Lamprey Bordelais: a traditional recipe

Lamproie

Authentic and very refined, an exceptional Bordeaux dish

The Lamprey Bordelais is an important speciality of this region. lamproie

Due to its shape, the lamprey looks rather like an eel and has the peculiarity of a mouth in the form of a sucker. Lampreys spent some years in their larva state in the slick at the bottom of a river before returning to the sea. They travel upstream in freshwater at a certain period of the year, usually February or March and there are many of them in the Dordogne river near to the confluence with the Garonne river. Fishing takes place in this short period.

As an excellent accompaniment to this traditional dish we would advise Château Monier La Fraisse, a Bordeaux Superior red wine, typical, elegant and subtly woody.

Find all the advice of our oenologist below.

The recipe

Take a live lamprey, hang it and cut off the head and tail. Collect the blood in a vessel containing a little red wine to prevent coagulation.

Let the lamprey drain then plunge it for 2 - 3 minutes in boiling water. Skin, scrape and clean out the innards, keeping the liver. Cut the lamprey into pieces.

In a frying pan with oil, gently brown the floured pieces of lamprey with the white of leek (2 pieces of leek to 1 of lamprey) for a short time. Chop the liver, lard, some shallot, a small amount of garlic and onion, cut very finely, and then add the blood.

Pour 2 - 3 litres of red wine into a large cooking pot, bring to the boil and light it. When the flames have receded extinguish the flames by placing the lid on the pot. Then add the lamprey and leek and the chopped liver mixture, salt, pepper and a bouquet garni. Let this simmer for about 2 hours. Adjust the seasoning. If the sauce is too acid add some pieces of sugar. If necessary, the following day the sauce can be re-heated to boiling point.

Thicken the sauce at the time of serving. This is accompanied by garlic croutons.

To make a conserve of this dish, sterilise at 100°c for one and a half hours.

The advice of our oenologist :

Chateau Monier La Fraisse 2007