There are so many kinds of seafood to eat by the sea, and this tasteless and meatless jellyfish is really unappealing. People would rather pick up a few more sea snails to eat than eat this bland jellyfish.
"Second Uncle, you eat it yourself. I don't want this stuff. It's tasteless. I'd rather catch some shrimp to eat. They're much better than this stuff."
"I don't like it either."
Most people choose not to take jellyfish, as it would be a waste to bring it back, and they're too lazy to carry it.
However, this kind of jellyfish that nobody wanted was a treasure in Pei Yao's eyes.
They didn't know that if you take the jellyfish skin back, cut it into strips, and then make a cold salad, it will taste just like cold noodles—cool, refreshing, and delicious.
Seeing that no one wanted the jellyfish, Pei Yao immediately raised her hands happily and shouted, "Grandpa Niu, give me a piece, I want it!"
Uncle Niu cut himself a small piece, and no one else wanted the rest, so he planned to throw the rest back into the sea.
As a result, Pei Yao said she wanted it, and Uncle Niu was very happy and gave the rest to Pei Yao.
When he gave it to her, Uncle Niu was worried that she had never eaten it before and wouldn't know how to cook it, so he said to her, "Here you go, girl, you can stir-fry or boil this when you get home. Add some salt and soy sauce and it will be pretty good."
Pei Yao nodded and said, "Thank you, Grandpa Niu."
Uncle Niu Er only took a small portion of the whole sea jellyfish for himself, and gave the rest to Pei Yao.
This jellyfish is really big; it can't even fit in Pei Yao's basket.
Pei Yichen noticed that everyone else was rejecting the jellyfish, but his older sister had taken it all. Looking at the jellyfish in the basket, he asked in a low voice, "Sister, I heard them all saying that this doesn't taste good. Do we really want to take so much back?"
Pei Yao explained dismissively, "Believe me, it's because they don't know how to eat it. This jellyfish is a delicious delicacy when cooked properly."
Looking into Pei Yao's determined eyes, Pei Yichen chose to unconditionally believe in his older sister.
After getting the jellyfish, the three of them filled their bowls to the brim.
"Let's go home. We'll have some cold jellyfish salad for dinner tonight."
Pei Yao clapped her hands and led her younger siblings home.
When the group arrived home, the other members of the Pei family who had gone out to set up their stalls had already returned, and they saw the three sisters carrying loads of goods back home.
Pei Dalang was the first to come over: "Hey, you three went beachcombing, what did you find that you're carrying such a full load?"
Pei Yichen put down the basket on her back.
Pei Dalang had never seen a jellyfish before, so he was stunned when he saw such a large, transparent piece.
"Why does this look exactly like our homemade ice jelly?"
Pei Yichen glanced at his father and explained, "Grandpa Niu found it on the beach and said it was edible, so he gave us most of it."
The others, hearing the commotion, also came over to see what was happening.
It was the first time anyone had ever seen a jellyfish, and everyone found it quite amazing.
Yunniang found a large basin, put the jellyfish in it, and then looked at Pei Yao and asked, "Yao'er, how are we going to eat this?"
Pei Yao put down the razor clams in her hand and said with a smile, "Mother, let's make a cold jellyfish noodle dish with these jellyfish tonight."
Although Yunniang had never eaten it before, she was sure that Yao'er's cooking would be delicious.
"Okay."
After watching the excitement, everyone went about their other business, while Pei Yao began to process the jellyfish.
Simply rinse the fresh jellyfish and then cut it into strips.
The cut jellyfish needs to be washed several times to remove its salty and astringent taste. After washing it several times, you can soak it in cold well water for a while.
At this point, Pei Yao went to prepare the seasonings. The method for making the seasonings was actually the same as when Pei Yao made spicy snails before.
You can also add some shredded cucumber and peanuts to the cold jellyfish salad. I have peanuts at home, but I don't have cucumbers.
Pei Yao remembered that Aunt Niu had given her family some cucumbers a while ago, so she figured that Aunt Niu's family must grow cucumbers.
So she put down what she was doing and went to the Niu family to find Aunt Niu Er.
However, before setting off, she taught Yunniang how to process and clean razor clams, so that Yunniang could process the razor clams first and she could cook them directly when she returned.
Aunt Niu and the Pei family were on good terms. As soon as she heard that Pei Yao wanted cucumbers, she clapped her hands and said, "Hey, girl, we actually grow these at home. Wait for me a moment, I'll go pick some for you now."
Aunt Niu's cucumbers were planted right in the yard, so it was very convenient to pick them. He was worried that one or two wouldn't be enough for Pei Yao, so he specially picked a few more for her.
Pei Yao looked at the nearly half-full basket of cucumbers and was both amused and exasperated. She said with a smile, "Grandma Niu, you're too kind. This is enough for our family to eat for several days."
Aunt Niu smiled and waved her hand: "Oh, it's alright, just take it. We have plenty of cucumbers at home, we can't eat them all."
Pei Yao couldn't refuse their hospitality, so she took a basket of cucumbers home. After all, cucumbers can be eaten as fruit even if they're not cooked, so having them at home couldn't hurt.
After returning home, Pei Yao cut the cucumber into shreds and mixed it with peanuts into the prepared sauce.
The jellyfish that has just been soaked should be cleaned quite well by now, and it should no longer have that salty and astringent taste. Mix the jellyfish with the sauce and marinate for a while, and it's almost done.
Pei Yao picked up her chopsticks and tried it; the taste was not bad.
He then went to prepare the razor clams. He had already made a cold jellyfish salad today, so he planned to make crispy salt and pepper razor clams to go with it.
The method for making salt and pepper razor clams is very simple: just add some egg liquid to the cleaned razor clams, coat them with a layer of flour batter, and fry them in oil until they are golden brown and crispy on the outside. When you bite into them, they should be crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and bursting with juice.
Finally, sprinkle a thin layer of salt and chili powder on top.
The jellyfish that Uncle Niu gave was huge; after Pei Yao cooked it, it filled almost a whole basin. Jellyfish can't be kept for long, so it had to be eaten on the same day it was cooked. There was definitely not enough for the Pei family to finish.
So after finishing, Pei Yao sent some to the Shen family, the Liu family, and the Niu family as well.
Uncle Niu's family also made the jellyfish they picked up today, also in a cold salad, but his version tasted completely different from Pei Yao's.
The jellyfish salad made by the Pei family was a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate, while the jellyfish salad made by his family was a complete failure in terms of appearance, aroma, and taste...
When the Pei family's cold jellyfish salad was served, none of them had ever eaten it before, and they looked at it with great curiosity. Because they were worried that they wouldn't have enough jellyfish, Pei Yao also steamed a few buns for dinner in addition to the jellyfish.
Pei Dalang picked up the bowl of jellyfish in front of him and couldn't wait to try a bite. The icy-cold jellyfish was refreshing and crisp, and because of the addition of lemon and chili peppers, it tasted sour and spicy, which was very appetizing.
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