Slowly Soak It, Slowly Savor It

Jiang Yunlu simply watched as Lin Mo sliced the fish.

The slices were mostly from the back meat, while the head, belly, tail, and fins were all set aside for other uses.

However, the fish Lin Mo had caught was enormous—even though the head alone took up a third of its size, the body was still much larger than an average bighead carp.

The boneless fish slices were tossed into a basin.

A handful of salt was sprinkled over them, and Lin Mo began stirring slowly in a clockwise motion.

Uncle Xia, watching from behind, remarked, "Oh, this is a Shunde-style preparation."

Indeed, it was one of the techniques from Shunde cuisine.

"Even though it's a reservoir fish, there's still a bit of a fishy smell. The slices need some treatment."

Salting the fish would make the slices much more tender and smooth compared to their untreated state.

"But why add salt?" Jiang Yunlu asked.

"Because salt causes bacteria and parasites to lose moisture due to osmotic pressure, effectively killing them.

This is the same principle behind cured meats and salted fish."

Physics entered her mind in the form of everyday knowledge.

However, this salt wasn't meant to stay. Lin Mo took the basin and rinsed the salted fish slices thoroughly.

After washing, the excess water needed to be removed.

Luckily, the kitchen had paper towels, so he simply patted the slices dry.

Once the fish was free of excess moisture, he added egg whites and a dash of ground pepper.

Lin Mo then unleashed his "ruthless iron hands," vigorously stirring to further tenderize the fish.

Once the fish absorbed the egg whites, he mixed in some cornstarch.

"Mainly to enhance the tenderness and lock in the moisture," Lin Mo explained as he worked.

Finally, he drizzled peanut oil over the slices to seal them.

"And why the oil?" Jiang Yunlu, unfamiliar with these techniques, asked at the right moment.

"To block out air and slow oxidation."

Uncle Xia gave an approving thumbs-up.

"Top students really are top students—even cooking comes with a full explanation of the 'why.' Not like us back in the day. Our masters taught us what to do, never the reasons behind it."

Lin Mo cut in, "Uncle Xia, mind lending me some steamed fish soy sauce? Just for our tables."

Uncle Xia turned to him and casually pulled out a bottle of Lee XX brand steamed fish soy sauce.

"Here you go~"

Lin Mo grinned mischievously. "Uncle Xia, I wasn’t talking about this kind of steamed fish soy sauce."

Uncle Xia wagged a finger at him.

"Fine, I give up. Anyone would think you were a kitchen veteran."

With that, he lifted the lid off a large metal barrel nearby.

The soy sauce inside had a lighter hue.

Jiang Yunlu couldn’t help but ask, "What kind of soy sauce is this?"

Uncle Xia grabbed a ladle and a small dipping dish, scooped some out, and handed it to Lin Mo.

"Go on, see if you can pick out what’s in it."

Lin Mo didn’t taste it immediately—instead, he offered it to Jiang Yunlu first.

"Want to try?"

Jiang Yunlu tilted her head back and drank the sauce straight from the dish.

Instead of overwhelming saltiness, she was hit with an explosion of flavor. "Wow, this is so umami!"

Lin Mo scooped another portion and tasted it himself.

Noticing that his lips touched the exact spot where she had sipped, Jiang Yunlu couldn’t help but think of the concept of an indirect kiss.

"Definitely sweet and savory. There’s dried shrimp, bonito flakes, dried flounder, dried scallops, tangerine peel, bay leaves, licorice, fried crucian carp, and rock sugar.

Also sautéed sand ginger, shallots, green and red chilies, cilantro, and celery.

Pork ribs, chicken frames, clams, and finally, the soy sauce itself."

As Lin Mo listed off the ingredients one by one, even Uncle Xia looked impressed.

"There’s that much in steamed fish soy sauce?!" Jiang Yunlu was even more shocked—she’d assumed it was just a blend of different soy sauces.

Other chefs nearby overheard and nodded in agreement.

"That’s one sharp tongue."

"But the real credit goes to Uncle Xia for daring to use such premium ingredients to brew the sauce."

Uncle Xia clapped his hands. "Well, good taste keeps customers coming back. Plus, the boss lets us do it. Though, sometimes this sauce goes to waste—it doesn’t keep for too long."

He then patted Lin Mo’s shoulder.

"Alright, you two get out now. Leave some room for us to work, or the boss will dock our pay."

And just like that, they were shooed out of the kitchen.

When Lin Mo and Jiang Yunlu emerged, Xie Yuling spotted them from afar but pretended not to notice, casually pulling Chu Miaomiao along as she approached.

Chu Miaomiao was holding a bag of strawberries and handed one to Lin Mo.

"Looks like you had a good haul this afternoon."

Lin Mo took the strawberry—plump and as big as two fingers—and bit into it. Juicy and sweet.

Xie Yuling didn’t ask what Lin Mo had been doing in the kitchen, maintaining a perfectly calm facade.

......

Dinnertime arrived, with one table for those who disliked fish and two tables for the fish lovers.

Lin Mo picked up a slice of fish with his chopsticks and placed it into the clear broth hot pot.

"Such a fine reservoir bighead carp—just looking at it makes my mouth water. Let it steep slowly, savor it properly. Don’t rush. And don’t forget the soulful ginger-scallion soy sauce."

Setting down the serving chopsticks, he layered shredded scallions and ginger over the fish slice.

"Alright, dig in."

Everyone present was from eastern Guangdong, so a clear broth hot pot was nothing unusual.

Many had heard about the two massive fish Lin Mo caught, so this full-fish banquet felt like a novelty.

Though in Goat City, there was a specialty dish called Nangang Fish Dumplings—another all-fish feast.

"Cook the fish slices one by one. Don’t dump them all in at once, or they’ll overcook and lose their texture."

Like tripe in hot pot, the perfect tenderness came from a quick dip—three to five seconds in boiling water.

As the meal progressed, the salt-and-pepper fish belly arrived.

The clear broth fish slices were light, so something bolder was needed.

Next came the sizzling iron-plate fish head.

The head was so big that no single iron plate could hold it, so the kitchen split it in half and served it on two.

The moment it hit the table, the sizzling sound and the aroma of rendered fat filled the air.

Those who knew how to appreciate fish lit up with excitement. Lin Mo was the first to act, picking a piece of cheek meat for Xie Yuling beside him.

She hadn’t said a word all evening—clearly a bit sour.

"Try this. It’s the most tender, silkiest, and most flavorful part of the head."

The fish’s gills were so plump that one chopstick grab wasn’t enough.

Lin Mo served Chu Miaomiao next.

Jiang Yunlu stayed quiet—after all, she’d already scored her victory earlier.

Ah, a total win.