I'm the Culinary God-Chapter 820 - 357: Sear First, Then Braise with Less Water—Nothing Beats Grass Carp Tail! Chef Chen, I Miss You So Much!

Chapter 820: Chapter 357: Sear First, Then Braise with Less Water—Nothing Beats Grass Carp Tail! Chef Chen, I Miss You So Much!

The grass carp sent by Boss Huang weighed over twenty pounds each, with the fish tails alone weighing about two or three pounds.

The plump fish tail had a trembling texture, and when viewed from the cross-section, it even had a bit of the rich, fatty feel of tuna.

No wonder everyone likes grass carp so much; its appearance alone is extraordinary.

Lin Xu took the fish tail handed over by Xie Baomin and began to modify it with his knife.

Braised fish is a dish popular in the Yangtze River basin and can be found in cuisines like Anhui, Huaiyang, Jinling, and the local cuisine.

As for the preparation method, it generally follows the principle of frying first and then simmering. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

The resulting braised fish is soft, flavorful, and renowned for its distinct taste.

The lower reaches of the Yangtze River have long been a gathering place for scholars, with a highly particular and discerning approach to food. Apart from its good taste, the dish’s appearance also plays a significant role in its popularity.

This dish’s standout appearance follows the shape of a fan, reminiscent of the folding fans once held by scholars of the past.

This alone is enough to attract many literary and cultured people to it.

Lin Xu placed the piece of braised fish on the cutting board and used a knife to trim the fish tail, shaping it into an orderly V-shape to enhance its appearance.

Then he followed the fish’s body line to cut off the tail fin.

The tail fin doesn’t hold up well to frying; it tends to burn, so it’s best to remove it and enhance the appearance since a folding fan shouldn’t have anything else attached.

Once the trimming was done, it was time for the precise cutting phase.

Starting from one side of the grass carp’s spine, he cut close to the bone, severing all the pin bones.

But he couldn’t cut all the way through; he stopped at two-thirds or three-quarters of the fish’s thickness, then made another cut on the other side of the spine, again severing the pin bones to the same depth.

After two cuts, the side of the grass carp facing up was divided into two pieces along the spine.

Next, he cut the meat on both sides of the spine down the center, stopping just before cutting all the way through.

After cutting, the meat on the fish tail had a bit of a fan shape, but it wasn’t obvious. To get closer to the fan shape, he had to flip the entire fish tail and continue cutting.

After flipping, he confirmed the positions he had just cut, ensuring the cuts were staggered apart.

The meat on either side of the spine that had been cut in the middle had one cut made.

Now, he’d make two cuts here, dividing the fish meat into three sections, just staggered from the central cut.

Once finished, gently shaking the tail caused the previously rounded braised fish section to immediately spread out like a fan.

And the best part was, the sections of the fish tail were still connected, with no breakage whatsoever.

"Hey! Junior Brother, your knife skills are impressive. This is how grass carp should be done: tail base connected, fish cut into a fan shape. Not only does it look good, but it’s more flavorful too."

Xie Baomin praised him before proceeding to chop down all the other fish tails for Lin Xu to cut.

After all the grass carp tails were cut, Lin Xu chopped some scallions to rub out the juice, then drizzled some rice wine and rubbed the fish tails to remove any fishy odor.

After marinating for about ten minutes, he set up the wok to start oil-frying the fish tails.

The home method emphasizes finishing a dish in one pot, so it’s best to pan-fry them, then add water and seasoning to simmer. But in restaurants, this approach is inefficient, so they separate these steps.

Lin Xu heated oil in the pot, and once the oil was hot, he took the fish tails from the basin, removed the scallion and ginger, and placed them in the oil for frying.

This step was to fry out the grass carp’s fishy odor while locking in the moisture in the fish, making it more succulent and delicious.

To achieve this, the oil temperature in the pot needed to be high.

When the fish’s surface turned golden brown, he lifted it from the pot to drain the oil, then fried the next one.

After frying all the fish tails, the friends celebrating the housewarming arrived.

Ren Chongmo and Tian Qinglan had arrived early, first chatting with Chen Yan downstairs, then going upstairs to hand Lin Xu a set of books in a box:

"We didn’t know what to give you, so here’s a set of rare books related to cooking."

Rare books?

Hearing this, Lin Xu knew that this set of books was of considerable value.

"Professor Ren, Professor Tian, it’s already a great honor to have you come for dinner. These books are too precious; I’m a bit hesitant to accept them."

Ren Chongmo smiled and said:

"Just accept them. This set of rare books is said to have been compiled by a leisurely prince of the Qing Dynasty, who inadvertently took up the task of sorting through the Imperial Kitchen archives. Having a craving, he secretly recorded some dishes he hadn’t tasted before, and eventually, these records were bound into a collection named ’Imperial Food Records.’

Wow, so this is something passed down from the palace, and dishes that even the prince hadn’t tasted – it’s a true treasure.

Lin Xu accepted with both hands:

"Thank you both so much!"

Tian Qinglan smiled and said:

"We studied it in the past, but many of the recorded dishes are no longer found; they’ve either been lost or the methods have changed. You should research it more, and if you replicate any, don’t forget to invite us to try them."

"Definitely, definitely, if I manage to recreate any, I’ll certainly invite both professors to appraise them."

Just as they spoke, Geng Lishan came up the stairs, holding a piece of calligraphy leisurely.

This well-known calligrapher kept his gifts simple at Lin Xu’s place, casually bringing a framed piece of calligraphy, and that was that.

Lin Xu looked at him and said:

"Mr. Lishan, if you write ’The Number One Mansion Under Heaven’ for me, you won’t get any Stewed Catfish Head or Braised Fish for lunch today!"

Geng Lishan laughed heartily:

"Why would I write such words? Wait till you buy a courtyard with three or more entrances, then I’ll write it for you. A small duplex can’t claim to be the best under heaven."