Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe-Chapter 129 - 114: Preparing Stock, Lobster and Fish Tartare

Sure enough, the ancestors were right; people must have dreams from a young age.

Just like him, now that he's grown up, he's here to realize his childhood dreams.

Removing the bones from fish.

After spending a long time finishing the task, he then serves it to the guests.

Thinking of this, his eyes couldn't help but feel slightly sour.

Luckily, he will be eating it himself later.

"Hey, when you were kids, what was the thing you looked forward to most on holidays?"

Feeling bored while deboning, he casually chats with the two women.

"When I was little? Let me think… summer break? Oh, wait, I still look forward to summer break even now."

"Waking up the day after Christmas to find socks stuffed full of gifts!!"

Elsa is still young, having just turned 18 not long ago, and she reflexively blurts out in this conversation.

"Oh? You mean Santa Claus?"

Dais nods in agreement: "Yes, Christmas gifts definitely count as one."

Lin Chen's lips curl upwards.

"But, there's no such thing as Santa Claus in the world."

"......"

"......"

The two women roll their eyes dramatically.

"Of course I know that, chef! I'm already a mother of three kids; how could I not be clear?"

"Chef, don't tell kids that; it's troublesome when they start crying."

"Chef, you don't have a girlfriend, do you?"

"......Making money makes me happy! Women only affect the speed at which I draw my knife."

"Chef, how old are you this year, if you don't mind me asking? I'm only 26, and my eldest son is already 6."

"…Do you have any dietary restrictions?"

Dais wears a victor's smile, making a victory gesture openly toward Elsa, then says, "Just don't add walnuts; I'm allergic to them."

Elsa playfully sticks her tongue out in response: "I don't have any dietary restrictions or allergies; maybe that's the advantage of being mixed-race?"

Lin Chen wipes away the nonexistent cold sweat on his forehead, secretly vowing that it's best to avoid provoking women in the future, as foreign women aren't easy to deal with either.

After handling various fish and shellfish and skimming the foam from the two pots of broth on the stove, it's time to start making the appetizers.

Tonight's dinner is just a casual preparation, not a formal menu—it's a simple try-out, so there's no mental stress; everything is done comfortably.

The previously detached lobster claws and joint meat are placed in a skimmer and boiled in lobster broth, then immediately chilled in ice water to ensure the meat is firm and bouncy.

The broth hasn't cooked for long, so the flavor isn't intense, which won't enhance the lobster meat—in fact, a hint of the lobster taste will linger in the broth.

This method is quite common in Western cuisine, taking the recycling of ingredients to the extreme.

The cherry tomatoes are lightly blanched, chilled, peeled, and hollowed out, with the remaining pulp diced into small cubes, mixing with sweet onion cubes and diced tri-color bell peppers, adding a bit of minced garlic, lemon juice, sea salt, and black pepper, stirring thoroughly.

This is familiar to every foreigner—the simplest method of making tomato salsa, but it's not over yet.

Lin Chen takes a pineapple, slices off the peel with a few swift cuts, removing all the tender fruit flesh while leaving only the central rectangular core.

Of course, the core shouldn't be wasted; chopped and blended with some water in a blender to make a puree and then strained to extract the juice, boiled to evaporate excess water, leaving pure pineapple juice.

After cooking, the pineapple juice, which originally had hardly any tartness, becomes even sweeter and fragrant, completely losing any sour taste; it's directly thrown into the freezer with the pot to quickly cool down.

A small amount of pineapple flesh is diced and mixed into the tomato salsa to add sweetness, with a bit of boiled pineapple juice added and stirred evenly.

Using a spoon to taste a little, Lin Chen nods in satisfaction, it's the tropical flavor he wants.

But even this is not enough; it's too ordinary and requires more flavor collisions.

Original-flavored potato chips as the base, avocado cubes layered on top, followed by a layer of veggie salsa, and finally, lobster meat chunks.

The Southeast Asian-style spicy sour sauce, the international version of Lao Gan Ma, is the Sriracha chili sauce mixed with a bit of pineapple juice, a few drops lightly drizzled over the lobster meat, and it's done.

The finished dish wasn't made in large quantities, just three servings, each person tasting one bite first.

The golden-hued, curved potato chip covered in colorful ingredients looks irresistibly tempting just visually—the refreshing fruit aroma gives a whiff that makes one's mouth water uncontrollably.

The best way to enjoy this kind of tartare-like food is to stuff it all in one bite, to experience the chemical reactions as different ingredients collide in the mouth.

"Crunch"

The crispy potato chip breaks first; the faint salty taste activates the taste buds, followed by a tangy, spicy flavor on the palate—that's the chili sauce at work.

The soft, mashed avocado pairs with the sweet and sour tomato pineapple salsa, the subtle black pepper flavor faintly present.

The saltiness isn't strong, perfectly balanced, while the sweet and sour taste is more prominent.

As you chew, the teeth encounter the firm, bouncy lobster meat chunks, a rich seafood aroma hits you; the flesh is tender and juicy, unmistakably the taste from fresh lobster.

Most restaurants, for convenience, even when using fresh lobster, will pre-remove the meat and freeze it for storage.

Frozen lobster meat loses part of its bouncy texture, with juices gradually diminishing with prolonged freezing, becoming dry and tough.

Therefore, the easiest way to discern whether such shrimp and crab seafood is fresh is by the texture of the flesh; if it's still in the shell, clinging to the shell also indicates prolonged freezing.