Listening to Xu’s introduction, everyone immediately looked toward the kitchen in the center of the restaurant. The entire kitchen was enclosed by bright floor-to-ceiling windows, offering an unobstructed view of everything inside.
They saw the seafood they had just bought all placed together into red plastic baskets. The chefs sprayed the seafood down with a high-pressure water gun, and finally, two female staff members quickly cleaned the rinsed seafood. Once the preliminary cleaning was complete, the plastic baskets were handed off to different chefs.
With the chefs’ skillful movements, various seafood dishes began to take shape.
The bitter snails were tossed into boiling water for a quick blanch, preserving their most original and fresh flavor. After boiling, the bitter snails appeared crystal clear with a firm texture. Carrying the salty freshness of seawater, they were simple yet delicious.
The crabs underwent more meticulous preparation. Each one was skillfully dismantled by a chef before being quickly stir-fried with ginger and scallions. During the stir-frying process, the crab meat absorbed the aroma of the aromatics. The meat was fresh, sweet, and plump, making every bite a perfect combination of crab, ginger, and scallion.
The small groupers were lightly pan-fried in a wok until both sides turned golden brown, followed by a sprinkle of ginger slices. Next, boiling water was poured in. Under the rolling boil of a high flame, it only took a moment for the fish soup to turn a milky white.
After a simple cleaning and prep, the octopus was thrown into a piping hot iron wok for a rapid stir-fry. Onions, garlic, and ginger slices were continuously tossed together with it. Under the high heat, every tentacle quickly crisped up. The exterior was slightly charred while the meat inside remained firm. Paired with a little chili and minced garlic, the hot and spicy flavor instantly awakened the taste buds. After being flash-fried, the octopus and all its ingredients were dumped onto a sizzling hot iron plate. Instantly, a thick cloud of oily smoke billowed from the surface.
The small red clams were all split in half and topped with a pre-made minced garlic sauce. The tray was then placed into the steamer, and a rich garlic aroma immediately began to permeate the kitchen.
The chefs divided the labor, each handling a specific dish. In just a short while, these meticulously prepared seafood delicacies were served one by one.
Looking at the table full of seafood, Li Xiao was quite satisfied. Everything had been cleaned thoroughly, and the speed was fast. Although these were the simplest of cooking methods, for fresh seafood just pulled from the ocean, this style of preparation was completely sufficient.
Li Xiao gave the word, and everyone didn’t stand on ceremony, picking up their chopsticks and digging in.
His attention quickly landed on the bitter snails in front of him. He truly had never eaten this stuff before.
Li Xiao picked up a bitter snail and gently used a bamboo skewer to pry out the meat. The chef’s control over the cooking time was quite impressive; with just a gentle flick, the entire piece of snail meat was pulled out by the skewer. Li Xiao pinched off the innards at the back of the snail meat and tossed the rest into his mouth.
A faint taste of seawater, accompanied by the fresh flavor of the bitter snail, burst in his mouth. The flavor came on rather fiercely, making him involuntarily furrow his brows.
Xu and the female stall owner had indeed mentioned that this thing naturally had a certain bitterness to it, but Li Xiao had assumed it would be very mild. He hadn’t expected the bitterness to be much stronger than he had imagined. No wonder bitter snails were almost never seen in outside seafood markets and could only serve as a special local delicacy. Putting aside everything else, just this bitterness alone made it somewhat hard to accept. If someone didn’t know any better, they might even think the snail itself was poisonous.
Beside him, Zhou Shishi had moved very nimbly. She was even faster than Li Xiao, and at this moment, she had already spat the bitter snail out of her mouth.
“Wow, isn’t this snail way too bitter? Did they break the gallbladder while cooking? Why is it so bitter?” she complained.
Since Zhou Shishi had been picking out pretty seashells at another stall when Li Xiao bought the bitter snails, she had no idea they were supposed to be bitter.
Just as Li Xiao was considering whether he should spit out the snail meat too, the unique bitterness of the snail seemed to slowly fade away as his teeth continued to chew. A distinct, sweet aftertaste began to linger on the tip of his tongue. A hint of surprise flashed in his mind as a guess began to form. So, he suppressed the urge to spit it out and continued chewing instead. With continuous chewing, the sweet aftertaste grew stronger in his previously bitter mouth, eventually overpowering the bitterness completely.
At this moment, Xu explained from the side, “Miss Zhou, it’s not a broken gallbladder. The bitter snail just tastes like this naturally.
“You might not be used to it the first time you eat it. It’s best to dip it in plenty of soy sauce and wasabi to mask the bitterness.
“Once you chew it a few more times, you’ll feel a sweet aftertaste in your mouth and on your tongue. The bitterness will disappear by then.”
Listening to Xu’s explanation, Li Xiao chewed even more vigorously. Just as Xu had explained, blanching completely retained the bitter snail’s original flavor. Without any extra seasoning to cover it up, there was only a trace of salty seawater and the natural sweetness of the snail meat. Although he hadn’t used soy sauce and wasabi to suppress the bitterness, it was precisely because of this that he could better appreciate the bitter snail’s unique sweet aftertaste.
During the tasting process, Li Xiao felt the subtle changes contained within the bitter snail’s flesh. At first, it was the rich bitterness of the snail, followed by a slight sweet aftertaste and fresh seafood flavor. Then, it gradually transformed into a mild sweetness and a strong sweet aftertaste, finishing with a deeply integrated savory saltiness. This unique transition of flavor profiles made him marvel; though blanched bitter snails seemed simple, they hid an extremely rich depth of flavor.
Swallowing the snail meat, Li Xiao finally understood why the locals never tired of it—the layers of flavor were simply too abundant.
[Congratulations, you have unlocked the 52nd index entry.]
[The culinary index entry you have unlocked is: Blanched Bitter Snails.]
[Dish rating: 89 points (Good).]
[Since this dish’s rating is Excellent, rewards x3.]
[Congratulations, you have received a cash reward: 400,000.]
[Congratulations, you have received a cash reward: 400,000.]
[Congratulations, you have received a cash reward: 400,000.]
…
Zhou Shishi looked at the other four people who were continuously eating the snail meat, and countless question marks instantly popped into her head. She wondered if her senses had just been playing tricks on her. With that thought, she picked up another bitter snail, pried the meat out, and put it in her mouth.
She only chewed a few times before her facial features scrunched together in disgust.
Seeing her like this, Li Xiao held back his amusement and hurriedly advised, “If you can’t eat it, then don’t.
“Everyone’s tolerance for bitterness is different. Some people’s taste buds are indeed more sensitive to it.
“You’re probably the more sensitive type, and since you’ve never eaten it before, there’s no way you can adapt to it right away.
“Don’t force yourself. If you can’t eat the bitter snails, just eat something else.”