The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 336: Chapter 336: Eel Rice Bowl

Although he was a bit embarrassed, Professor Wang still made his request to Han Xiaorui.

This was because the fish was truly precious, had excellent nourishing effects for people, and held great potential for aquaculture.

Han Xiaorui was, of course, willing to farm an expensive fish.

The meat from the farmed fish could be sold to seafood restaurants, while the fish maws would be kept and processed into premium ingredients and health supplements.

Chen Yishui added her praise. ”A couple of days ago, I heard Professor Wang say that the Big Yellow Fish farmed last year are in great condition. They can be raised on a large scale in the future. That way, even with fishing moratoriums, we won’t have to worry, since the farms can produce Big Yellow Fish.”

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”Yes, that’s a key part of our work! However, we’re limited by economic development around here and don’t have many places suitable for marine aquaculture.”

Chen Yishui thought for a moment, then blinked. ”Captain, if you can’t farm adult fish on a large scale, you could develop fish fry!”

”If you have good quality fry, the cycle is short and the returns are quick! You could sell them to fish farmers in Hangzhou Bay, Fujian, or other places. The profits would be huge.”

Han Xiaorui’s eyes lit up when she heard this. ”Sister Shui, I think you’ve made an excellent point! The development here in Jinshan Bay can’t go against local policies.”

”So our future fishery development will inevitably be affected! We can’t develop large-scale aquaculture, but raising fish fry doesn’t have such strict space limitations.”

Chen Yishui smiled. ”Exactly. My mom often says at home that we might be able to develop specialty seafood and tourism around here.”

”If you could cultivate Big Yellow Fish fry that are easy to raise and disease-resistant, you’d definitely make a lot of money.”

”After all, wild Big Yellow Fish are getting rarer, but they’re delicious. Even the farmed ones taste better than other fish. Plus, they’re a brilliant gold color, which is festive.”

”Take these Yellowlip Fish in the live well, for example. Whoever could cultivate farmable Yellowlip Fish fry could just sit at home and get rich.”

”You have the skills to raise those delicate ornamental goldfish from the fish farms, Captain. I believe that with a little more investment, you could cultivate good Big Yellow Fish and Yellowlip Fish fry too.”

”During the fishing moratorium, if the farm needs people, just say the word. We’d be willing to work even without pay. It’s boring sitting around at home anyway.”

Han Xiaorui smiled. ”I can’t have you working for free. I’ll still have to pay a basic wage.”

After the condition of the Yellowlip Fish stabilized, Han Xiaorui returned to the deck.

Liang Xiaoyu pointed to a bucket. ”Xiao Rui, these are eels! They’re incredibly nutritious. Let’s have an eel rice bowl for lunch.”

Han Xiaorui’s eyes lit up. ”Sounds great! It’s been ages since I’ve had that!”

Liu Huamei carried the bucket of eels away. ”Just you wait and see! Lunch in half an hour!”

Lunch wasn’t even ready, but a fragrant aroma was already wafting from the galley.

Twenty minutes later, all the fish on deck had been dealt with.

Everyone washed their hands, took a short break, and it was time for lunch.

Han Xiaorui noticed today’s eel rice bowl looked a little different and asked with a smile, ”Sister Huamei, the presentation on this rice bowl is beautiful today!”

Liu Huamei smiled. ”It’s all thanks to that cookbook you gave me last time! I have to admit, when it comes to eating seafood, the Japanese really know their stuff!”

”I saw their unadon, which is actually pretty similar to our eel rice bowls. But their plating is so beautiful, so I put in a little extra effort.”

”So today, we’re having Japanese-style eel rice. The eel is grilled and basted with a sweet and savory sauce. And I have to say, it tastes really good.”

Wu Mengyue took a bite and nodded in praise. ”It really is delicious. But is it just the eel rice? It feels a bit incomplete without any vegetables!”

Liu Huamei slapped her forehead. ”Silly me! Just wait! There’s also Yan Du Xian soup! I made it with fresh spring bamboo shoots I dug up myself!”

”I used cured pork from Old Liu’s family and ham from the Zhao family! It’s been stewed until it’s rich and savory. I guarantee you’ll love it.”

A pot of Yan Du Xian was brought over. The moment the lid was lifted, a fresh, savory aroma filled the air.

After a few bites of rice, adding some of the Yan Du Xian and its broth to the bowl made for a perfect pairing with the day’s eel rice.

There’s no greater happiness than a full belly.

Liu Huamei said with a smile, ”I’ve already had someone make a mold for me. Next time we go out to sea, I’m making takoyaki for everyone!”

Even though she could make delicious food with fresh ingredients using her usual methods, eating the same things every day was starting to feel uninspired.

Since she was earning such a good salary, Liu Huamei wanted to come up with new ideas to make tasty treats for everyone, using common ingredients to create different dishes.

Chen Yishui was curious. ”From the name, it sounds like it’s made with octopus. What shape is it? Don’t you have the recipe book? Let us see!”

”Then just you wait!” Liu Huamei grinned, returning from the galley with a cookbook. ”It looks like this. I should be able to make some very authentic-tasting takoyaki.”

Han Xiaorui asked, ”Sister Huamei, can you read Japanese?”

Liu Huamei chuckled. ”I’ve never studied Japanese, but I can read the Chinese characters! Most of it is written in kanji, so I can piece it together by guessing. It’s close enough!”

Everyone crowded around for a look. ”Right, does this phrase here mean ’to heat’?”

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”Yes!”

Liu Huamei raised her eyebrows smugly. ”Recipe instructions are simple. They probably don’t use negatives, just affirmative statements. Add in the kanji, and the meaning becomes clear, right?”

”That’s true!” Chen Yishui nodded. ”Xiao Rui, I remember you went to Japan last year. Do you know Japanese?”

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”I do! I learned the kana alphabet before I went, asked the translator questions for a couple of hours on the way, and by the time I got off the plane, I could speak it.”

”Japanese not only has Chinese characters, but some of the pronunciations are also similar to certain southern dialects. Once you find the pattern, it’s actually easy to learn.”

Liang Xiaoyu praised her, ”Xiao Rui speaks our local Shencheng dialect so well now. If you didn’t know her background, you’d never guess she’s not from around here. It just goes to show, Xiao Rui has a real talent for languages!”

Liu Huamei smiled. ”As long as I can understand it, I’m fine. I don’t want to learn the language! Xiao Rui, I see the portion sizes for each dish in this cookbook are tiny. Is it like that when you eat in Japan?”

Han Xiaorui nodded. ”For the most part, yes. Sometimes they cover the table with all sorts of pots and bowls, but it’s all just for show—there’s not much food.”

”If you don’t believe me, go to a Japanese restaurant sometime and see for yourself! But the food there is pretty expensive, so don’t order too much.”

Liu Huamei nodded. ”Then I have to go check it out! I want to see how they fleece people with such small amounts of ingredients!”

After the meal, Liu Huamei brought out some preserved fruits she had made herself. ”They’re a bit sour, but they’ll leave you feeling refreshed and clear-headed!”

Everyone was feeling drowsy after lunch, and they had to haul in the nets soon. A sour preserved fruit to wake them up was exactly what they needed.

One piece per person was enough.

Unexpectedly, Han Xiaorui ate all the rest.

The crew members on the boat, all of whom had children of their own, turned their gazes one by one toward Han Xiaorui’s... stomach.