Chapter 245 - Chapter 217: Oranjack Escabeche
*Welcome, everyone, to Mion and Shou's Relaxed Showtime!
I'm your commentator, Mion. Nice to meet you!*
[Kokudo] "It's starting!"
[Bearmen] "
[Calico] "Where are we starting from today~?"
[Molto] "
etc. etc...
Thank you all, as always. Today, Shou-kun is at the port again. Oh, and Shou-kun's cooking will be featured!
At her words, comments expecting a food terror stream, along with the Selkie Prince, flowed by at an incredible pace.
Huh? Did they find out he was a prince after the stream? Well, never mind, I'll just talk about it if it comes up naturally.
Alright, then, I'll connect to the island right away. Shou-kun, Lupi-chan, Sweee-chan!
"Welcome, Mion."
"Woof-hn."
"~~~♪"
After waiting a bit for the cheers for Lupi and Sweee to calm down, I was prompted to explain today's stream with the usual lines.
What are we doing on today's stream?
"Um, during the day, I caught fish with the Selkies, so this stream is just me treating them to that, I guess?"
The Selkie already seems popular, but it's not just that one child, you know.
I wonder how they'll react if nearly 30 of them show up…
Yes. So, can you call them right away?
"Roger. Um, I received this whistle, and if I blow it, they'll come."
Just a light blow, like before, and a clear, pleasant sound echoed throughout the bay.
And then the Selkies appeared… plural.
[Gossol] "Ohh!"
[Natai] "Huh?"
[Rossan] "Whoa lol They multiplied lolol"
[Nasi Goreng] "Shou-kun, are you already a king?"
[Rakkasan] "This is a different game!"
etc. etc...
"""Kyuu~♪"""
It was good that all the Selkies came ashore, but they were all carrying fish, so I should start cooking right away.
"Um, please put the fish you brought here for now."
I had them place the fish in a washing area I made out of stone walls.
First, I'll prepare [Oranjack (horse mackerel)] carpaccio as an appetizer.
"Alright, while I'm cooking, let's have a Q&A session, slowly if possible."
Yes!
Glancing at the questions starting to flow, I quickly made the carpaccio since I'd made it before.
I filleted the Oranjack, sliced it thinly, and sprinkled it with salt.
Adding [Lycos (tomato)], [Lexon (watercress)], and salt-boiled green [Glycine (edamame)] for a rich color.
It might be a bit raw-smelling, so I squeezed some Greenberry Fruit tightly and sprinkled some black pepper, made from Leppelin, over it.
[Nantsuu] "Pepper!"
[Master Chef] "There's pepper on the island!?"
[Linley] "Huh? Pepper, seriously?"
[Imanity] "Whoa~! Export it~!"
etc. etc...
Hm? Is pepper such a rare ingredient or seasoning? Like, is the quantity low or the quality not great, something like that?
"Alright. You can take the finished portions to the table and eat them."
"""Kyuu~♪"""
It's helpful that the older Selkies seemed to be helping with serving.
The little ones eating the vegetables with relish was a relief, but several adults (?) were keenly interested in my cooking.
Come to think of it, what do they usually eat? Is it raw fish, like sashimi, I wonder? Have they ever used a knife…
Shou-kun, first question. Please tell us about the relationship between you and the Selkies.
"Ah, relationship, huh? Well, first, if I call them and ask them to work, I have to pay them for that work.
What I'm treating them to now is probably the reward for helping me gather seafood during the day."
[Marusan] "An employment relationship!"
[Melsou] "That sounds very proper."
[Mattoru] "Is that a system restriction?"
[Draichisan] "Can you understand each other?"
etc. etc...
Oh, right. That's because I haven't shown them the prerequisite item.
Since I'm at it, I might as well reveal the [Spirit Magic] +1 matter.
"Um, I got this from the first Selkie I met."
I paused my hands for a moment and held up the [Selkie Whistle] pendant hanging around my neck.
Showing them the appraisal results should be the quickest way.
[Visioner] "Whoa! Another insane item! lol"
[Mii] "Spirit Magic +1!?"
[Lufan] "Swimming and Diving are subtly good too!"
[Seiki] "What's that visible next to it?"
[Diash] "Huh, isn't that Mithril?"
etc. etc...
Oh, the [Spirit Magic] +1 was added when Shou-kun turned it into a pendant, right?
"Yeah. And this holder is Mithril."
It's probably okay to reveal everything about this pendant now, right?
No, I'll keep the matter of Lupi's mother's fang pendant secret for now and only talk about it when Mion brings it up.
"Kyu?"
"Oh, sorry, sorry."
Two Selkie girls looked puzzled that my hands had stopped.
Lupi can hear Mion's voice, and Sweee too? Which about the Selkie Prince…
"KyuKyu~♪"
"Huh? Oh, um, can you use a kitchen knife?"
"Kyu!"
It was a response that felt like "leave it to me," so I decided to take out a spare kitchen knife from my inventory and hand it over.
I was quite worried if they could handle it properly, but they skillfully wielded the knife, filleting the fish perfectly into three pieces.
[Master Chef] "Splendid!"
[Sac] "How are they holding the knife?"
[Inakayama] "Their cooking skill looks high!"
[Fel] "It's so mysterious, I'm laughing lol"
etc. etc...
"Huh? Um, next, slice it thinly like this…"
"Kyuu~♪"
When I showed them, they easily did the same.
And the other one,
"KyuKyu?"
"Huh, oh, after this, do it like so…"
For the salt-boiled Glycine, I put in the beans, and for the Lexon, I tore it by hand.
When I showed them how to make the seasoning, and the final touches with Greenberry Fruit and black pepper, they easily mastered it.
That's amazing!
"I feel like if I don't make this myself, it won't count as a reward, is that okay?"
[Shakeena] "You're providing ingredients other than fish, so it's OK ('▽')"
[Master Chef] "Teaching is also part of the reward."
[Daytron] "
[Messerin] "Mion-chan, why don't you learn to cook from Shou-kun too?"
etc. etc...
Oh, right. It's okay because I'm providing everything but the fish.
I don't think it's really "teaching," but they seem eager, so is it alright?
"Alright, I'll leave this to them and make some fried food."
Yes. Also, the pendant story was interrupted.
"Oh, sorry! I was able to mine Mithril from a mining spot in the ruins, but it was in a place I couldn't reach."
I filleted the remaining Oranjack, sprinkled it with salt and white pepper, and continued the story. I should probably start heating up the frying pan.
Did I explain the unreachable location before? I thought about making a ladder eventually, but then I tried using [Civil Engineering Skill]'s [Excavation Magic] and it worked out.
[Shidenkai] "You can dig with [Excavation Magic]?"
[Acmon] "Sauté? Meunière?"
[Minsel] "Was that white pepper just now…?"
[Donden] "I'm so curious about both the story and the cooking, I can't focus! lol"
etc. etc...
After that, we couldn't mine any more Mithril, could we?
"That's right. Well, I've been sparingly using it for accessories, so… alright, is this good enough?"
I put the potato starch made from Audapra onto a wooden plate, patted it onto the fillets, then put them into a frying pan with sesame oil.
A delicious juwa sound, the oil chirichiri popped, and a fragrant aroma…
Is this different from the two-color fried dish you made for us the other day?
"Oh, yeah, it's different from that one."
I thought, Wait, should I really say that? but it was already too late…
The comment section was reacting as if I was about to explode, but I decided to ignore it.
While it cooked thoroughly, I thinly sliced the [Rudish (radish)] that had been soaked in water and boiled Hermit Bamboo.
"Then, dissolve sugar in Grapeful Vinegar, add the fried fish and vegetables together, and it's done. It's tastier if you let it sit for a while, but… yep, it's delicious."
The perfectly cooled Oranjack paired wonderfully with the sweet-and-sour Grapeful Vinegar and crisp vegetables.
[Linley] "Nanbanzuke!"
[Gafugafu] "Whoa, it's Nanbanzuke! Definitely delicious…"
[Meshisukii] "I want white rice~"
[Daytron] "
etc. etc...
Is it called Nanbanzuke?
"Yeah. I don't know the origin of the name either, though."
I wonder if it was introduced during the Edo period or something.