.