Chapter One Hundred and Six: Not Sure If Eating Fish Makes You Smarter, but It’s Certainly Delicious
“Ah! So this one had eggs…”
“Does having eggs mean we can’t eat it?”
“The eggs take away nutrients, so the flavor of the meat decreases…”
We moved to a spot near an inlet, a bit away from our previous location, and I resumed fishing… On the fifth cast, I managed to hook a fish!
Now, I’m filleting it after bleeding it out, but… I didn’t expect golden eggs to spill out when I split open the belly to remove the innards… After separating the eggs into another container, I cut the large fish into three fillets, revealing white flesh a bit different from the last time I saw it. Before, it had a cloudy white appearance due to the heavy fat, but now the flesh looks much more translucent.
Hmm… This color reminds me of the white flesh of small rainbow trout from managed fishing ponds… I scrap off the meat stuck to the backbone and taste it… Hmm. It’s not completely devoid of umami or fat, but it feels a bit watery…
“Is it not… delicious?”
“The fat and flavor seem to have lessened, but I think I can make it delicious if I enhance those! The eggs should definitely be tasty!”
I must have made quite a dubious face after tasting it. Ms. Aria is peering at me with downcast eyebrows.
It’s just a bit more watery than when I ate it before, but it’s still perfectly edible! If I enhance the fat and umami… the richness, I think I can make it delicious.
The eggs, wrapped in a thin membrane, are round and plump. I think they might be delicious if I separate them like salmon roe and marinate them in seasoning.
For now, let’s set the eggs aside… and start preparing the fish.
“The skin has gotten quite tough, it might be better to remove it…”
‘Is it tough? Should I go sha-sha on it?’
“Why does it get tough?”
“They say it’s to protect the fish when it digs into the riverbed for spawning, or to prevent injury during territorial fights…”
The skin, covered densely with scales, has thickened considerably and become quite tough. Even the super-sharp knife from Campy feels resistance. Chewing through this would be a challenge, so I’ll just remove it from the start!
Because it’s tough, peeling the skin isn’t too difficult. I managed to remove it without leaving much flesh on it. Next, I roughly trim off the belly bones… these, along with the head and backbone, disappear into Gomamiso’s stomach as a snack.
“Now I cut this into bite-sized pieces and season it with salt, pepper, and special spices.”
“Amazing! It smells so good!”
“I’m using curry powder as a base, which should help mask any fishy smell.”
I thinly slice the remaining meat and begin seasoning it. Soon, the light fragrance of curry fills the inside of the car. Other scents tickle my nose too—the sweet yet pungent smell of cumin and coriander. To compensate for the lack of fat and umami and eliminate the watery taste… curry was the only thing I could think of! This time, I’m thinking of making a slightly ethnic… MT Pad Pong Curry!
…Huh? What’s MT Pad Pong Curry, you ask?
Well, in Poo Pad Pong Curry—Thai Crab Curry—“Poo” means crab, “Pad” means stir-fry, and “Pong” means powder… So I’m replacing the “Poo” part with milk trout—MT for short—making it a Milk Trout Stir-fry With Curry Powder, or, for short, a spiced curry stir-fry.
After quickly washing the cutting board, I slice some onions and garlic.
“First, I’ll quickly sauté the milk trout… set it aside, then fry the garlic and onions…”
“It smells delicious! The smell alone is tasty!”
“The smell of curry really stimulates the appetite, doesn’t it? I’ll finish the rest when the men return!”
Ms. Aria, holding Gomamiso who looks satisfied after its snack, is twitching her well-shaped nose. Gomamiso, too, wiggles its nose and gives a "pepshoo" sneeze, which sounds suspiciously close to a certain trademark.
While watching Ms. Aria absentmindedly fluff Gomamiso’s belly fur, I return the milk trout flesh to the frying pan with the sautéed onions and garlic… and turn off the heat for now.
Everyone’s not back yet, so I’ll finish it a bit later.
While I’m at it, I might as well make a liquid seasoning with the eggs I stocked up on yesterday, some milk, my special spice mix, soy sauce, and sugar.
Next, I heat some water on the free burner, making sure it doesn’t reach a full boil…
“I need to remove this membrane from the eggs, but it’s quite troublesome to do by hand…”
“Yes, it’s stuck on tight…”
‘I’m not good with delicate stuff!’
“…Or so you might think, but there’s actually an easy trick to remove it!”
“There’s such a method…!”
When I suggested the idea like in a TV shopping program, Ms. Aria got into it despite not fully understanding what I was talking about.
In front of her eager eyes, I pour the hot water—not boiling, but certainly hot enough to scald—into a bowl and dissolve a generous amount of salt.
Preparation complete!
Now, I just need to pick up the clump of eggs with chopsticks and swish them around in the salt water. The eggs will naturally separate! I think it’s probably because the heat denatures the protein in the membrane… but I’m not entirely sure.
Once most of the eggs have separated into individual grains, I quickly drain them in a colander… then put them in lukewarm salt water at the temperature of bath water to clean off any remaining membrane and remove small debris. And that’s it!
Even though I’m putting them in hot water, I am not leaving them in for long, so they won’t cook. Some people say the egg skin becomes tough, but I’ve never found it an issue…
“True! They’re all separate!”
“This method is so easy and saves a lot of trouble. But wow, these are really golden!”
“They’re beautiful… Like treasure!”
“Indeed… It’s like edible jewels.”
The separated eggs are transparent and sparkling. It’s like a collection of citrine beads!
Responding to Ms. Aria’s mesmerized words, I blurted out something like a famous food critic.
…Was there no other way to say it, me!?
Anyway, I want to preserve this color as much as possible…
I think I’ll make a light-colored marinade based on salt, with a bit of alcohol and a base for noodles… Yes. A light amber color shouldn’t interfere with the golden eggs… I hope!
Just after putting the deep small bowl of eggs and marinade in the fridge, I hear several voices and footsteps approaching noisily.
Yup. Looks like the men have returned.
“Well then, shall I finish up the meal?!”
“I can’t wait! I’ll prepare the plates!”
Ms. Aria, having put Gomamiso down, is preparing the plates with barely contained excitement. Gomamiso looks disgruntled at being put down… but well, it’s probably hard to resist the temptation of food, right?
As I pour the egg mixture into the sizzling, lively frying pan, I glance back toward the now-noisy door.
“We’re back, Rin, Aria…! And wow, that smell is making me incredibly hungry!”
“Welcome back! The food will be ready soon, so please wait a moment!”
Watching the men’s eyes sparkle as soon as they return, I give the frying pan a big shake. The creamy, fluffy eggs trace a parabola in the air before returning to the pan.
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