Ask for lobster in Iceland and you won't get the big clawed animal from Maine. You'll get humar, the slim langoustine that Icelanders have been grilling in garlic butter for generations.
It's one of the country's favourite celebration foods. It turns up at summer barbecues, on restaurant menus along the south coast and on plenty of tables between Christmas and New Year.
Here is what Icelandic lobster actually is, where it comes from today, and a simple recipe for humar í hvítlaukssmjöri: langoustine tails roasted in garlic butter.
What Icelanders mean by lobster
Humar is Nephrops norvegicus, known in English as langoustine, Norway lobster or Dublin Bay prawn, and in Italian kitchens as scampi. It is a slender orange-pink crustacean with long, thin claws that hold very little meat.
Almost all the meat is in the tail. That's why Icelandic shops and restaurants sell humarhalar, lobster tails, rather than whole animals.
The flesh is sweeter and more delicate than true lobster, closer to a large prawn in texture. It cooks in minutes and turns rubbery just as fast, which is the one thing to keep in mind with every method below.
Höfn, Stokkseyri and the langoustine coast
Icelandic langoustines live in burrows in the soft, muddy seabed off the south and southeast coast. The fishery began in the early 1950s, and the deep troughs off Höfn í Hornafirði became its heart.
Höfn still calls itself the lobster capital of Iceland and holds a lobster festival, Humarhátíð, every summer. Restaurants in town serve langoustine on pizza, in baguettes and as whole platters of grilled tails.
Further west, the seaside village of Stokkseyri is famous for its lobster soup, served by the bowlful. To make that soup at home, follow our recipe for humarsúpa, Icelandic langoustine soup, which walks you through the shell stock and the cream.
Is Icelandic lobster still caught?
This is the part many visitors don't expect. The Icelandic langoustine stock declined sharply from the mid-2010s, and the fishery has been closed since 2022 because too few young langoustines were coming through.
For 2026, Iceland's Marine and Freshwater Research Institute again advised zero commercial catch. It did recommend a small sentinel fishery in three areas off the southeast coast, purely to gather data on whether the stock is recovering.
Langoustine hasn't vanished from Icelandic tables, though. Shops and restaurants now import the same species, mostly as tails from Denmark and Scotland. If you buy langoustines abroad, you're cooking exactly the animal Icelanders have always eaten.
Buying langoustines outside Iceland
Look for raw frozen langoustine tails in the shell, often labelled Norway lobster tails or scampi tails. Raw is better than pre-cooked, which tends to turn tough when you heat it a second time.
Fishmongers in Scotland, Norway and Denmark sometimes sell fresh whole langoustines. They should smell of the sea and nothing else. Twist off the heads, use the tails for this recipe and keep the heads for stock.
Ingredients for humar in garlic butter
This serves four as a starter or two as a main course. Large frozen langoustine tails work very well, and they're what most Icelandic home cooks buy.
- 1 kg (about 2 lb) langoustine tails in the shell, thawed
- 150 g (2/3 cup) butter
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed or very finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
- Juice of half a lemon, plus lemon wedges to serve
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- A pinch of chilli flakes or a few drops of hot sauce (optional)
To serve, you'll want crusty bread or garlic bread and a crisp green salad.
How to make it
Start with the tails. If they're frozen, thaw them overnight in the fridge. Many Icelandic cooks prefer to cut them while they're still half frozen, as the shell is firmer and easier to handle.
With kitchen scissors, cut along the back of each shell from the thick end towards the tail fan. Pull out the dark vein that runs down the middle, rinse under a thin stream of cold water and pat the tails dry.
Gently lift the meat so it rests on top of the opened shell, still attached at the tail end. This looks good and lets the butter soak in, but simply opening the shell a little works too.
Heat the oven grill (broiler), or the oven, to 230°C (450°F). Melt the butter in a small pan over low heat, add the garlic and cook it for 1 to 2 minutes without letting it brown. Stir in the parsley, lemon juice and chilli, if using.
Arrange the tails shell-side down in a single layer on a baking tray or in an ovenproof dish. Spoon the garlic butter over each one so all the meat is coated, then season lightly with salt and pepper.
Cook near the top of the oven for 4 to 7 minutes, depending on size, until the meat is white and opaque all the way through and the tails just begin to curl. Take them out the moment they're done.
Slide the tails onto a warm platter and pour the buttery juices from the tray over them.
On the barbecue or in a pan
In summer, many Icelanders cook humar on the grill. Lay the buttered tails shell-side down over high heat and close the lid. They need roughly 3 to 6 minutes, and the shell protects the meat, so there's no need to turn them.
For a quick pan version, peel the tails completely. Fry them in a little butter over medium-high heat for about a minute on each side, then add the garlic butter for the last 30 seconds and toss.
Whatever the method, judge by eye rather than by the clock. Raw langoustine meat is translucent and greyish; cooked, it is white and firm with an orange blush.
How to serve Icelandic lobster
The classic Icelandic way is simple: tails on a platter, plenty of bread to wipe up the garlic butter, a crisp salad and lemon wedges. A cold, dry white wine or a light lager goes well alongside.
Humar is also a festive dish. Many families serve langoustine soup or grilled tails as a starter at Christmas or on New Year's Eve, before the smoked lamb or the roast. You can read more about those meals in our guide to Icelandic Christmas food.
And if you're planning a whole Icelandic menu, our guide to traditional Icelandic food covers the other dishes worth knowing, from fish stew to dark rye bread.
Tips for perfect langoustines
Buy the biggest tails you can find. Small langoustines overcook in seconds and give you more shell than meat.
Keep the shells. If you peel any tails, freeze the shells and use them later for a langoustine stock or soup.
Go easy on salt if you use salted butter. The sweetness of the meat is the point, and too much salt hides it.
Make the garlic butter ahead if you like. Mixed into soft butter rather than melted, it keeps in the fridge for a few days and in the freezer for a couple of months.
Questions about Icelandic lobster
Is Icelandic lobster the same as langoustine? Yes. Humar is Nephrops norvegicus, the langoustine or Norway lobster. It is a different animal from the large clawed lobsters sold in North America and much of Europe.
Can I use frozen langoustine tails? Yes, and most Icelanders do. Thaw them slowly in the fridge and dry them well before cooking so the butter clings.
Can I use prawns instead? Large shell-on prawns work with the same garlic butter, although they taste less sweet. Cook them to the same signs: white, firm and just curled.
About Sigrún Ólafsdóttir
Sigrún grew up baking rúgbrauð with her grandmother in Akureyri and has spent the last decade collecting recipes from kitchens all over Iceland. She writes Icelandic MAT's recipes, one dish at a time.