Free Web NovelChapter 513: Chapter 425: Blooming Fish Fillet Flowers, Internal Tasting
If before the whole fish fillet was like blooming flowers growing on fish skin while soaking in water, then now these palm-sized fish steaks are like individual blooming flowers.
The fish fillets spread out in all directions like blossoming, gradually curling under the flow of water, forming shapes similar to squid flowers, with the fish skin naturally curling into a bundle.
After handling the fish, Lin Chen took a plate of pre-sliced pork loin from the side, clawing his five fingers into the starch paste to stir a few times, allowing the starch at the bottom and water to mix evenly before tossing the meat slices into the batter.
The dish of boiled pork was made for Marchello and Nagishiro Sho before, and seeing Lin Chen’s actions, neither of them appeared surprised, yet curiosity sparkled in their eyes.
Isn’t it supposed to be fried fish, why is there pork involved?
Moreover, it seemed not many pork slices were on the plate, and their shapes were somewhat unusual, not the large meat slices seen before.
After a few pieces of loin went into the pan, Lin Chen picked up the freshly cut fish, gently pressed it on both sides with kitchen paper to absorb excess moisture, and then proceeded with the steps of coating with egg wash and dusting with dry powder.
"Is this flour or some other powder?"
Marchello glanced a few times at the bowl of white powder, feeling the color was somewhat off.
"Cornstarch."
Lin Chen casually replied, "The crust fried with cornstarch is more crispy, but not hard like fried chicken, because I’ll be pouring the sauce on later, the crust with cornstarch is more suitable in terms of texture."
"You’ll be pouring sauce on it? Is it similar to Korean fried chicken?"
"Emmm, you could say there’s some similarity, but it’s still quite different."
Lin Chen glanced at the two, his eyes suddenly fell on Nagishiro Sho, seemingly having thought of something.
"If forced to make an analogy, it’s probably similar to Japanese curry rice?"
"!"
The words curry rice instantly clicked for Nagishiro Sho, a look of sudden realization filled his face.
Marchello nodded thoughtfully, seeming to grasp the general idea.
Anyway, the finished product will be seen later, he didn’t bother asking any further questions, merely waited quietly.
The starch-coated fish looked visually more striking, filaments stacked downward in layers.
Lin Chen held the edge and gently shook it a few times, shaking off the excess dry powder on the fish surface.
Grasping both sides of the fish with both hands, with the skin facing up, he slowly lowered the fish into the oil.
"Brzzzz"
The oil surface instantly boiled, tiny golden bubbles squeezed through the gaps of the fish filaments, quickly covering the fish with a thin layer of golden yellow.
Lin Chen showed no expression of concern, as if unconcerned about his hands being burned by the hot oil, maintaining this posture, quietly awaited ten seconds before releasing, letting the fish slowly sink down.
The fish skin on the back curled up the moment it encountered the hot oil, causing the underlying fish meat to splay open like a hedgehog ball.
Then came the next piece of fish.
He only temporarily put four pieces in, with the remaining half a fish still soaking in the water uncut, reserved for later after the fish comes out to decide accordingly, as backup.
The previously placed boiled pork also needed turning occasionally, to prevent over-frying on one side causing the batter to burn, affecting taste and appearance.
The fish frying time really doesn’t need to be too long, given its shape characteristics, plus fish cooks readily, a slight two to three minutes is sufficient.
Later a re-frying to shape and color will render it the perfect doneness.
If fried any longer, the fish inadvertently dehydrated, the texture hard and chewy, but due to being wrapped in batter, it isn’t apparent from the surface.
This tests the chef’s control over the heat; if inattentive, the dish won’t taste good.
Seeing the frying almost done, Lin Chen swiftly scooped out all the boiled pork and fish, turning up the heat.
Meanwhile, he scooped a small spoonful of hot oil into the adjacent wok, heating on medium heat, pouring in a large amount of tomato sauce and a bit of concentrated orange juice, followed by lots of sugar, a touch of vinegar, and a small bowl of water for rapid stirring.
While waiting for the sauce to boil, he took the chance to refry the meat, managing both tasks without appearing flustered, rather seeming orderly and highly visually appealing.
The fried boiled pork and squirrel fish showed a yellow-brown color tinged with light brown, the crust looking crisp indeed, yet distinctly different in batter appearance.
Nothing seemed amiss when piled in the bowl, but once Lin Chen arranged them on the plate, everyone’s eyes bulged, mouths agape.
The triangular boiled pork served as the fish head, followed by the arrow-shaped tail, with the blossoming flower-shaped fish body in the middle.
A close look left some scratching their heads, but a slightly wider distance and it indeed resembled a complete plate of fried fish.
Just as the sauce in the pan simmered to a bubbling state.
Lin Chen scooped a spoonful of rolling oil from the oil pot and splashed it in, the sauce instantly roiled, bubbling with fish-eye-sized bursts.
The ladle stirred quickly, thoroughly blending the oil and sauce, preventing splattering from the boiling hot sauce.
With the addition of hot oil, the initially dull sauce color suddenly brightened up, as if coated with a layer of enamel, shining under the light.
Scooping up a ladle of rich orange sauce, Lin poured it over the fish, ensuring each fillet was fully enveloped in the sauce.
The excess sauce slowly trickled down through the gaps between the fillets, pooling at the bottom of the plate, gradually spreading and finally filling the entire plate bottom.
At first glance, it seemed as though the plate was holding a fresh fish that had just leaped out of the water.
Marchello glanced at the other half of the fish soaking in the basin, yet to be fried, and had a moment of realization.
If done according to Lin Chen’s method, one fish could make about eight plates, and at most, only a bit of pork tenderloin was needed, so the actual cost was not high and it wasn’t very difficult to make.
With a few more decorative details, it would be quite suitable for selling in a restaurant.
Lin Chen made four plates in one go and lined them up on the table.
"Everyone, take some utensils and try it. This dish is actually made by fusing two famous Great Xia dishes. Lucas, show everyone the photos—I heard everything before."
"Uh, why are your ears so sharp..."
Lucas mumbled a few words, reluctantly put down his chopsticks, and took out his phone to show everyone the pictures.
After seeing the actual photos, everyone understood why Lin Chen chose to simulate the fish’s shape this way.
The fish tail was easy to explain, but if a fried fish head were really served on the table, it might scare the guests to death.
Having seen the photos, everyone’s anticipation for this fish dish heightened even more. They all rushed to get cutlery, eager to taste this Great Xia fried fish dish while it was still hot.
Without needing Lin Chen to say anything more, Marchello was the first to cut the fish in the middle into flower-like pieces convenient for everyone to bite-sized, each piece consisting of about three to four fillets of fish.
He used a fork to pick up a piece of fish, swayed it back and forth in the thick sweet and sour sauce to let the sauce thoroughly coat the surface of the fish.
The freshly made squirrel fish’s crust still retained its crispy texture, just as Lin Chen had described before—not the crumbly crunchiness of fried chicken, but a crispiness with a slight moisture and airiness.
Though the crust appeared thick, once bitten into, there was only a thin layer on the surface, with a solid, white fish inside.
He wasn’t eating black fish for the first time, but after being made into this form, the texture of the fish had noticeably changed.
Each fillet was cut as finely as a French fry, making it impossible for the texture to become tough.
Yet black fish meat is inherently quite firm, and when several fillets are eaten together, the tender texture also offers a relatively distinct firmness of the fish meat.
The fish itself wasn’t very flavorful and lacked seasoning entirely; all the taste originated from the thick tomato sauce on the outside and the crust on top.
The sweet and sour tomato sauce was mixed with a bit of concentrated orange juice and then had a large amount of white sugar and vinegar added. Though one would expect it to be overwhelmingly sweet and sour, it surprisingly wasn’t.
The sourness and sweetness were quite smooth on the palate, with a perfect balance.
There was the taste of tomato sauce and a hint of orange fragrance, and despite so much oil having been added, it was not greasy at all. It was akin to making mayonnaise, except that a lot of oil was integrated into the tomato-orange sauce, creating a heated version of a fruity vinaigrette.
"Crunch."
"Crunch."
For a moment, the entire kitchen was filled with the sound of chewing.
"So this is the authentic Great Xia sweet and sour sauce. It indeed tastes a bit different from what’s made in Chinatown restaurants."
"I feel like the fish made with this frying method seems more delicious? I wonder if it’s just my imagination."
"If some seasoning powder were added to marinate the fish before frying, the taste might be better?"
"I didn’t expect this type of fish could also be made into fried fish. Would this start a trend of using it as a raw material? If the price doesn’t drop, I’d be really sad."
While everyone was tasting, Lin Chen also took a piece of fish with his chopsticks to try.
He had never thought of using black fish to make squirrel fish before today, and to his surprise, it actually looked quite decent once made.
Moreover, the black fish meat is firm, making it easier to score when cutting it compared to other fish. That feeling when slicing was more pronounced.
The only issue was that the black fish wasn’t very flavorful; without prior marination, it indeed tasted bland.
And, well, to him, the texture felt a bit off.
It wasn’t the squirrel fish flavor he remembered.
Looking up at Lucas and Zhao Shun and especially Old Chen.
He, being the main chef at a homestyle restaurant, surely understood these fish dishes better than Lin did.
"What do you all think? I find it a bit odd."
"I think it’s okay—the dish is edible, but not particularly delicious."
Lucas was the first to give his opinion, followed by Zhao Shun, who had a similar opinion.
Only Old Chen was shaking his head on the side.
"Black fish isn’t suitable for this; it’s best used for black fish slices."
