Chen Zhiyao saved the best of the seafood—small lobsters, large blue crabs, whelks, and shrimp—to make a seafood feast for lunch.
The remaining shellfish and conch, these common seafood items, were taken to the village's purchasing station to exchange for a small amount of money.
Although most of the top-quality seafood was kept, each person still earned several hundred yuan.
Looking at the payment information on their phones, Yang Yi and the others regretted it once again, realizing that there was no place to go beachcombing in their village.
As for quitting his job to come to Baisha Village to go beachcombing, that's simply impossible.
It's fine to come here for a few days, but if you stay here to go beachcombing for a long time, the villagers will definitely have something to say. They don't have that kind of thick skin.
Back home, Chen Zhiyao led them to clean the seafood they had just picked up.
She plans to cook four main dishes for everyone: salt-baked whelks, garlic-flavored baby lobsters, steamed baby lobsters, and steamed large blue crabs.
It's best to purge the whelks of sand before cooking. Chen Zhiyao added 1 tablespoon of salt and a few drops of cooking oil to the water.
Then soak them for 1 hour to allow the whelks to expel the sand from their bellies.
After preparing the ingredients, Chen Zhiyao told Li Lin and the others to pack their luggage, then turned around and took out half a pot of coarse salt.
She put half a pot of coarse salt, along with appropriate amounts of Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, bay leaves, and cinnamon into a wok and stir-fried them over low heat to release the aroma of the spices.
Then pour the fragrant hot salt into the casserole, spread it evenly, and then arrange the cleaned whelks evenly on the salt.
The sea salt was extremely hot at that time, and as soon as the whelks were put in, the whelk meat inside started to move frantically.
It can be seen that each whelk is very lively and fresh.
Place ginger slices on top of the whelks, cover the pot, and simmer over low heat for about 12 minutes, or until the whelks are fully cooked.
While the whelks were being baked, Chen Zhiyao prepared to make steamed baby lobsters and garlic baby lobsters.
With eight people in her family, she specially prepared eight small green dragons, each weighing about half a kilogram.
The little lobster had already been cleaned thoroughly. She used a knife to cut it in half along the back, then removed the vein and internal organs.
Next, she added appropriate amounts of cooking wine, light soy sauce, salt, and sugar to the bowl, stirred well, and prepared a seasoning sauce for later use.
At this moment, Chen Zhiyao got busy again in front of the wok.
Heat oil in a pan, then add minced garlic and ginger and sauté until fragrant. Add the sauce from earlier and cook until thickened.
Once the preparations are complete, place the baby lobsters in a steamer and spread a thin layer of minced garlic sauce on top.
Chen Zhiyao's steamer has three layers. The first layer contains four small green lobsters with garlic sauce, the second layer contains four small green lobsters steamed plain, and the top layer contains four large blue crabs.
Just as the steamer started steaming, Chen Zhiyao turned her head and saw Ah Huang and Xue Tuan staring at her with drooling eyes.
At the same time, a strong and rich aroma wafted from the clay pot next to it.
Chen Zhiyao checked the time on her phone and felt that it was almost ripe.
She used a rag as a mat and quickly opened the pot lid. Instantly, the kitchen was filled with a delicious aroma, making Ah Huang and Xue Tuan drool with envy.
Chen Zhiyao picked up a baked whelk, blew on it, put it in her mouth and sucked on it. The tender and bouncy whelk meat was full of rich flavor.
"Delicious! Looks like my cooking skills haven't gotten any worse."
"Awoooooo..."
"Woof woof woof..."
At this moment, the aroma of the steamer filled the air, and the two puppies howled excitedly.
Yan Shuting, who was standing next to her, had also prepared four other dishes.
Steamed black sea bream, boiled prawns, clam and loofah soup, and garlic-flavored lettuce are all local specialties.
Chen Zhiyao timed it perfectly and couldn't wait to open the huge steamer in front of her.
Then, amidst a swirling cloud of mist, she plated the little green dragon and the big green crab and served them out.
A whole table laden with dishes: garlic baby lobster, steamed baby lobster, salt-baked whelk, steamed blue crab, steamed black sea bream, boiled prawns, clam and loofah soup, and garlic-flavored romaine lettuce. Usually, Chen Zhiyao posts pictures of all sorts of delicious food to tempt them, but today Li Lin and Tang Youyou also posted many photos on their WeChat Moments to tantalize others.
"Put your phone away!" Chen Zhiyao shouted excitedly.
"Dinner's ready! Dinner's ready!"
Everyone was eagerly anticipating this sumptuous seafood feast, and they quickly took their seats and began to eat.
Chen Zhiyao served everyone half a garlic-flavored baby lobster, beaming with joy:
"Try my cooking! This is the first time I've ever made garlic-flavored lobster."
Yan Shuting took a bite of the shrimp and exclaimed with pride:
"Hmm, it tastes good. Tangtang is getting better and better, she has truly mastered my skills."
Tang Youyou took a big bite of lobster meat, looked up with a satisfied smile, and said:
"Haha, Auntie, you're just bragging!"
"Woof woof woof..."
"Awoooooo..."
Ah Huang and Xue Tuan watched longingly from under the table, occasionally making whimpering sounds.
Chen Zhiyao laughed and scolded, "You two little foodies."
With a doting expression, he gave each of the two puppies a few boiled shrimp.
Then pick up the garlic-flavored baby lobster in front of you, peel off the shell, and reveal plenty of lobster meat.
The large chunks of meat were very satisfying to eat. After finishing the garlic-flavored meat, Chen Zhiyao took half a steamed baby lobster.
After taking a bite, her eyes narrowed. "This steamed version is also delicious, even sweeter and fresher. I think it's better than the garlic version."
Li Lin, sucking on a large conch shell, looked up and exclaimed:
"This salt-baked whelk is delicious too. Tangtang, you have such good cooking skills that you could open your own shop."
Yang Yi, who was standing to the side, preferred to eat large blue crabs. He was holding a crab claw and gnawing on it in a rather disheveled manner.
Everyone ate and chatted, creating a very relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.
Li Lin picked up a large prawn and put it in her bowl, looking at Chen Zhiyao with envy:
"Yaoyao, your cooking skills are almost as good as Auntie's, especially the seafood, it's super delicious."
"Practice makes perfect; you'll get the hang of it after doing it a few more times." Chen Zhiyao felt very satisfied seeing everyone enjoying the meal.
After the meal, everyone helped clear the table, and then sat around on the sofa drinking tea to aid digestion.
Happy times always pass too quickly. After resting for a while, the group headed to the high-speed rail station.
Chen Weiqiang drove Chen Zhiyao, Li Lin and the other two to the high-speed rail station.
Upon reaching the ticket gate, the three passed through one by one. Chen Zhiyao watched their backs as a sense of loss welled up inside her.
I don't know when we'll meet again.
"Goodbye, see you next time!" The three of them turned around and waved goodbye.
Chen Zhiyao smiled and waved until they disappeared into the crowd.
Seeing that his daughter was a little down, Chen Weiqiang patted her arm with a smile:
"Once you get your driver's license, you can drive to Guangzhou by yourself. Tomorrow the tide is low, I'll take you to Dachao Island to go beachcombing."
Chen Zhiyao turned to look at her father and said happily:
"Dad is still the best. I haven't been to Dachao Island in a long time. There must be a lot of valuable seafood there."
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