Known for its centuries-old fishing tradition, the Minho region is proud of the years of artisanal fishing in the "pesqueiras". These ancient constructions, defended by some authors as being of Roman origin and by others as originating in the 7th, 8th and 9th centuries, emerge from the river in the direction of the current and pave the way for lamprey, shad, trout and other migratory species that make their way upriver in due course.

These days, and for the next few weeks, it's the lamprey that most often falls into fishermen's nets. In these fish, the mouth is transformed into a circular suction cup, the diameter of the body, reinforced by a ring of cartilage and armed with a scraping tongue, also cartilaginous. Several species of lamprey are eaten as food.

The north of Portugal offers us different ways of tasting lamprey - smoked, on rice or Bordeaux style (our favorite). But when it comes to its accompaniment, there's no doubt: the best wine is red Vinho Verde. For the expert oenologists at Quinta da Raza, our Vinho Verde Dom Diogo Vinhão is the perfect match for this traditional and rare delicacy. And if you don't believe us, we invite you to visit Minho and enjoy lamprey with the red Vinho Verde DOM DIOGO VINHÃO.

There are those who love it and those who hate it, but if you're part of the first group, gather some friends around the table and try our recipe for lamprey à bordalesa.

Preparation of the lamprey:

• Place the live lamprey in a bowl and scald quickly with boiling water.
• Remove it and scrape it with a knife and then with a towel or a coarse scouring pad to remove all the sticky substance.
• Remove the teeth and rinse thoroughly with cold water.
• Wipe it with a cloth and hang it by the tail, placing a bowl of vinegar and wine underneath to catch any blood that drips out.
• Make a vertical cut in front of the mouth and along the last three lower holes and remove the spine.
• Make another stroke around the anal orifice and pull the gut out carefully so that it comes out whole and does not burst.
• Also remove the liver and the gall very carefully.
• Cut into slices without separating them.
• Season with DOM DIOGO VINHÃO red vinho verde and vinegar and the blood that has drained off with salt, pepper, 2 cloves of garlic, parsley and bay leaf. Place the lamprey in this syrup and leave to marinate for a few hours (at least 2 hours).
• Sauté with the finely sliced onions, 2 cloves of chopped garlic and the olive oil.
• Add the cloves and pepper and add a little of the syrup from the previous mixture.
• Add the pieces of lamprey and let them stew, gradually adding the remaining syrup.
• Be careful not to let the lamprey fall apart.
• Once cooked, remove the lamprey slices and let the sauce simmer.
• Add the lamprey again and serve on a plate or platter with slices of toasted bread.
• Drizzle the bread slices well with the sauce and garnish with parsley.
• Serve with white rice.

Enjoy your meal!