Lamprey à la bordelaise
A serpent-like fish cooked in a red wine stew, thickened — according to Bordeaux custom — with its own blood, with melted leeks and croutons. A powerful, deep dish with an almost black sauce.
A serpent-like fish cooked in a red wine stew, thickened — according to Bordeaux custom — with its own blood, with melted leeks and croutons. A powerful, deep dish with an almost black sauce.
Stranger or friend, if you pass through Bordeaux at the time of the great waters, you will be served lamprey, and you will immediately measure the honor done to you. It is a fierce fish, which must be tamed with red wine and leeks, and which our fathers bound with its own blood — nothing is wasted at a good table. I have seen it preside over our cloths on days of rejoicing, and I assure you that no court in Europe has offered me better than that of my province.
- •Garonne lamprey — a fine piece (base)
- •Red Bordeaux wine — enough to cover (cooking, signature)
- •Leek whites — a good bunch (melting garnish)
- •Bacon — a piece (base)
- •Lamprey blood — that of the beast (thickener)
- •Bread for croutons — a few slices (accompaniment)
Lamprey à la bordelaise
A serpent-like fish cooked in a red wine stew, thickened — according to Bordeaux custom — with its own blood, with melted leeks and croutons. A powerful, deep dish with an almost black sauce.
Why this dish? The lamprey from the Garonne and Dordogne rivers has been THE showstopper fish of the Bordeaux region since the Middle Ages, caught in spring. For a Bordeaux parliamentarian hosting at his table, this festive dish with local red wine was a regional pride.
Stranger or friend, if you pass through Bordeaux at the time of the great waters, you will be served lamprey, and you will immediately measure the honor done to you. It is a fierce fish, which must be tamed with red wine and leeks, and which our fathers bound with its own blood — nothing is wasted at a good table. I have seen it preside over our cloths on days of rejoicing, and I assure you that no court in Europe has offered me better than that of my province.
Ingredients (period version)
- Garonne lamprey — a fine piece (base)
- Red Bordeaux wine — enough to cover (cooking, signature)
- Leek whites — a good bunch (melting garnish)
- Bacon — a piece (base)
- Lamprey blood — that of the beast (thickener)
- Bread for croutons — a few slices (accompaniment)
Ingredients
- Lamprey (or eel if unavailable) — 1 kg, cut into pieces (base)
- Full-bodied red Bordeaux wine — 1 liter (cooking, signature)
- Leek whites — 1.5 kg, thinly sliced (melting garnish)
- Smoked bacon lardons — 150 g (base)
- Shallots — 3 (aromatic)
- Butter and flour — 30 g + 30 g (thickener (instead of blood))
- Country bread — 4 slices (croutons rubbed with garlic)
- Salt, pepper — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- Sweat the sliced leek whites with the lardons and shallots for a long time until a compact fondue forms.
- Add the fish pieces, pour in the red wine, season, and simmer gently for 30 to 40 minutes.
- Thicken the sauce with beurre manié (butter + flour) to replace the blood liaison; let thicken without boiling.
- Toast the bread and rub with garlic for the croutons.
- Plate the fish, coat with the dark sauce, and surround with croutons.
How it was made : Traditionally, the lamprey was bled alive, and the blood was saved to thicken the sauce at the end of cooking — hence its very dark color. The fishing, strictly seasonal (February to May), made this dish a spring luxury reserved for great occasions.
The contemporary twist : With eel, which is more accessible, the stew retains all its depth; serve it in a small individual casserole with a single crouton calligraphed with sauce.
Montesquieu · Charactorium
