Chapter 1467 - 570: Tangy, Spicy, and Refreshing Raw Fish—Delicious as Expected! New Side Quest! [Happy New Year]_2

Chapter 1467: Chapter 570: Tangy, Spicy, and Refreshing Raw Fish—Delicious as Expected! New Side Quest! [Happy New Year]_2

After Yuan Debiao finished speaking, he specifically took out a bottle of vinegar from the cabinet.

Dai Jianli pointed to the condiment area next to the stove:

"There’s so much vinegar here, isn’t it enough?"

"Those vinegars won’t do. The rice vinegar brewed in the Northeast is the best, especially the vinegar from Fuyuan. It’s the most suitable for making raw fish. If you use Chen Vinegar or aromatic vinegar, the taste will completely change."

Is it really that particular?

Lin Xu didn’t expect that making a cold dish would require locally produced rice vinegar.

He grew even more expectant of this delicious dish.

Whether it’s good or not, the level of meticulousness alone makes it worth a try.

Soon, the preparations were complete. Yuan Debiao cut the crispy-fried fish skin into strips, then brought out the chilled fish and various side dishes to start making the dish.

He didn’t mix it directly as a cold dish, but first drizzled the fried chili oil over the fish, then used chopsticks to stir it, making sure every piece of fish was coated in chili oil.

"The vinegar will dilute the freshness of the fish itself, and salt has a dehydrating effect, so you have to first coat the fish with chili oil to prevent the vinegar and salt from directly contacting the fish."

Once mixed, he divided the fish into two portions.

One portion was mixed with potato strips, chopped cilantro, and other side dishes, with some white sugar and salt, drizzled with fried chili segments, and sprinkled with roasted peanut shreds and sesame shredded, then drizzled with half a bowl of Northeast rice vinegar.

Mix evenly and serve on a plate.

This Han version of raw fish looks very similar to a large mixed salad.

If you don’t look carefully, you can’t even see the fish inside.

This approach matches the attitude of most Han people towards eating raw fish, mixing it with a large amount of side dishes to pretend not to see the raw fish, making it psychologically easier to eat.

After finishing this dish, Yuan Debiao made the Hezhe Clan version of raw fish.

He placed the fish and sliced fish skin in a basin, added some shredded green onions, salt, and white sugar, stirred it, and then drizzled with half a bowl of Northeast rice vinegar.

Mix well and it’s ready.

Compared to the Han version of raw fish, which is like a large mixed salad, this dish is relatively simple, and the ingredients required are clear, with the golden fried fish skin paired with fish full of spicy oil, visually more appealing.

The dishes were ready, and Yuan Debiao shredded a smoked chicken, then sliced a smoked platter, mainly consisting of smoked sausage, smoked eggs, smoked hock, smoked beef, and other braised flavors.

These dishes, paired with sauerkraut stewed blood sausage and pork stewed with vermicelli, along with some small cold dishes, made lunch ready.

There were many dishes and few people, so Yuan Debiao directly invited his two assistants to join.

Lin Xu wasn’t really hungry, but after watching Yuan Debiao make the raw fish and seeing the dishes on the table, he instinctively swallowed.

Once everyone was seated, they started eating.

Originally, Yuan Debiao had prepared Northeast grain liquor, but Lin Xu had to drive back later and couldn’t drink, and Xie Baomin and Dai Jianli had to film a restaurant review in the afternoon, so they couldn’t drink either.

So they simply decided against it.

Lin Xu picked up a chicken leg from the smoked chicken and tasted it. The chicken was tender, especially the area around the drumstick, which still had a lot of juice. This fresh taste paired with a smoky flavor gave the chicken a unique taste.

It was really delicious, making one want to have a couple of drinks of liquor.

After tasting the smoked chicken, Lin Xu picked up a chopstick of the Han version of raw fish that looked like a large mixed salad and tried it. It was indeed good, sour and spicy, refreshing and crisp.

When it entered the mouth, it just felt like eating a chopstick of vegetables, with no sense of the fish’s presence.

But as you started chewing, you could distinctly feel a burst of rich freshness in the mouth, making the whole body feel pleasant with each bite.

Additionally, the fragrant and spicy chili oil, the aroma of roasted sesame and peanut shreds, the crunchiness of various ingredients, and a slight sweet aftertaste all made it unforgettable.

"Wow, this dish is perfect for pairing with liquor."

Dai Jianli praised it, immediately picking up another bite to eat.

The advantage of the Han eating method is that it uses side dishes to cover the presence of the fish, so it tastes fresh and tender, but you can’t feel the fish’s presence, making it psychologically easier to accept.

After trying it, Lin Xu picked up a chopstick of the Hezhe Clan raw fish.

This time, psychologically, there was a slight resistance, not because it tasted bad, but mainly because seeing a chopstick of raw fish about to enter the mouth was a bit hard to get used to.

However, to taste the delicious dish, Lin Xu still ate it.

The refreshing spicy fish entered the mouth, full of fresh flavor.

And when chewing the fish skin, the crispy texture and flavor provided a finishing touch to the dish, especially the crispy fish scales, which contrasted strongly with the tender and crunchy fish.

"Delicious, both methods are very satisfying. Thank you, Chef Yuan, for letting me taste such a delicacy."

If it weren’t for Yuan Debiao, Lin Xu might never have willingly eaten such raw fish in his life.

Of course, this isn’t absolute, because if he learns Cantonese cuisine later, Shunde raw fish is definitely a hurdle he can’t avoid.

Not to mention all kinds of Chaoshan sake marinades, it’s impossible to completely avoid eating raw meat.

After tasting the dishes on the table, everyone started eating with a bowl of rice.

Even though raw fish isn’t considered a dish to have with rice, eating it with rice had its own unique flavor, especially after eating blood sausage and pork stewed vermicelli, then having a chopstick of raw fish, it felt really great.

Yuan Debiao said to Lin Xu:

"Come over more often when you’re free. Our Building No. 8 may not have much else, but our various Northeast dishes are quite popular. If you want to try Russian flavors, we can also make those."