Translator: Xiong_Guoqi Editor: DesTheSloth
“Boss Yuan, are there fish bones in the roast fish?” Chen Wei knitted his brows and asked carefully.
“Only big fish bones, but no small ones.” Yuan Zhou rotated the fish and said calmly.
“You mean the dorsal bones, right?” Chen Wei asked for confirmation again.
“Yes.” Yuan Zhou nodded the head.
“I also want one. Also this one, too.” Chen Wei pointed at the other kebabs by the side.
“Since you are laying out two plates here, they are definitely two different types. Am I right?” Chen Wei revealed an honest look on his face.
“Mr. Chen is so shrewd.” The plump Master Cheng walked toward them.
“Haw-haw, thank you. Boss Yuan is known to be a principled person.” Chen Wei complimented.
“Of course.” Master Cheng nodded the head.
That’s right. Master Cheng had always been there during recent BBQ time. In the beginning, his reason was to come and help, thus, Yuan Zhou naturally refused him flatly.
Later, he corrected that he wanted to come and study how to make BBQ. This reason was more sufficient this time. After all, Yuan Zhou had almost become an all-rounder in this circle. As his disciple, he naturally needed to dabble in some of the fields. Only in this way could Yuan Zhou not refuse the arrival of Master Cheng.
Nevertheless, Master Cheng was compliant and helpful. While he was studying, he didn’t forget to greet the customers.
Judging from how Master Cheng handed the food ingredients to Yuan Zhou deftly, this person had been doing the work very well.
“Master Yuan, here are your vegetables.” Master Cheng handed a stick to Yuan Zhou again.
“Um.” Yuan Zhou nodded the head.
Then, one could feel that Yuan Zhou slowed down the action of pouring the flavorings as Master Cheng watched him just to ensure his movements could be seen clearly. When he turned around to greet other customers, however, Yuan Zhou naturally cooked the BBQ as per his usual speed.
Just like what he had done to the man who studied Green Jade Rice Crust last time.
After Yuan Zhou ripped open the fish that was to be roasted in the middle and cut it into two parts, he started to pick the fish bones. Just like before, all the fish bones were kept on a board and laid out in the shape of the living fish.
Due to the existence of the big fish bones, the difficulty in removing the small fish bones greatly increased. Fortunately, Yuan Zhou had kept sculpting every day and could deal with such delicate things. In Master Cheng’s opinion, however, it was way too profound.
“Boss Yuan, this is way too difficult. As far as I know, no other chefs can reach this level. This is way too hard.” Master Cheng looked at Yuan Zhou’s superb knife skills and muttered to himself.
“Boss Yuan is really a peerless genius. His knife skills are probably superior when compared to anyone else.” Master Cheng was really astonished when he saw the fish flesh in good condition and the conspicuous big and small fish bones on the board.
However, Yuan Zhou took no notice of Master Cheng’s astonishment. After he finished processing the fish, the fish on the fire had to be turned over and served too.
Oh, right. As Yuan Zhou had the four most ordinary freshwater fishes in his restaurant, what fish would be roasted was actually unknown. For example, what Ma Zhidao ordered just now was a spotted silver carp, also known as the fat head fish.
“Here’s your roast fish.” Master Cheng carried the fish onto the table and directly put it in front of Ma Zhida.
“Thank you, Master Cheng.” Ma Zhida said courteously.
The honest and tolerant Master Cheng only nodded the head and stared at Ma Zhida, preparing to see how the fish tasted.
The roast fish was placed in a fish-shaped plate almost as big as the fish. Besides, the fish was intact and looked as if it were still alive. However, the fish body was giving off the steam and the fish skin on the surface had also slightly shrunk and curled, revealing some snow-white fish meat.
“Let me have a taste.” Chen Wei reached out his chopsticks immodestly and picked a piece of fish belly away.
“How fresh!” Chen Wei shouted loudly almost at the instant the fish meat entered his mouth.
Then, Ma Zhida didn’t bother to appreciate those various plate presentations and arts of the fish in front of him anymore. He merely took the chopsticks up and began to eat.
Ma Zhida was different. He wasn’t afraid of fish bones, so he started to take the fish meat from the back close its head.
The pointed end of the chopsticks poked inside easily. After he further dug the chopsticks a little bit, an intact piece of fish meat was taken out.
The white and tender fish meat was wrapped by the fish skin of the surface color. If observed carefully, there was even gravy filled in the fish meat.
“Awwoo”, he swallowed it up at a gulp. Then, a fresh and delicious taste unique to fresh fish immediately filled his mouth.
The fish meat was so tender that it immediately split into small pieces upon some slightly chewing. Each piece likewise contained the fresh and tender juice of the fish meat as well as the slightly chewy fish skin and the coarse salt poured over the surface.
Once he chewed it a little bit, however, the sudden saline taste thoroughly stimulated the freshness and delicacy of the fish meat.
“I feel the mandarin fish mentioned in the verse ‘In peach-mirrored streams, mandarin fish are fully grown’ is exactly this kind of taste.” Ma Zhida squinted his eyes and said leisurely.
“The fish belly is fat and tender while the meat is delicious. I just have never expected there to have so many abundant flavorings inside. It’s only delicious with all these ingredients.” Chen Wei pointed at the fish belly with a hole and said.
“With that much gravy, none flowed out from inside?” Master Cheng was a little surprised at the sight of the red bright gravy flowing out from the hole.
He felt he had observed it carefully enough, but little did he think he would omit such an important place.
It turned out that there were many ingredients inside the fish belly. It was filled with various ingredients, red and green chili, verdant garlic bolt, snow-white garlic and tender ginger. Each of them was crisp and just perfect to be eaten.
For the first bite, Chen Wei only felt the freshness and delicacy of the fish meat stimulated by the coarse salt. It was so fresh and delicious that it tasted as if the fish had come to life again. Then, the second bite, he picked the fish belly open and ate the chili. Stimulated by that, he felt the fish meat became fresher and more delicious.
The heavy spicy taste stimulated his tongue first and then the freshness and tenderness of the fish meat comforted his tongue as if both tastes were having a carnival in his mouth.
“Um. It’s so satisfactory.” While saying that, Chen Wei picked a big piece of fish meat up again.
“Wow. It’s really so delicious. Surprisingly, there are no fish bones at all. That is the most wonderful thing.” Chen Wei said contentedly.
Even his cold and rigid face became gentler.
However, the surprise brought by Yuan Zhou’s delicacies were far more than these.
Formerly, one had to turn the fish upside down if he wanted to eat the other side after eating up the fish meat of the upper side. However, Yuan Zhou had ripped open the fish into two parts beforehand this time. Therefore, one could just remove the biggest fish bone straightforwardly and then eat the fish meat below after eating up the other side.
As the fish meat of the lower side had absorbed all the bright red gravy, the taste was both spicy and fragrant, pushing the intrinsic freshness of the fat head fish onto another higher stage.
“Wow. The upper side is the Salt Baked Fresh Fish while the lower side is the Spicy Grilled Fish. It might be the so-called Two Different Eating Methods of One Fish.” Ma Zhida ate the fish meat blissfully and thought that.
“I feel that only the lower side with heavy taste is suitable for me. The upper side tastes like a young girl while the lower side like an adult man.” Chen Wei’s description was simple and crude, but was reasonable.
“Others eat it like a cow eating peony, but you eat it like a bear eating the fish. You only concentrate on swallowing at a mouthful without even chewing.” Master Cheng sighed at Chen Wei.
Master Cheng thought thing simply in the heart. If it were him that ate Master Yuan’s delicacies, he must taste it very carefully.
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