Lamprey eel article from The Times (of London, England).
July 22 2000
BRITISH NEWSFEATURES
Royalty's lamprey returns to Thames
BY NICK NUTTALL, ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT
ONE of the ugliest but best
connected fish in the world may be
spawning again in the Thames for the
first time in living memory.
Scientists and fishermen have found
evidence that the sea lamprey, a
surfeit of which is said to have killed
Henry I, and which has been prized
as a baked dish by other monarchs,
is breeding as far upstream as
Barnes.
The discovery, the latest sign of the
river's recovery from the dark days of the Victorian era and
early 20th century, when it was so polluted anyone falling in
could be fatally poisoned, has been made by Environment
Agency staff.
Steve Colclough, a fisheries expert with the agency, said
yesterday he had stumbled across three sea lampreys on the
foreshore at low tide, near Barnes railway bridge, while on a
walk between Chiswick Ait and Strand-on-the-Green.
The fish were dead but "there were eggs all over them and on
the ground", he said. A further six dead sea lampreys, again
with eggs in evidence, were found later near by.
He said the dead lampreys were not killed by pollution. "They
classically die after they have spawned. The high river flows
this year have meant that the Thames is particularly clean,
which may explain the sea lamprey's spawning." He said the
agency has issued an alert and sent pictures of sea lampreys
to river users, including fishermen in the Thames estuary
between Southend and Leigh-on-Sea.
Sea lampreys are ugly and distinctive fish, he said. They
resemble eels, grow up to 90 cm long, are blotchy pink and
black, and have round, sucker-like, mouths which they use to
catch prey, such as other fish. They have seven gill holes on
each side of the head and their eyes are said to look like those
of cats.
Fishermen have reported recently catching small numbers in
the lower estuary below Canvey Island. Mr Colclough said:
"It looks like they are massing in the lower estuary and are
getting up as far as Barnes to spawn." The sea lamprey, rare
in Western Europe, is one of the threatened species in the
Government's Biodiversity Action Plan.
The Thames was officially declared a dead river in the 1950s
because of the levels of pollution. But the decline of heavy
industry and clean-up operations, including £950 million spent
on sewage treatments works by Thames Water, have been
followed by a steady return of river life.
Mr Colclough said: "The estuary now supports 118 species
of fish, but only six spawning species. The sea lamprey looks
like we now have seven."
Lampreys became popular among British monarchs, possibly
because of their gamey taste, due to their blood-sucking diet
of fish. During Lent, meat was forbidden so the lamprey
proved a popular alternative. Exactly how a surfeit of
lampreys killed Henry I in 1135 is unclear, but his ill-fated act
was the result of mourning for William, his drowned son.
Lampreys remained popular at court, particularly in Tudor
times. Even the present Queen was treated to a 42lb lamprey
pie for her Coronation.
Next page: A slippery customer but delicious
A slippery customer but delicious
Toasted by French in claret
I THINK the French and the Portuguese have the best recipes
for lamprey. In the Minho region of northern Portugal the
lamprey is cooked in a red wine sauce which is thickened
with the blood of the lamprey. It produces a delicious dark
dish, best served with rice, and washed down with a crisp
Portuguese vinho verde, preferably the red.
My recipe is based on one that is served in many of Lisbon's
restaurants, as well as in the north. Or the same method can
be applied using a young red claret for the marinade, in which
case you would want to drink something similar with it.
English recipes do not use the and the marinade is usually a
mixture of white wine and vinegar rather than red wine;
finished dishes are not unlike jellied eels. In fact, you can
substitute lamprey for eel in most recipes.
The lamprey is, how can I put it, quite a slimy fish. You are
unlikely to find it on your fishmonger's slab, should you be
lucky enough to have a local fishmonger. So you will have to
clean it yourself. The way to do this is to scald it first by
pouring boiling water over the fish, then scraping it with the
back of a knife, scrubbing it with a stiff brush or rubbing it
with a coarse tea towel. Rinse it to remove the slime.
In order to save the blood, make a few cuts in the head and
hold the fish upside down over a bowl. Stir a tablespoon of
red wine vinegar into the blood to stop it coagulating. Slit
open the belly of the fish and carefully remove and discard
the innards.
The fish should be cut into slices and covered with the
following marinade, assuming a lamprey of about a kilo:
500ml red wine, 2 tablespoons brandy or cognac, 1
tablespoon honey, zest of a lemon, 2 bay leaves, a few
parsley stalks, a teaspoon of peppercorns and a teaspoon of
salt. Cover and leave overnight.
Next day you are ready to make Frances Bissell's Lamprey in
red wine (serves 4 to 6): 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 2
tablespoons butter, 2 or 3 shallots, peeled and finely chopped,
2 or 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed, marinated
lamprey, 250-300ml marinade. To serve: plenty of finely
chopped parsley and rice.
Heat the oil and butter in an ovenproof casserole, and in it
gently fry the shallots and garlic until soft. Add the pieces of
fish and pour over the marinade. Cook in the bottom half of a
pre-heated oven at 150C for about an hour until the fish is
tender, or on a low flame on top of the stove. Check from
time to time that it is not sticking or drying out, and add more
marinade if this seems to be called for.
Toasted by French in claret
Lampreys have traditionally been caught in the estuary of the
Gironde, which bisects the Bordeaux wine region of France
(Robin Young writes). Local recipes for lamprey include
stewing à la Bordelaise, with chopped shallots, thyme and
claret. The wine to drink with the dish is, of course, red
Bordeaux. The best clarets for the purpose may be the
plumper, fruitier and fresher right-bank growths (St Emilion,
Côtes de Bourg or Blaye), based on the Merlot grape rather
than the more austere Cabernet Sauvignon. Burgundians, not
to be outdone, have a recipe for lampreys à la Mâconnaise -
cooked with red wine, small onions, mushrooms, crayfish
and croûtons - with which they drink Mâcon wine.
Copyright 2000 Times Newspapers Ltd. |
