Lamprey in Olive Oil
Description
A delicious appetizer for any gathering. Lamprey is a very interesting fish. In our country it isn't very popular, so it's not that easy to buy. However, whenever I spot lamprey at the market or in the supermarket, I grab it without a second thought. The great thing about lamprey is that you don't need to gut it at all — there are practically no unpleasant innards inside, which makes preparing it much easier. For example, lamprey in olive oil is one of my favorite fish appetizers. Try it once and you'll never eat sprats or kilka in oil again. Serve with fresh herbs and sauce.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
The first thing we'll do is rinse the lamprey thoroughly, place it in a bowl, and cover it with water. Add salt to the bowl and leave the lamprey for 20 minutes — this is done to clean the fish of slime.
- 2
Step 2
Then rinse each fish thoroughly under running water to remove the salt and any remaining slime.
- 3
Step 3
It is not necessary to gut the lamprey, so simply cut off the heads and slice the bodies into 8–10 cm pieces.
- 4
Step 4
Place the lamprey pieces in a pot tightly against each other in a single layer. Sprinkle the fish with salt (to taste) on top, add several bay leaves and an onion sliced into rings.
- 5
Step 5
Then lay down another dense layer of fish, salt it as well, and season with onion and bay leaf. Continue forming layers until you run out of fish. Place a little lemon on the top layer, then begin pouring olive oil over everything. Pour the oil until it reaches the top layer of lamprey.
- 6
Step 6
Cover the pot with a lid, place it over medium heat, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2 hours. The fish is ready—remove it from the pot and let it cool to room temperature.
- 7
Step 7
Place the cooled lamprey pieces on bread. The appetizer is ready!