Chapter 552: Chapter 547: First Day of Business at the Ocean Restaurant (Part 2)

The texture of this type of grouper’s meat is generally average, seeming a bit dry, but the fish skin is definitely good stuff, and the bigger it is, the more valuable it becomes. The dish ’Kunlun Abalone’ in the full-course Manchu Han Imperial Feast mainly uses this kind of grouper fish skin.

Wang Fan abandoned all pretense of decency to accomplish his task. Just as people were enjoying their fishing, he started grilling on the sea.

Even though the two boats were some distance apart, the delicious aroma from the grill wafted over without any issue.

The fish skin of this species lacks any fishy smell and has a high collagen content. The thick collagen melts under the heat of the fire, releasing a tantalizing aroma that irresistibly tempts every fisherman.

Old Pi looked incredulous at this moment. He had already spotted the nearby fishing boat. Although he couldn’t see the details, this aroma must have come from that legendary gourmet boss, right?

How could he be this lucky? Just miraculously encountering him like this?

Wang Fan dipped a brush into a sauce and brushed it over the fish skin, immediately elevating the aroma to an even higher level.

The sensible sea breeze blew the aroma over to the neighboring boat, making the fishermen who had been fishing for half a day involuntarily swallow their saliva.

On the sea, the meals could only be described as acceptable — not eating instant food every meal, yet they weren’t particularly delicious either. The stomachs, neglected for two days, began churning as soon as the brain received the signals from the nose, demanding to know the source of that aroma, refusing to rest until they tasted it.

To make the fishermen comply, Wang Fan not only prepared grilled fish skin but also made fish balls from the grouper meat. With experience in making exploding beef balls, crafting fish balls was but child’s play.

The grouper’s dry meat was perfect for making fish balls, achieving good flavor and a firm, bouncy texture.

Although the taste of the fish balls wasn’t as overwhelmingly powerful as the grilled fish skin, it was fresh and pleasant. Blown by the sea breeze into the fishermen’s noses, it felt like a feather gently teasing their taste buds. Calling their reaction a mere watering of the mouth would be an understatement — their mouths were practically waterfalls.

Old Pi believed more than half of his friends’ previous exaggerated claims now.

He had no choice but to believe. Even if he didn’t, the constant secretion of saliva in his mouth forced his trust.

A clear and sweet, an intense and fiery — these two distinct flavors were like a duo of black and white specters, dazzling his taste buds to disorientation.

Old Pi felt extremely anxious because the legendary delicacy was only a little over a hundred meters away now. However, between them lay a sea over 200 meters deep, and there was no way for him to swim over and indulge; his best chance would be to jump in and feed the fish.

Shen Teng watched the distant fishing boat and uncertainly asked, "Brother Wang, do you think they’ll come over to buy some food?"

Wang Fan chuckled and said, "If they come, we’ll sell it to them. If not, we’ll enjoy it ourselves. However, I think they’ll come; let the aroma linger a while longer."

Captain Wu wiped his mouth confidently and declared, "Once they smell the aroma, there’s no way they won’t come over. Normally, the stuff they eat is generally average, so the first thing they do when they get off the boat is find a place for a proper meal. With food as delicious as what Boss Wang makes, even after getting off the boat, they wouldn’t find anything like it. To encounter it here definitely isn’t something to miss."

After spending a night together, he was aware of Wang Fan’s identity. With the internet being so informative, it was hard to recognize him when everyone boarded due to heavy protection. But once the gear was off while eating, he found him familiar and later confirmed it through online news to be Wang Fan.

Previously, he might have thought those stories about him were exaggerated, but having tasted the food the previous night, its savory flavor was unparalleled. The rich taste still lingered at the back of his teeth, and he felt that the online praises were modest.

Wang Fan picked up a tong and placed a small piece of fish skin on a plate, drawing the eager eyes of Shen Teng and Captain Wu, who were waiting for Wang Fan to taste test it.

Wang Fan first smelled the aroma, a fresh fragrance shooting straight to his mind. The various barbecue spices mingled and elevated the savory flavor tremendously.

Biting into it after a light blow, the soft fish skin was easy to bite through, offering a tender, jelly-like texture. But the chewy collagen was so elastic it wouldn’t break free from Wang Fan’s mouth or the plate until it stretched over ten centimeters, making Captain Wu and Shen Teng swallow involuntarily.

Wang Fan chewed lightly, the chewy fish skin quickly surrendering to the teeth after a slight resistance, transforming into a slightly sticky, melt-in-the-mouth tender fish meat.

A thin layer of chili provided an intense and fiery aroma and flavor, a pinch of salt was like the finishing touch that fully activated the delicious fish meat, and the cumin seeds were like pearls, bursting in the mouth and adding a wild charm to the grilled grouper skin.

"Delicious." Shen Teng couldn’t help himself, grabbing a tong and serving himself a piece. For Brother Wang to deem something ’delicious,’ it must have reached an irresistibly high level.

He blew on it twice and eagerly bit into it without hesitation.

The fresh, blazing, and overwhelmingly powerful aroma instantly made Shen Teng fall in love with it.

Captain Wu found himself in an awkward position. No one invited him, so he couldn’t just take some, could he?

But if he didn’t, the aroma was like an excavator claw scratching at his heart; resisting it was impossible!

At that moment, Wang Fan’s voice sounded like heavenly music in his ears: "Captain Wu, have some with us."

In a flash, Captain Wu handed his plate to Wang Fan, excitedly saying, "Thank you, Boss Wang, I’ll give your boat fee a 30% discount this time!"

Wang Fan laughed and said, "Thank you, Captain Wu then."

Although Shen Teng wasn’t lacking money, saving some wouldn’t hurt; the boss seemed like a man of character — refusing his offer might make future visits awkward, possibly leaving one feeling indebted.

Although the fish they were eating was pricey, it was nothing compared to the 30% they were saving.

Captain Wu was utterly thrilled, not only meeting the legendary gourmet boss but on his fishing boat!

Wasn’t this like keeping the delightful food to oneself?

Enjoying it alone brought immense satisfaction, and continuing to enjoy it alone brought ongoing satisfaction!

He picked up his phone and snapped a few photos, sending them to his old friend, Captain Wei, not far away.

"Old Wei, take a look at our food here — the ultimate wild gourmet boss Boss Wang personally grilled it; the flavor... wow... ooph!"

His words brimmed with a sense of pride.

Captain Wei also noticed the situation here. Looking at the photos in hand, smelling the constantly tempting aroma, and seeing that eye-catching "wow... ooph!" on his phone, all it took were these unsaid expressions to convey the flavor directly to his ’stomach.’

Just how tasty must it be to elicit such exclamations?!

Licking his lips and swallowing again, Captain Wei eagerly looked over at Captain Wu’s boat.

He really wanted to taste it!

At that moment, Old Pi, Old Jack, and others approached Captain Wei. Captain Wei couldn’t resist, nor could they hold out much longer. Although the passion for fishing surpassed everything, isn’t a man as good only as his food?

Old Pi asked, "Captain Wei, can we move the boat closer? I want to ask if Boss Wang’s grilled food is for sale; it smells too good, and I can’t concentrate on fishing!"

The others chorused in agreement: "Yeah, it’s almost like a mental attack, no way to defend."

"The aroma is so captivating I nearly jumped into the sea to swim over."

"Let’s move over; it’s unbearable!"

Captain Wei was quite tempted; he couldn’t withstand the aroma either but was still a little troubled. "If we go over, you all have to reel in your lines, and they will have to reel in theirs too. Won’t that be wasting your precious fishing time?"

Old Pi replied casually, "There’s plenty of time; we don’t mind waiting a bit. We’ve just discussed it and are willing to reel our lines in and move over. Why don’t you ask if the people on the other boat can reel theirs in too?"

Captain Wei was overjoyed, promptly responding, "Sure, the captain of that boat is my friend; I’ll ask him right away."