With him there is no middle ground:
either she is adored or she is hated
.
We are talking about the lamprey, a marine and river fish of prehistoric origin (it is supposed to be a species with more than 400 million years old) with the appearance of a snake that practices vampirism with other animals, whose blood serves as food after having bitten them with its mouth full of sharp incisors.
Gastronomically,
the lamprey has been considered a food of potatoes and kings since Roman times
and there are many gourmets who anxiously await the arrival of winter to take advantage of its rather short consumption season, which runs from mid-January to the end of March. , when caught in the
fisheries
from the river Miño, so right now it is at its optimum consumption moment.
With a meat with a very firm texture and a very peculiar flavor, the most common way to prepare it is in the Arbo style, which is nothing more than a Galician variation (where this bug is almost a religion) of a classic Bordeaux recipe, consistent in
stewing the meat over a sauce made with their own blood and red wine
.
Come on, what amounts to vampirizing the vampire.
But its versatility is such that it also accepts fried foods, pickles, roasts or even be turned into cold cuts.
In Madrid there are a few restaurants where you can have a drink.
Fresh lampreys SHUTTERSTOCK
José de la Cruz and Paco Pereira have turned the lamprey into one of the hallmarks of their
Sal Negra
(Mateo Inurria, 33. Tlf .: 913 450 945).
They prepare it Arbo style and accompany it with roasted apple, croutons and white rice.
Carlos Torres also opts for the traditional recipe in that temple of the seasonal product that is
La Buena Vida
(Conde de Xiquena, 8. Tlf .: 915 313 149).
Like Segundo Alonso, chef at
La Paloma
(Jorge Juan, 39. Tlf .: 915 768 692), who doesn't stop there and also offers it in cold cuts, stuffed with ham, carrots and hard-boiled eggs.
The teacher Iñaki Camba, in his
Arce
(Augusto Figueroa, 32. Tlf .: 915 220 440) from Chueca, throws the house out the window in lamprey times: Bordeaux style;
smoked in carpaccio;
candied;
pickled;
fried or roasted.
As you can order half portions and even thirds, it represents a wonderful opportunity to make up for a decline in fish.
A decline, closed in this case, offered by Juanjo López Bedmar in
La Tasquita de Enfrente
(Ballesta, 6. Tlf .: 915 325 449), composed of three passes: Bordeaux mixture, fried and pickled.
Preparation of a lamprey a la Bordeaux. SHUTTERSTOCK
A separate chapter must be dedicated to Galician restaurants, because many turn to a product atavically identified with their land.
All of them make homeland preparing it in the style of Arbo.
This is how it is served in the very veteran
Casa d'A Troya
(Emiliano Barral, 14. Phone: 914 164 455), in
Villa de Foz
(Gonzalo de Córdoba, 10. Phone: 914 468 993) or in
Burela
(Nardo, 2 . Phone: 915 711 724).
Finally, a warning to neophyte sailors on the subject of the lamprey, which experts in the field always keep in mind.
We are talking about a product that, due to its limited season and its scarcity,
is not exactly cheap and the portions are always around 40 euros
.
But, coldly thinking about it, what are 40 euros to eat like potatoes and kings ...
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