174: sashimi

A small river wound through the mountains, its water gurgling, colorful moss covered the stones on the riverbank, and strange, oddly shaped flowers bloomed freely.

He Jingrui had stripped down to just his shorts and plunged into the river.

Before long, he resurfaced, clutching several dagger-shaped white fish in each hand, laughing loudly.

“Wahahaha! This is paradise!”

Lu Chuan had already set up a simple stove, with a lively fire burning underneath.

Beside it, kitchen utensils like spatulas, cleavers, and cutting boards, along with basic seasonings such as soy sauce, oyster sauce, and salt, were all neatly arranged.

“Alright, the ingredients are pretty much ready, no need to catch any more!”

Lu Chuan glanced at the dense school of fish swimming in the basin and called out to He Jingrui with satisfaction.

“Oh!”

Upon hearing this, He Jingrui joyfully swam ashore.

Ever since he killed the Merman monster at the bottom of Nameless Lake last time, He Jingrui discovered that not only had his swimming skills become incredibly proficient, but his slight fear of fish had also vanished.

Not only that, when he dived into the water, it was as if he had activated a fish-finding radar. Relying on his intuition and superb swimming ability, it didn't take long for him to catch a large haul of fish.

This delightful change naturally made He Jingrui grin from ear to ear, and he had boasted about it to Lu Chuan more than once.

But each time, Lu Chuan would shut him down with a look that said he was an idiot.

You're practically turning into a Merman, and you don't have the slightest clue.

But there was no need to tell He Jingrui this; He Jingrui couldn't help anyway, and telling him would only add to his troubles.

It was better for Lu Chuan to quietly finish the task himself and let He Jingrui remain happily oblivious.

By the time He Jingrui came ashore, Lu Chuan had already prepared the various ingredients, such as vegetables, herbs, and sour elements, placing them one by one in a bamboo woven round platter over a meter wide.

In the platter, perilla leaves were rolled into emerald green bouquets, pickled sour sorrel roots were dyed pink as adornments, ginger shreds resembled golden threads, and shredded carrots swirled like an orange sunset, paired with lemon-yellow lemon leaves, snow-white shredded green onions, fiery red chili rings, and more, forming a vibrant tapestry of red, green, yellow, white, and orange, creating a strong visual impact.

The dipping sauce dish was placed beside the platter, with peanut oil as the base, mixed with light soy sauce and pepper, then sprinkled with sesame seeds and crushed peanuts, appearing glistening golden.

“Wow! A Chuan, the plating of these ingredients is so beautiful!”

He Jingrui walked closer, tossed the fish from his hands into the basin, then looked at the bamboo woven platter with an expression of awe.

“It’s alright.”

Lu Chuan replied casually. After wiping his hands, he reached into the basin to scoop out a white fish.

The previously leisurely swimming white fish, sensing an intrusion, immediately bared its sharp, gleaming teeth, and its hard fins simultaneously bristled, rushing towards Lu Chuan's hand like a flurry of sharp daggers.

The next moment, He Jingrui let out a cold snort.

He used some unknown technique, and his voice focused into the basin, stirring up splashes on the water's surface.

The aggressive white fish immediately wilted, meekly allowing Lu Chuan to grasp them, as docile as pet kittens and puppies.

Seeing this, Lu Chuan couldn't help but blink. After giving He Jingrui a thumbs-up, he took out the white fish one by one, stunned them on the cutting board, and then grabbed a slender knife.

The next moment, the knife flashed, and the fine scales of the white fish flew up like snowflakes, then each was gutted.

After all the white fish in the basin were beheaded, de-tailed, bled, and cleaned of their entrails, only their pristine white bodies remained.

Lu Chuan wiped the surface of the fish dry with parchment paper, then switched to a different small knife.

As he flicked his wrist, accompanied by the rhythmic thudding of the knife, translucent, paper-thin slices of fish meat began to pile up on the cutting board.

The fish slices had clear textures, were as white as snow, and glowed with a translucent sheen.

He Jingrui leaned in to look, and saw that each fish slice was almost, but not quite, separated, and when unfurled, resembled a butterfly spreading its wings—a truly beautiful sight.

He then watched Lu Chuan arrange these fish slices in layers in the center of the platter, where, against the backdrop of the colorful surrounding ingredients, they looked like ice-sculpted jade butterflies poised to take flight.

“The sashimi is ready. I’ll just fry some fish pieces, and we’ll be all set.”

Lu Chuan casually swatted away He Jingrui’s hand, which was secretly reaching for the platter. Then he grabbed the last dozen or so white fish from the basin, processed them, and tossed them into the prepared batter, before dropping them one by one into the hot oil.

Immediately, the oil, which had been covered in tiny bubbles, began to roil, emitting a sizzling sound.

The enticing aroma of fried food also began to waft through the air.

“Gulp…”

Lu Chuan looked over and found He Jingrui clutching his stomach, gazing longingly at the fried fish pieces tumbling in the oil, constantly swallowing his saliva.

“Look at how greedy you are!”

He shook his head and sped up his movements.

After the first round of frying, each fish piece had turned golden, its surface looking very oily and emitting an alluring fragrance.

Lu Chuan added a few more pieces of firewood and continuously fanned the flames. The oil temperature, which had dropped, quickly rose again.

He carefully observed the state of the bubbles on the oil's surface, and when he felt it was ready, he dropped the fish pieces back in for a second fry.

According to the process for making fried foods, they are usually fried twice.

The first time is low-temperature frying, to evenly heat the food until it is cooked through internally, preventing it from being burnt on the outside and raw on the inside.

The second time is high-temperature frying, the purpose of which is to quickly dehydrate the food, forming a crispy outer shell, enhancing the texture, and reducing oil absorption.

However, highly skilled chefs often choose to fry three times, to further enhance the crispy texture and achieve better coloring.

Lu Chuan was never sloppy when it came to cooking, so he naturally opted for the three-fry method.

Before long, a plate of fish pieces, golden like gold and amazingly crispy on the surface, was placed on the stone dining table.

“Alright, let’s eat!”

Lu Chuan took off his apron, folded it neatly, and put it into a cardboard box. Then he called He Jingrui to sit down and eat.

On the wide, but slightly uneven, stone dining table, on one side was exquisitely plated sashimi, and on the other were tempting fried fish, both in color and aroma. He Jingrui’s mouth watered, and he was momentarily faced with a difficult choice.

“This is too much happiness, which one should I eat first?”

He Jingrui held his chopsticks, a foolish smile on his face, muttering.

Lu Chuan was already used to it and ignored him. He poured some sauce into his bowl, then picked up a translucent slice of sashimi, swished it in the sauce, and put it into his mouth, chewing slowly.

After being dried with parchment paper, the sashimi's flesh was firm and crisp. Paired with the fresh, savory, and smooth sauce, it was so delicious that Lu Chuan narrowed his eyes, a blissful smile on his face.

Whether sashimi is delicious or not, the chef's knife skills are secondary; the quality of the fish meat is the crucial factor.

And without a doubt, this dagger-shaped white fish, native to another world, with its firm and elastic flesh, was an excellent species perfectly suited for making sashimi.

Of course, Lu Chuan wasn't truly reckless.

For unknown exotic ingredients, he would definitely use his Mind Bug ability to repeatedly test them.

And what the Mind Bug ability reported back to him was that the white fish was safe, non-toxic, and could be eaten without special preparation.

Seeing that Lu Chuan had already started eating, He Jingrui finally stopped agonizing and quickly picked up a piece of fried fish with his chopsticks.

The moment the chopsticks touched the fried fish's skin, a delightfully crisp crunch sounded, tickling the ears.

And when the fried fish was brought to his face, the steam carried a slightly numbing, slightly spicy aroma directly into his nostrils.