The Spirit of Gourmet

Chapter 361 The Perfect Rare Fish
"Isn't it better yet?"

In the restaurant, Zuo Ge swallowed hard and couldn't help but speak.

"Please, Qin Lang has only been in the kitchen for a minute," Zhao Qian said, half-laughing and half-crying. "That's barely enough time to kill a fish, isn't it?"

“Yeah, right.” Cao Dongdong nodded in agreement. “Speaking of which, didn’t we just eat ten ways of eating sturgeon not long ago?”

"So much food, and you're still not full?"

“That being said…” Zuo Ge paused slightly, “That’s a rare fish, aren’t you really looking forward to it?”

Upon hearing this, Zhao Qian and Cao Dongdong were both speechless.

How could I not be looking forward to it?
That's not only a rare fish, but a very special one.

“During the cooking competition finals, Du Ziyan once used a premium-grade sea bass for cooking,” Zhao Qian couldn’t help but say. “Based on my understanding of premium ingredients, even for premium-grade fish, the species should not change.”

"Why is Qin Lang's rare spirit so strange?"

As she spoke, she couldn't help but turn her head to look at the goldfish spirit in the fish tank not far away. Although the latter had already transformed into a spirit, it still acted like a loyal henchman when facing Xiao Cai, serving her with great enthusiasm.

“It should be related to the process of forming a rare spirit.” Fatima pushed up her glasses and slowly said, “Qin Lang just told us about the process of this rare spirit’s formation. Perhaps it is this special process that gives this rare spirit some special qualities that ordinary rare spirits do not have.”

"The ingredients it produces are not only of far superior quality to ordinary ingredients, but even the varieties are absolutely unique."

“This is a very interesting new discovery.” Fatima said, a hint of anticipation in her eyes. “Once we find the trail of the Silver Oriole and return to the Feli region, this may become my new research topic.”

“Back to the Feli region…” A hint of disappointment flashed in Zhao Qian’s eyes. “Oh right, I almost forgot that Fatima, your home isn’t here.”

After spending this time together, she had come to regard Fatima, who was also a girl, as an important partner. The thought of the two girls parting ways someday in the future filled her with a sense of emptiness.

"Don't think about that." Zog smiled. "We still haven't found the whereabouts of the Silver Oriole. It's still early."

"By the way, speaking of which," Cao Dongdong looked at Zuo Ge, "weren't you deciphering the inscriptions on the stone walls of ancient ruins?"

Has it been discovered yet?

"Yes!" Upon hearing this, Zuo Ge's spirits lifted. "The decryption is nearing completion, and what we are about to decipher is closely related to the whereabouts of the Silver Oriole."

"If nothing unexpected happens, once we complete the final decryption, we will be able to find another important location related to the Silver Nightingale."

"My intuition, a scholar of legends, tells me that it is there!"

"Really?" Cao Dongdong looked somewhat doubtful. Remembering that Zuo Ge had a history of fabricating the past of legendary beings, he couldn't help but turn to Fatima beside him. "Do you have this intuition?"

“As a materialist, I only speak of science,” Fatima said earnestly, adjusting her glasses.

"See?" Cao Dongdong shrugged at Zuo Ge.

Zuo Ge immediately became anxious, "Hey, hey, hey, this doesn't prove anything. Different scholars use different research methods for different legends!"

"What research methods?"

Qin Lang, carrying a tray of food, casually asked as he walked out of the kitchen.

As he walked out, an incredibly rich aroma of fish instantly filled the entire restaurant, causing the other four people who were chatting to forget their conversation and stare intently at him. Seeing their incredibly greedy expressions, Qin Lang smiled helplessly and placed the four plates he was carrying on the table one by one.

"Let me make this clear first, I didn't add any seasonings."

This is the first rare fish produced by the Goldfish Spirit, and it's a completely new breed that Qin Lang doesn't recognize at all. The only thing he can confirm is that it's non-toxic and edible.

Therefore, in order to determine the suitable cooking method and the texture of this rare fish, Qin Lang divided it into four pieces and cooked them in different ways.

Furthermore, he did not add any seasonings or perform any pretreatment on the premium fish to remove its fishy smell during the process.

Originally, Qin Lang did not plan to invite the other four to participate in the experiment, but upon learning of the Golden Fish Spirit, the other four immediately came over.

And that's how it ended up.

“No problem!” Cao Dongdong’s eyes lit up, and he chuckled. “It’s just an experiment with a new rare fish.”

"Although I can't cook, I'm very picky about food!"

“If we all help, the results will be more objective!” Zhao Qian chuckled, having already come up with an excuse to freeload.

“High-end ingredients often only require the simplest cooking methods.” Zuo Ge looked inscrutable. “Premium fish will never taste bad no matter how it is cooked, so I naturally can’t miss such an opportunity.”

“This new species of rare fish is of great research value.” Fatima pushed up her glasses and spoke calmly, then secretly swallowed.

"Alright." Qin Lang smiled and divided the fish prepared in four ways—steaming, frying, stewing, and braising—into five portions. "I rely entirely on my intuition when cooking, and I can't even be sure if it tastes good or not."

"Then I'll have to trouble you all to try it for me."

As he spoke, Qin Lang picked up his own steamed fish first.

Steaming without any seasoning is arguably the best way to preserve the original flavor of the ingredients, and the part Qin Lang chose to steam was the belly meat of the fish.

The meat in this cut is tender and has no small bones, making it suitable for steaming.

After picking up a piece and putting it in his mouth, Qin Lang's eyes widened suddenly after chewing it slightly.

Apart from scraping off the scales from the surface of the fish, he did not marinate or remove the fishy smell from the belly meat, but the fish meat that he ate at that moment had no fishy smell at all.

Qin Lang subconsciously began to chew, and his mouth was quickly filled with a rich fishy flavor. This fishy flavor also carried a hint of sweetness, which further highlighted the freshness, like the finishing touch in this picture of freshness.

Needless to say, the fish skin was springy and the flesh was tender. Qin Lang also felt a richness in the fish belly meat, which was the fish fat between the skin and the flesh.

It's a unique experience that's not greasy at all, but rather has a smooth and tender texture like jelly. The textures of the fish skin and fish meat intertwine with each chew, creating an ultimate and perfect taste feast.

This kind of fish meat…

Qin Lang's eyes were full of enjoyment.

It was unlike any fish I had ever tasted, yet it seemed to combine the best qualities of all the river fish I had ever eaten.

If I had to use one word to describe it, it would be perfect!
(End of this chapter)