Portuguese lamprey in red-wine sauce
Minho-style lamprey slowly cooked in a red-wine and aromatic sauce.
⏱ Estimated time: 115 minutes🍽 Servings: 6🇵🇹 Portugal

Ingredients
- 1 professionally cleaned food-grade lamprey (about 1 kg)
- 500 ml red wine
- 2 onions
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 50 ml olive oil
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1 bunch parsley
- Salt, pepper and clove
Step-by-step method
- Buy lamprey cleaned by an approved professional; do not attempt home cleaning or blood collection.
- Refrigerate lamprey pieces in wine, garlic, bay and pepper for 2 hours.
- Soften chopped onions in olive oil and add drained lamprey, cooking until lightly coloured.
- Stir in flour and all the marinade; bring to a full boil and simmer until fully cooked and sauce has reduced.
- Discard bay, adjust seasoning and serve with plain rice if desired.
✦ Cooking tip
Simplified blood-free variation; traditional methods differ. Use only professionally sourced fish.
A home-style version; regional and family variations are common. Check cooking times and food doneness before serving.