A Bite of Douluo Continent

Chapter 266 Steamed Fish Head with Chopped Chili!

Even if it only takes five minutes, Qi Han won't just stand by and wait.

After placing the jar filled with chopped chili peppers into the time-accelerating black technology, Qi Han quickly found the other main ingredient of this chopped chili pepper fish head dish from the ingredient cabinet: fish.

There are specific requirements for the type of fish used in making this dish, "Steamed Fish Head with Chopped Chili".

Since only the head is edible, silver carp is the most suitable fish for this dish.

Silver carp, also known as bighead carp, is also called fathead fish or bighead carp.

From its name alone, we can tell that it must have a very large head.

Okay, that's a pointless statement.

Silver carp have been persecuted for thousands of years because of their large and thick heads, which make up a larger proportion of their bodies compared to other common freshwater fish. Moreover, the heads are rich in collagen, making them even more delicious when used to cook chopped chili fish head.

Silver carp: What a terrible thing to do!

Of course, when Qi Han cooks chopped chili fish head, he definitely won't choose silver carp, because Ruyi wouldn't like it.

Silver carp: Why is there a mixture of relief and shame...?

The fish Qi Han took out from the food cabinet was as big as a cutting board. While fish that size were rare, they weren't unheard of. However, what was even more peculiar about the one he held was…

Its head accounts for half the size of the entire fish.

Even for silver carp, the head only accounts for about one-third of the whole fish. So, this fish could probably be called a chubby-headed fish or a big-headed fish.

Although it is actually a century-old hammerhead silver carp.

Come forth, Rayquaza... oh no, Hammerhead!

This kind of spirit beast is also not among the sea spirit beasts known in the Douluo Continent. It lives in the upper layer of the ocean and uses its extremely hard skull to attack other spirit beasts with its head. As it gradually grows stronger, its head gets bigger and bigger. Finally, it was honored to be chosen by Ruyi and become the chosen child... oh no, fish head.

Hammerhead carp, please give your acceptance speech.

Hammerhead Carp: I f***ing…

According to Newton's... I forgot which one, let's just say Newton's three laws of motion. According to one of Newton's three laws of motion, forces act in pairs. The Hammerhead Carp can kill other soul beasts by ramming its head into them, and the resulting recoil force is naturally enough to shatter the fragile brain inside its skull, causing its own death. To prevent this from happening, the Hammerhead Carp's head contains a large amount of gelatinous material for shock absorption.

So with so much gelatin in it, it must taste really good.

Just thinking about it made Qi Han unable to hold back her tears.

This hammerhead silver carp was already drunk and passed out when it was placed in the food cabinet. Now, when Qi Han placed it on the cutting board, it only symbolically wiggled its buttocks... oh no, its tail, to prove that it had not given up its desire for life even in its last moments. Then, Qi Han swiftly cut off the head and a ring of meat behind the gill cover.

Hammerhead carp, dead!

Qi Han had already noticed something: his kitchen knife was unusual.

It's hard to say how well it can chop people, but when cutting any food, it's as sharp as cutting through iron.

For example, right now, when he stood the fish head up and chopped it in two with a single stroke, the skull, hard enough to kill a soul beast, did not pose any obstacle to him.

The fish head doesn't need to be completely cut off. It's best to leave some pieces so that the two halves of the fish head are still connected. This way, the fish head can be opened like turning the pages of a book without being completely separated.

At the junction of the head and abdomen of the fish, there is a black membrane on the inner wall of the fish meat. This black membrane is called the "visceral membrane" and it serves to lubricate and protect the internal organs.

It has a fishy smell that needs to be removed.

After carefully scraping it clean with a kitchen knife, Qi Han casually swiftly removed... oh no, he chopped off the hammerhead carp's teeth.

Don't ask, it was just something I did on a whim.

The meat around the cheek is thicker, so it needs to be scored before steaming to ensure even heating and easier cooking.

Similarly, make a crack with a knife a little behind the fish's eye to serve as an entry point for the steam to heat the internal structure of the fish head during the steaming process. This completes the processing of the hammerhead silver carp head.

With its eyes facing upwards, the fish head was opened and placed on the cutting board. The open fish head was as big as the cutting board itself, and its bluish-black color gleamed with a cold, metallic light. Even with the naked eye, one could feel the hard texture of the fish bones...

So there must be a lot of meat in such a big fish head!

Qi Han pinched his chin and nodded firmly.

We can have a hearty meal now.

After evenly sprinkling a layer of salt and finely ground pepper on the fish head, add the four-piece deodorizing kit, rubbing it in to ensure it fully contacts the fish head. Then cover with a dust cover and marinate for about ten minutes to achieve the initial purpose of removing the fishy smell…

Wait, you're asking what a four-piece set for removing fishy smells is?

In general, scallions, ginger, and cooking wine are commonly used to remove fishy smells.

Sometimes garlic is added, making it four ingredients: scallions, ginger, garlic, and cooking wine—the so-called "four-piece set" for removing fishy smells.

But actually…

There's not much difference between the two; adding garlic is optional.

You didn't expect that, did you! .jpg

At this point, the chopped chili peppers, processed using accelerated time, are almost finished.

While the fish head was marinating, Qi Han took out the jar containing chopped chili peppers, scooped out enough to cover the entire fish head, put it into a sieve, and then rinsed the sieve twice in water.

This step is mainly because if the chopped chili peppers are too salty, it will affect the taste, so the salt in them is washed away.

Adding a lot of salt at the beginning is mainly to ensure a more thorough pickling process and prevent the chopped chili peppers from fermenting and turning sour, so there is no conflict between adding salt at the beginning and the end.

Mince the garlic and add it to the hot oil along with chopped chili peppers. The calm oil surface instantly boils, with countless tiny bubbles rising to the surface. Amidst the crisp "sizzling" sound, the rich and pure spicy aroma of the chopped chili peppers slowly blends with the fragrance of the minced garlic, wafting up in the steam. That aroma...

Qi Han couldn't help but compose himself and quietly swallowed another mouthful of saliva.

Really fragrant!

Add a large spoonful of fermented black bean oil with dark black fermented black beans, stir-fry briefly, and the aroma becomes even more intense, completely filling the entire kitchen.

Finally, add a spoonful of sugar for seasoning, then stir-fry the chopped chili peppers in the pan over medium-low heat until the red color of the chili peppers slowly seeps into the oil, turning the pale yellow rapeseed oil into orange.

As the chili peppers are stir-fried to this point, their red color becomes even more vibrant, and a layer of oil adds to their sheen, making them look exceptionally tempting.

The minced garlic hidden among the chopped chili peppers has turned golden yellow, and the garlic aroma has become even stronger. Although it cannot mask the spicy flavor of the chopped chili peppers, it is just the right touch.

Turn off the heat, use a spatula to remove the chopped chili peppers and drain the oil from the pan, leaving the orange oil in the pan for later use.

Qi Han took an extra-large plate large enough to hold the fish head, placed ginger slices, knotted scallions, and a few perilla leaves in the center of the plate, and then placed a pair of chopsticks crossed in a cross shape on top.

Here's another cooking tip.

This is important, it will be on the test!

After placing the fish head on the plate, it is to be steamed. However, the plate is different from the steamer. The high temperature of the steam in the pot cannot reach the bottom of the plate where it is in close contact with the fish head. So only the top side is steamed. This will result in the top being cooked while the bottom is not, or the bottom being cooked while the top is overcooked.

The cross-shaped structure created by using chopsticks can easily separate a space between the fish head and the plate, allowing steam to penetrate deep into it and steaming the fish head-down side more quickly.

Simply remove the two chopsticks after steaming, and you have delicious ginkgo nuts.

After arranging the chopsticks in a cross shape, the fish head on the side was almost marinated.

With the fish eyes facing upwards, open the fish head and place it on a plate, then put it in a steamer. Add a little white vinegar to the water in the steamer.

Another cooking tip.

The white vinegar here, like the perilla leaves mentioned earlier, is used to better remove fishy odors. As for its effectiveness…

You'll know once you use it; everyone who uses it says it's great.

Steam in the pot for three minutes, then pause and carefully remove the plate.

Why be careful...

Because it's fucking hot.

Slowly tilt the plate to pour the water that has gathered at the bottom of the plate into the sink. Then, spread the chopped chili peppers that were previously scooped out and set aside over the entire fish head, and steam it again for five minutes.

The water that is poured out is called "fishy water," as most of the fishy smell comes from it.

With this step, the fish head will have almost no fishy smell.

After five minutes, turn off the heat and let it sit for another two minutes. This step is similar to letting the meat rest, in order to make the temperature inside and outside the fish head more even, so that the meat is more tender and the collagen is more elastic.

As soon as the lid of the steamer was opened, a fragrant aroma swept over. This time, the spicy flavor of the chopped chili peppers was no longer the main attraction. Under its influence, the fresh and savory aroma of the fish head instantly filled Qi Han's nostrils.

The aroma of the fish head was so tempting, and the overwhelming scent was so irresistible, that Qi Han was completely unable to resist it.

But... Qi Han knew that the aroma had not yet reached its peak, because this dish was still a semi-finished product.

While the fish head was steaming, he had already chopped a handful of scallions. Now, he sprinkled half of the scallions evenly on the bright red chopped chili peppers. The visual beauty was immediately presented when the lush green scallions and the bright red chopped chili peppers met.

As the saying goes, red and green go well together... cough cough.

The orange-red oil left over from frying the chopped chili peppers earlier now came in handy.

After quickly reheating the oil over high heat, pour it evenly and slowly over the chopped chili fish head.

Countless tiny bubbles appeared, accompanied by the sizzling sound of oil and an irresistible aroma for Qi Han.

The aroma is a blend of scallion fragrance released from boiling oil, spicy and savory flavors from stir-fried chopped chili peppers, and rich garlic aroma, as well as the fish flavor that emerges from the slightly charred surface of the fish meat when it meets the boiling oil.

Sprinkle the remaining chopped green onions on top, then add the chopped chili fish head and it's ready to serve!

(P.S.: I changed the way I described cooking in these two chapters because I always felt that the cooking steps I wrote before were too boring, like a Baidu Encyclopedia entry, without making people feel hungry. I wonder if changing the writing style will be better. It's a small experiment, so I hope readers can give me feedback. If you like it, I will use a similar writing style to describe the cooking process in the future.)

Chapter 267 The Soul of the Spicy Fish Head (Seeking monthly tickets and recommendations at the end of the month)

Swallowing hard, Qi Han carefully carried the oversized plate to a table in the dining area and placed it down.

"Meow!"

Upon seeing that familiar bright red color, Gulu suddenly bristled and almost teleported away again.

However, after his nose twitched slightly and he found that the terrifying, pungent smell had not reappeared, or rather, it was much milder than before, Gulu quickly calmed down. He only glanced at the food plate in front of Qi Han before lowering his head to continue eating his cat food.

The bright green scallions on it instantly made it lose interest.

The cat owner said that cats cannot eat onions, ginger, or garlic.

Ignoring Gu Lu's movements, Qi Han's vision was almost entirely occupied by the large plate of chopped chili fish head in front of him. He swallowed hard, picked up his chopsticks somewhat impatiently, and reached for the chopped chili fish head.

Gently peel back some of the bright red chopped chili peppers, and the dark blue-black gelatinous outer layer of the fish head is revealed.

The bluish-black skin had deepened in color during the previous steaming process. Now, under Qi Han's chopsticks, it broke apart with a gentle touch, the edges curling inwards and wobbling slowly as the chopsticks moved. The soft, chewy, and elastic texture was almost visible to the naked eye, and its bluish-black and slightly crystalline color even resembled that of jelly.