Langouste Grillée — Corsican Grilled Spiny Lobster

Corsica — west coast reefs and Cap Corse; summer preparation (June–September, lobster season).

The Corsican spiny lobster — Palinurus elephas — is among the finest in the Mediterranean, fed on the rocky Atlantic-side reefs of the island's west coast and the granite shoals off Cap Corse. Corsican preparation is deliberately minimal: the live langouste is split lengthwise, the interior brushed with a mixture of Corsican olive-oil, fresh nepita (Corsican calamint), garlic, and sea-mineral-salt, then grilled cut-side down over wood embers for six to eight minutes before being flipped and finished shell-side down for a further four minutes. No butter, no cream — the dish is defined by the quality of the animal and the aromatic simplicity of nepita rather than by sauce. Nepita is essential: the herb's flavour — midway between mint and oregano, with a slight eucalyptol note — complements the sweet lobster flesh in a way that European mint or thyme cannot replicate. A wedge of Corsican cédrat (citron) serves as acidulation. This preparation is the summer special of every Corsican port village and the single dish most closely associated with the island's maritime identity.

• Aragosta alla sarda (Sardinia — parallel island lobster preparation, different herb profile)
• Homard à l'armoricaine (Brittany — lobster with rich tomato sauce, contrast: Corsica uses no sauce)
• Bogavante a la plancha (Spain — grill technique parallel)

Sweet, clean crustacean flesh; nepita herb imprint; wood-ember char at cut surface; cédrat acid finish; no butter or sauce masking.