Chapter 910 Can such an ugly fish be eaten?

"Mr. Xiao, what kind of fish is this? It's so ugly!" A girl from the makeup team pointed at a fish in the fish tank and asked Xiao Peng.

She said that there was a reason why the fish in the fish tank were ugly: the fish in the fish tank did not look like fish no matter how you looked at them. Their skin was extremely rough, and they looked like coral reefs. They had two small "feet"-like pelvic fins on their chests to support their bodies, and their pectoral fins were like two small hands. They had a big mouth with an obvious "overbite", and their bodies were so round and plump that no matter how you looked at them, they looked more like frogs than fish.

Before Xiao Peng could answer, Bradley spoke first. "Jennifer, this fish is called a frogfish. It's really rare here. I've caught one in Los Angeles, but it wasn't this big. This one looks like it weighs over ten pounds. Mr. Xiao, am I correct?"

Xiao Peng gave a thumbs-up. He could tell Bradley wasn't just being polite when he said he liked fishing. Not many people could pronounce the name 'Frogfish'. "Everyone calls me Xiao. 'Mr.' or something like that is too formal."

Bradley, however, looked puzzled: "Xiao, I'm not polite then. I have a question for you."

"What?" Xiao Peng asked.

Bradley said, "The frogfish I caught died quickly, but why is yours so alive and well? I also put fish in live water tanks, but they never survived. Yet, these fish you caught are so lively."

Xiao Peng laughed and said, "What would you think if I told you it was because of a needle?"

"A needle?" Bradley looked puzzled.

Xiao Peng pointed at Chen Cheng and said, "Captain Chen taught me this. Let him tell you!"

Chen Cheng explained, "Bradley, this isn't a strange thing. Experienced fishermen generally know how to increase the chances of survival. Since you're a fishing enthusiast, I'm sure you've encountered this before: when you catch a fish, its swim bladder or internal organs come out of its mouth!"

Bradley nodded: "Indeed, I have encountered this."

Chen Cheng gestured with his hands, "Fish have swim bladders. If the pressure drops near the surface, the bladder will inflate, and the fish will absorb the gas in the swim bladder into its bloodstream to adapt to the change in water pressure. However, if the fish is pulled to the surface too quickly, the swim bladder will inflate, but the fish hasn't absorbed the gas yet, so the fish will be bloated when they are caught. The rapid inflation of the swim bladder can also squeeze the fish's internal organs, which can lead to the fish's death. Even if you remove the fish from the hook and throw it back into the sea, they will basically be dead because they can't swim back to the bottom of the sea and will die."

"Then what can we do to keep them alive?" Bradley asked curiously.

Chen Cheng held up a finger. "All you need is a needle to puncture the fish's swim bladder. But this method isn't a panacea. First, if the swim bladder has already caused irreversible damage to the fish's internal organs, the fish will still die. Furthermore, the location of the swim bladder varies from fish to fish, so you need to understand the anatomy of the fish you've caught. Furthermore, needle puncture is an invasive technique, so it could damage other organs or cause infection, which could kill the fish."

Bradley frowned and said, "But if the swim bladder is punctured, won't the fish be without a swim bladder in the future?"

Chen Cheng shook his head and said, "Believe me, wild marine animals have an amazing ability to recover. Even if their swim bladder is punctured, they can recover normal function within 24 hours at most. And the most crucial thing is the depth at which you caught the fish. We're less than 40 nautical miles from Ireland and still on the island shelf. The water depth below is between 70 and 140 meters. At this depth, the survival rate of fish caught after a shot is still very high."

Bradley smiled and said, "Xiao, now I understand what you mean about leaving professional matters to professionals. Your ship is full of marine experts!"

Chen Cheng said modestly, "How can I be called an ocean expert? The real ocean experts are on the Calypso. That ship is full of experts. Xu Xingde and Hu Guohui there are the real ocean experts. If you have any questions, they can usually answer them."

Bradley gave a thumbs-up. "Chinese people are so modest... Xiao, why did you get a fish like this? Are you keeping it as a pet? This fish is truly unique. I see it changes color! It wasn't this color when I first came here. I've heard that frogfish can change color depending on the environment, but I've never seen a live frogfish. This is a real eye-opener!"

Xiao Peng was stunned after hearing this: "What did you say? Keep it as a pet? Why would I keep it if it's so ugly? Of course I want to eat it!"

"What!" The camera crew exclaimed, "Can this fish be eaten?"

"Oh my god, I've heard that Chinese people can eat anything, but I never thought it was true!"

"I'd rather eat frogs than this kind of fish!"

"Look, there's coral growing on the fish's skin!"

Xiao Peng laughed after hearing this: "Okay, you said so yourself! I tell you, this is one of the most delicious fish on the planet! Today I'll let you open your eyes! Don't be greedy later! Close the door and let Lao Liu out! Oh, no, Walter, take the fish to the kitchen and give it to Lao Liu!"

A group of people came to the restaurant to join in the fun. Lao Liu was there, looking eager to try it out. When he saw so many people coming in, he was stunned: "Boss, this fish is not enough for so many people!"

Xiao Peng pointed at those people and said, "Foreigners don't eat this, just let me enjoy it!"

"No!" Walter and Khedira held a bowl in their left hand and a pair of chopsticks in their right hand: "We can't wait to eat! Anyone who doesn't eat is a fool!"

The crew members were all choked up when they heard what the two said. What did they mean? We'd be fools if we didn't eat it?

They were curious and wanted to see how to eat this fish. Although they had been conquered by Chinese food during this period, they really couldn't eat this extremely ugly frogfish!

Xiao Peng waved and said, "Old Liu, find a quick way to cook. I'm really hungry!"

After hearing this, Old Liu thought for a moment and said, "I got it!"

What he did next was confusing: he asked his apprentice to bring an induction cooker to each of Xiao Peng and the others, boiled water in it, put rice in and started cooking.

"Cook porridge?" Chen Cheng asked, "We wanted to eat fish! Why did we have to drink porridge?"

Old Liu, however, had a smug look on his face. "Today I'll show you the best way to eat seafood. If I'm not satisfied with the way I cook this fish, I'll resign! Captain, leave professional matters to professionals. On this ship, I'm the best culinary expert. I'll cook, and you'll eat! Just tell me the result afterward! Didn't you see the boss stay silent?"

Bradley didn't understand what Lao Liu was saying. After Xiao Peng explained it to him, Bradley exclaimed, "You don't even give the captain face? Are all the people on your ship so arrogant?"