Feng Ye worked until around nine o'clock, then went to sleep, leaving the four women to continue cleaning the fish.
I slept until about three o'clock, and then went out to sea with Ah-chan.
Upon reaching the destination sea area, Feng Ye threw the trawl net down and then returned to the cabin to doze off.
The first four or five hours at sea were just that boring.
After two hours, they started their first netting.
Their first haul of the day at sea never takes more than three hours.
I need to make breakfast, and I need some seafood to cook noodles or rice noodles.
They skillfully used the hauler to retrieve the trawl net, and then used a crane to hoist the net bag above the deck.
As the knot at the bottom of the net was untied, fish, shrimp, and crabs of all sizes poured out of the net.
It sparkles in the morning sunlight, like a silver waterfall.
"I'm in luck today. Looks like it's going to be another fruitful day," Feng Ye said with satisfaction.
He immediately noticed that among the group of fish, there were quite a few white pomfret.
He guessed that these white pomfret were probably fish that had slipped through the net yesterday.
"The first net caught quite a few white pomfret, a good omen."
Ah-chan saw it too and excitedly chimed in.
The two men first trawled the net back into place, and then Ah-chan steered the boat to continue trawling, while Feng-ye sorted the catch on the deck.
This net yielded quite a lot of goods, but apart from a few dozen white pomfret, there wasn't much else of value.
Therefore, Feng Ye quickly finished sorting and carried the items into the cabin.
After cleaning the deck, he brought out the coal stove and started a fire to make breakfast.
Soon, a simple and unpretentious pot of seafood noodles was ready, containing two blue crabs, some prawns, snails and shellfish, and a few fish.
Feng Ye finished eating first, and then went to the driver's seat to replace A-Can.
The sea was so vast, and there were no other ships, so he sailed as he pleased, however he wanted.
The Rising Sun ship operated at a steady speed, and it wasn't until almost 10 o'clock that they started the second net.
The net was hoisted up, full of goods, a very pleasing harvest, much more than the previous net.
The goods in this net are not very valuable, and most of them are poisonous.
Among the large number of fish, shrimp, and crabs, most were small fish, about the size of a palm, weighing around seven or eight ounces.
These small fish are mudskippers, scientifically known as brown basketfish.
In some places it's called "Niang Ai," in others it's called "Chou Du Yu," and still others it's called "Xiang Yu."
The mudskipper is ranked fifth on the so-called list of marine spiny venomous fish.
Mudskipper, fin spines are poisonous
Mudskippers are small to medium-sized warm-water fish that inhabit shallow seas or rocky reefs with flat bottoms. They often live in groups and feed on algae and small attached invertebrates.
Its body is laterally compressed and oval-shaped, and its head and face resemble a rabbit, hence the English name "rabbitfish".
The body is yellowish-green or yellowish-brown, densely covered with white spots and small black spots, with hard spines on both sides of the pelvic fins and soft rays in the middle.
The spines of the dorsal, pelvic, and anal fins are powerful and all contain venom glands, causing pain similar to that of a bee sting.
If you are accidentally pricked, you can apply a hot compress. The water should be hotter than it is to avoid scalding your skin. Apply the hot compress for about half an hour to neutralize the toxicity.
This makes sense, because heat can destroy toxins, which is why cooked food is no longer poisonous; the principle is the same.
Although mudskippers are poisonous, they are indeed delicious, with a fresh and flavorful taste.
In addition, the gallbladder of the mudskipper can be used to treat otitis media, skin ulcers, boils and carbuncles, cholecystitis, and injuries from falls and blows.
When cleaning a fish, use scissors to cut off all the hard spines on its body in a row to prevent being pricked.
Then you have to cut it open, but you have to be very careful not to break its internal organs; you have to remove it intact.
Otherwise, the whole fish will be ruined, it will taste bitter and smelly, and it will lose its original delicious flavor.
There are many ways to cook mudskipper, including steaming, braising, simmering in sauce, making soup, pan-frying, and boiling in salt water. You can choose the method that suits your personal taste.
The approach in the Chaoshan region is slightly different and unique.
They cook the sour plums and mudskippers together, allowing the fish to absorb the sweet and sour flavor of the plums, resulting in a richer taste.
Fish soup is the usual dish on Baishi Island.
First, pan-fry the mudskipper on both sides until golden brown. Then add some shredded ginger, add water and bring to a boil. You can also add some side dishes, such as tofu and shredded radish.
Add salt to taste when it's done cooking, and sprinkle with chopped green onions and cilantro.
The cooked fish soup is milky white, extremely delicious, and has a perfect combination of color, aroma, and taste.
However, while this fish is delicious, it's easy to break its internal organs, making it inedible after cooking.
Therefore, it is not very popular at present, and the price is naturally very low, only about 50 cents per pound.
"Ah Chan, go get me my leather gloves."
As Feng Ye tidied up the trawl net, he gave a brief instruction.
The gloves he's wearing now are only for catching fish and serve a non-slip purpose; they don't protect him from the barbs of the mudskipper.
With so many mudskippers, you can't afford to be careless; you never know when you might accidentally get stung.
"Brother Ye, leather gloves aren't entirely safe either, you still need to be extra careful."
Ah-Can took out his leather gloves and put them aside, then helped tidy up the fishing nets.
Soon, the trawl net was ready, and Ah-Can clapped his hands: "I'm going to set sail."
After the Xuri started moving, Feng Ye first lowered the trawl net and then began sorting the catch.
There were indeed many mudskippers; they filled about four baskets, and they looked to weigh around 210 to 220 pounds.
In addition, there were eight white pomfret, several sea bass, black sea bream...
The rest were some miscellaneous fish and shrimp, quite a lot, about seventy pounds.
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