Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe-Chapter 153 - 126: Grilled Jumbo Squid and Charcoal-Grilled Little Yellow Croaker

Chapter 153: Chapter 126: Grilled Jumbo Squid and Charcoal-Grilled Little Yellow Croaker

When Lin Chen saw the two pairs of small eyes inside the bag, he knew he was in trouble.

Today, the two brought him live chickens and ducks, which means that guests might bring all sorts of strange creatures in the future.

Turtles, pigeons, bullfrogs, geese, anything is possible.

Especially guests from Great Xia, the slightly older ones value freshness and prefer to kill and eat right away.

You can dodge it for a while, but you can’t dodge it forever.

Don’t you want to improve your cooking skills?

Dissection is also a necessary skill for a chef.

He’s killed plenty of lobsters and gutted lots of fish, but those were small fry compared to the two creatures in front of him.

"Gulp"

He secretly swallowed, feeling this was a hurdle he needed to overcome in his life.

"No need, just put them in the kitchen for now, I’ll handle them tomorrow."

Bravely pretending to be calm, he helped the two women carry the ingredients inside, made sure the chickens and ducks were tied up securely, and worried it wasn’t safe, he found a deep bucket and threw the bag in to prevent them from escaping during a struggle.

Dais gave him a long, meaningful look but said nothing, silently pulling Elsa along as they followed him to the food truck at the entrance.

"You’ve worked hard bringing so many ingredients today, and I was just about to start my stall. Congratulations on becoming the first and second customers of the day!"

Lin Chen entered the food truck, washed his hands clean, and without asking them what they wanted, he directly picked up two skewers with squid larger than their faces and two long yellow croakers and placed them on the grill, brushing on a layer of oil to start grilling.

The plump squid slowly started to whiten on the surface under the high heat, its body slightly twisting, and the dripping juices mixed with the oil brushed on top, sizzling enticingly as they hit the charcoal below.

The yellow croaker quietly lay there without much movement, but upon closer inspection, the tender skin was sizzling with tiny bubbles, slowly turning golden brown.

After thirty seconds of grilling, they flipped the skewers, brushing on another layer of clear oil to avoid burning and accelerate the cooking process.

It didn’t take long, about four to five minutes.

The whole squid had twisted into a shape resembling shrimp chips, its body entirely white, looking thicker than before.

He snipped three cuts on each side, and the previously twisted squid meat instantly flattened out.

Then he brushed on a thin layer of secret sauce made from sweet bean paste, soybean paste, and kelp broth, not only providing a base flavor but also enhancing the squid’s natural umami.

Finally, a generous amount of cumin chili powder was sprinkled on top, completing the dish.

He handed the squid to them first; the yellow croaker needed more time on the grill. The charcoal fire was just lit, not hot enough yet. It needed to be grilled until the skin was crisp and crumbly for the best aroma.

The usual way to cook squid here is to slice it into rings for stir-frying, or bake it with butter sauce, or stuff it before grilling, or make it into a salad.

Dais had never seen a whole squid grilled directly on the barbecue like this before.

The squid meat, now cut open on both sides, was coated in a reddish-brown sauce and a generous amount of cumin chili powder. Under the aroma of the charcoal, it emitted a strong, spicy fragrance.

After the perfect experience of the braised cuisine yesterday, she had developed an immense trust and expectation for Lin Chen’s culinary skills. Without much hesitation, she opened her mouth and took a big bite.

The fresh squid was incredibly elastic, chewy yet tender and juicy, breaking effortlessly with a gentle bite.

The unique fermented sauce aroma was quite distinct from soy sauce, delivering a noticeable freshness and slight sweetness that increased her appetite.

Though it appeared to be coated with chili powder, giving it a fiery red look, it wasn’t actually spicy at all. Instead, the cumin flavor was more prominent.

This balance of saltiness, sweetness, and spiciness thoroughly awakened her hunger, and she couldn’t care less about her image anymore, holding up the bamboo skewer with her right hand and tearing into the squid meat with her left, sauce smearing around her mouth.

Elsa, being clever, took turns biting onto each protruding piece of squid meat, avoiding getting sauce on her face while still enjoying the sensation of eating big bites of meat.

Around seven o’clock, the seaside sky began to dim slightly, still fairly bright overall, but the streetlights along the road were already lit.

The distinctive red light of the food truck was quickly spotted by wandering tourists near the hotel, who started gathering in small groups towards it.

"I was wondering why I didn’t see any notice in the morning. Turns out the stall opens in the evening today."

"It smells amazing, I can already smell the charcoal aroma. Are we having a barbecue today?"

Some tourists dragging luggage had just completed check-in, only to be informed by Vanessa at the front desk about the food truck activity run by the head chef of the upcoming restaurant across the street, inviting them to try it out.

The guests checking in at this time hadn’t eaten dinner yet. Hearing about the hotel’s head chef running a stall, they didn’t even bother putting down their luggage and headed directly across the street.

It’s not far anyway, just over two hundred meters.

They could also enjoy the evening seascape along the way.

"Screeech—"

Accompanied by the sound of tires skidding on the ground, a black and red motorcycle parked steadily next to the food truck.

The female rider, wearing a tight and sexy leather outfit, swung off the seat, removed her helmet, and let her hair fall wildly.

"Hi~ Good evening, chef."

The roaring engine noise had long drawn everyone’s attention, and seeing an attractive female rider, they couldn’t help but sneak a few more glances.