Fang Youqun opened the foam box and took out a squid that was slightly larger than his palm. He shook off the ice chips on the squid and said, "To make hand-shredded grilled squid, you must first dry the squid, but this takes a long time, and hand-shredded squid may not taste better than grilled squid, so I will only grill two hand-shredded squids. If you want to eat them, come and learn by yourselves."
Immediately, a large group of people surrounded Fang Youqun.
Xiang Yang said quickly: "Don't crowd together. This barbecue grill is for home use. Don't knock it over accidentally."
Chen Qingsheng also hurriedly maintained order at the scene to avoid safety accidents.
After the crew members dispersed, Fang Youqun put the two squids on the fire to roast.
"Actually, the best way to make dried squid is to smoke it slowly, but we don't have that much time now, so we can only grill it directly over charcoal fire." Fang Youqun explained to Xiang Yang.
Xiang Yang asked: "Wouldn't you just burn the squid?"
"No, charcoal fire doesn't have an open flame, so it won't burn the squid. Once all the water in its body is roasted away, it will naturally turn into dried squid," said Fang Youqun.
Xiang Yang nodded and watched the squid on the charcoal fire dry up little by little.
At this time, Fang Youqun picked up the two squids and said, "It's almost done. If you continue to roast them, they will be burnt."
"Can we just squeeze some mustard on it and eat it?" someone asked.
"It's still early. We have only just started."
Fang Youqun used a small knife to neatly cut the two squids several times, then used his hands to tear the squids into neat strips and put them into a bowl that had been prepared in advance.
Then, Fang Youqun poured some boiling water into the bowl.
Xiang Yang asked in confusion: "Didn't you just dry-roast these two squids? Why do you want to soak them in water again?"
"This is the marinating process, and it is also the key to determining whether a hand-torn squid tastes good or not," said Fang Youqun.
“That’s right, almost every barbecue stall has a hand-shredded squid spot, but the hand-shredded squid at some barbecue stalls tastes very good, while the hand-shredded squid at some barbecue stalls tastes extremely bad, and even has a very stinky fishy smell. The problem lies at this step.” Chen Qingsheng also said.
"What do you mean?" Xiang Yang asked.
"The marinating step determines whether the hand-shredded squid is flavorful. Some hand-shredded squids are not marinated at all, or the marinating method is incorrect, so the taste is very bad," said Chen Qingsheng.
Xiang Yang nodded, "Okay, Fang Youqun, you continue. I'll also learn how to marinate squid."
"It's actually very simple. Just add some seasonings to the water when pickling it, then add a small amount of oil to increase the aroma, and finally add a little ginger to remove the fishy smell. Then put the bowl in the refrigerator and wait for the boiling water to cool down." Fang Youqun said.
"No need to cook?" Xiang Yang asked.
"No need, just soak it in cold water." Fang Youqun said.
Xiang Yang nodded. This was quite simple. This was Antarctica, and the temperature on the deck was as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius. The boiled water would get cold in a few minutes at most.
Soon, Fang Youqun fished out the two squids and placed them on an iron plate. He said, "Now let's grill them over charcoal for twenty minutes, then coat them with mustard and we can eat them."
Xiang Yang curled his lips and said, "It doesn't seem that difficult."
"Not difficult? It's obviously because I have superb skills. Brother Yang, look at others. On the entire deck, besides me, who else can light the charcoal fire?" Fang Youqun shouted immediately.
Xiang Yang looked back and found that it was true.
Except for Fang Youqun, most of the other barbecue grills are still in the fire-making stage.
When the crew members saw Xiang Yang looking at them, they all felt embarrassed and immediately glared at Fang Youqun.
This made Fang Youqun extremely proud. He put his hands on his hips, looking like the best in the world.
"Okay, let's slowly roast these two hand-torn squids, and you can roast a few skewers of squid tentacles for me and the captain first." Chen Qingsheng said.
"It's ready. I'll reward you with a green-lipped abalone tonight." Xiang Yang also said with a smile.
Fang Youqun's eyes lit up immediately when he heard this. "Brother Yang, why don't you give me a green-lipped abalone right now, and I'll grill the abalone while I grill the squid tentacles."
Xiang Yang was quite puzzled when he heard this: "Can you grill abalone too?"
Fang Youqun nodded quickly.
Xiang Yang thought about it carefully, shook his head and said, "Forget it. Green-lipped abalone is not an ordinary abalone. Let's use it to make soup. Let's wait for next time to grill the abalone."
Abalone is very nutritious but also relatively expensive. It is usually eaten boiled. Xiang Yang thinks it is a bit of a waste if it is grilled.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that abalone cannot be grilled.
Abalone can definitely be grilled.
However, when grilling abalone, you must first soak the abalone in salt water to allow the abalone to spit out the sand and unclean things in its body before you can grill the abalone over the fire.
There is nothing special to note during the grilling process. Just like grilling chicken wings, you just need to add seasonings such as salt and pepper, and you can eat it after the abalone turns golden yellow.
Fang Youqun immediately knew what Xiang Yang was thinking when he heard this. He quickly asked, "Brother Yang, do you think it's a bit of a waste to grill the green-lipped abalone?"
Xiang Yang nodded, "Yes, that's right, it's more cost-effective to use abalone to make soup."
"You are wrong, Brother Yang. It is a real waste to use green-lipped abalone to make soup. The soup does not show the freshness of the abalone at all."
"If you grill abalone, the grilled abalone will be rich and fragrant, and the flavor of the whole abalone will be perfectly presented. The taste is not only soft, fragrant and smooth, but also has a heart-warming charcoal-grilled flavor."
"Once the grilled abalone comes out, it will definitely be the best in taste and will be highly praised," Fang Youqun said with certainty.
Xiang Yang laughed when he heard it. "That's so mysterious. It's as if you've eaten grilled abalone."
"I really have eaten it." Fang Youqun said immediately.
"Huh?" Xiang Yang looked at Fang Youqun with confusion.
Fang Youqun said, "Last time I went to Liancheng, there were grilled abalones for sale there, but they were all farmed abalones, eight-head abalones, 60 yuan a piece, and the taste was really amazing. Farmed abalones were like this. If they were natural abalones, the taste would definitely be more delicious."
Xiang Yang burst out laughing when he heard this and said, "I never expected that you would go to a restaurant to eat abalone. Okay, go pick out a few smaller green-lipped abalones from the water tank and I'll try the taste first. If they are really delicious, then we can just have grilled abalone instead of making soup tonight."