Putting Aside Nationalistic Bias, It’s Really Delicious

9 – Fresh sashimi made from fish we caught ourselves and spicy fish stew were perfect for hangovers.

“Ah, the smell of the sea.”

Imagining the fish that must be swimming beneath the surface, I took in the salty sea air along with the sound of the waves crashing.

What kind of fish would I catch today?

Which fish could I possibly catch?

My heart swelled with excitement and anticipation for this new encounter.

The problem was that my counterpart was a fish.

Still hungover and feeling queasy, I stood on the cliffs overlooking the sea.

A rugged coastline unsuitable for anchoring boats.

Waves crashed against the rocks beneath the steep cliffs, creating white foam.

This cliff bottom was my favorite fishing spot.

Leaving my horse, I threw a rope over the cliff edge and climbed down to the bottom of the cliff.

A fishing rod, cooking equipment, and a bucket to hold the fish accompanied me on my back.

“Hmm~.”

The sea in this world is peculiar.

Is it due to the romance fantasy writer’s lack of knowledge about the sea?

The fish bit without distinguishing between warm and cold currents, and were caught without differentiating between far and near seas.

It was like the all-blue ocean from a famous comic.

A mythical ocean where all species of fish gathered in one place.

It was indeed a fantastical sea.

The fun of fishing in this place was not knowing which fish would be caught when you cast a line into the ocean.

‘I think this setting came up when the female protagonist tried to solve the food problem in the male protagonist’s territory by fish farming.’

The author, who lacked knowledge of both farming and the ocean, recalled skimming over this part hastily.

-Rebecca solved Count Johan’s food problem with the farming of various fish species.

That was the whole sentence.

Of course, the author must have felt the pang of conscience and added a little more setting to the novel.

The fish lived near the mainland in order to survive, due to the existence of all sorts of sea monsters in the far ocean.

“Thanks to that, various fish are caught here which is good for me.”

It was nice that they could enjoy the taste of various fish as a result.

However, unlike the animals on land, many of the fish caught here were difficult to distinguish with the naked eye.

They may look fine on the outside, but they may contain poison or have too many spines, making them uncomfortable to eat.

They have no idea how hard I tried to figure out whether or not they were edible.

Most of the fish ordered from the knights was either dried or frozen.

Cooking with such ingredients, it’s no wonder everyone dislikes fish dishes.

I understand.

The closest seashore to the Imperial Capital takes a week to reach by boat.

No matter how advanced magic had become, there was no way to store live fish for a week inside a ship.

It was one of the few ingredients that could not be readily processed even on the Golden Wagon’s upper side.

So when the knights took a vacation, they came to the beach and sorted out the fish themselves through fishing.

To properly taste fish, it was more important to try the taste of a living one rather than a dead one.

So I went to the beach myself.

In this world, chefs seem to think it’s against etiquette for chefs to go out and get their own ingredients, but to me, it was nonsense.

‘Discussing the taste of fish without actually catching one yourself.’

Thanks to that, I am confident that I was able to open a restaurant even after leaving the knights.

I settled down at a good fishing spot and took out a notebook I had brought with me.

It’s my secret recipe notebook.

From the plants of this world to meat and fish, it contains a variety of edible foods and the ingredients used in them, a chef’s secret collection.

– Edible fish list.

Ballroom Fish – similar to pollock in our world; the name varies depending on how it’s stored.

The flesh is chewy, and in winter, the fat fills up, making it suitable for steamed dishes or soup.

Knife Fish – our world’s equivalent of the hairtail. It’s hard to catch, so it’s not commonly seen. Among fishermen, it’s called a legendary fish.

★Personally, it tastes the best when grilled.

Arrow Fish – similar to mackerel in our world, a bit more oily. If it can be eaten raw as sashimi, there’s nothing better.

Flat Fish – similar to flounder in our world, one of the best sashimi cuts. It’s easy to catch, especially in the fall.

Doom – similar to sea bream in our world, also known as another top sashimi choice. Unlike flat fish, it’s difficult to catch.

And so on.

It was a list of fish that I have caught and cooked myself so far.

I also wrote a separate list of inedible fish.

“Ballroom fish or flatfish would be the best choice.”

If I could, I would love to have a hangover cure with pollock soup right now.

It’s doubtful whether the ocean god will grant me ballroom fish, though.

I tied a float to the fishing line and cast it into the sea.

I hung the fishing rod, and as I waited for a fish to bite, I began to take out cooking utensils.

A portable flare stove, a brazed cooking pot.

A knife and tongs, and a ladle.

A small pot and a fistful of rice prepared in advance to cook while fishing.

Clatter clatter.

Red pepper paste, red pepper powder, other seasonings, and vegetables brought along in case a Bloom fish doesn’t get caught.

Of course, spicy fish stew for hangover relief will definitely be made no matter what kind of fish is caught.

Right.

I came here today planning to make a spicy fish stew with freshly caught fish.

Might as well test a new menu item too.

I put the pre-washed rice onto the pot stand.

As I was cutting green onions into large pieces, and mincing garlic that people in this world call “gallek,” my fishing rod twitched.

“Already?”

Faster than I thought?

You guys, you must know that I want to eat quickly?

I hurriedly grabbed the fishing rod.

“Ugh! This thing, its strength is no joke……”

Without realizing it, I clenched my teeth at the sensation felt through the fishing rod in my hand.

The corners of my mouth rose slightly.

With this much strength, it must be a moon whale.

It was a force that would have dragged an ordinary person down with it.

“Urgh! Look at this thing?”

I spread my legs a bit more and put more strength into the hand holding the fishing rod.

The fishing rod bent almost to the point of breaking.

I sent mana into the fishing rod to prevent it from breaking.

And then, using my waist and shoulders, I forcefully pulled the caught fishing rod.

“Yaaaarrgggh!!”

As a true cooking knight, I couldn’t be outdone by any ingredient.

Even if the opponent was a dragon.

‘There’s no way a dragon would be used as an ingredient.’

Splash!

A fish appeared from the end of the fishing line, swaying heavily.

It was a huge, flat fish, well over a meter in length.

“It’s a flounder!”

Not just any flounder but a fantastic one.

Flop! Flop!

The flat fish, no, the flounder flapped as it was laid on the rock.

“It’s a shame it’s not a Bloom Fish but….”

Still, a flounder is a top-grade fish species.

“I’ve never caught one this big before.”

It was too much for one person to eat alone.

But there was no way to store it if I didn’t eat it.

I couldn’t take it to a store like this, as the bucket I brought was too small to hold it.

“Ah, I have no choice.”

I have to eat it all by myself.

I laid down the flapping flounder.

“There’s no way a kitchen knife will do for this….”

I drew the sword from my waist.

I never thought I’d be drawing this again.

‘Sorry, master. I vowed not to draw it again.’

I remembered a joke I saw on the Internet and cut the flounder’s spinal bone with my sword.

With a crunch!

After separating its head, I rinsed the blood with seawater as a primary wash and removed the guts.

The water I had brought for cleaning was woefully insufficient, but there was nothing I could do about it.

It might taste a bit salty, but I’ll have to bear with it.

After washing the rest with the little water I had, I skillfully filleted the flesh with my assistant’s nimble hands.

I removed the bones and peeled away the skin.

The plump, white flesh of the flatfish shimmered in beautiful colors as it caught the sunlight.

“Look at that color.”

Ah, I’m craving soju again.

But I didn’t feel like having a hangover remedy at this point.

‘I can’t eat all of this by myself.’

There was more than I had expected.

I sliced the flatfish thickly, and after placing it onto a plate, I made a sauce by mixing red pepper paste, sugar, vinegar, and minced garlic.

With the soy sauce added to the side, the flatfish sashimi set was completed in an instant.

“It’s a shame we don’t have wasabi.”

Swallowing my regret, I took a big bite of the flatfish sashimi.

The taste of the spicy and sweet sauce filled my mouth.

My eyes naturally widened at the chewy texture of the flatfish sashimi.

Somehow it even felt as if the pent-up anger in my chest was dissolving.

“Ah, this is it… this is the taste.”

The taste of eating sashimi made from fish I caught myself, right on the spot.

I came all the way here, an hour’s horse ride, just for this taste.

“Good. This is great.”

Crash! Crash!

The waves crashed in.

A mouthful of flatfish sashimi, accompanied by the cool sea breeze.

It was a structure that could only make one feel good.

My whole body’s senses awaken.

I even get a feeling as if nature is born and I become one with nature.

The mana in my body starts to spin quickly as it feels good from the delicious food.

Blood rushes, and heat surges through my body.

I even felt as if a slight hangover had awakened.

“This is the sea, this is fishing.”

This time, I dip finfish sashimi in soy sauce for a bite.

The deep flavor of raw fish mixes with soy sauce, unlike when dipped in vinegar sauce.

“It’s just the beginning.”

After eating a piece of flatfish sashimi again, I put water in the pot I had prepared earlier and turned on the heat.

I mixed the seasoning for spicy fish soup while putting flatfish in my mouth and eating.

I mixed soy sauce, chili powder, minced garlic, red pepper paste, and soybean paste.

“It smells good.”

After mixing, I dipped flatfish sashimi in vinegar sauce for a bite.

“Hmmm~.”

I hum unconsciously.

Even though the hangover wasn’t fully relieved, I felt my face brightening up with each piece of sashimi.

I boiled together the sliced radish and flatfish bones I had prepared.

Bubbling.

While removing the foam that rises as the water boils with a spoon, I dipped flatfish sashimi in soy sauce for a bite.

I added the seasoning and boiled it a little longer.

When the radish was boiled enough and the fish bones had softened, I added a few pieces of the remaining flatfish flesh in the pot.

“I really miss the minari.”

That would have been the perfect finishing touch.

Swallowing her regrets, she added the chopped green onions.

Bubbling.

Red soup bubbled, and steam rose with a foam.

‘To kill the smell.’

The halibut and green onions added later were cooked enough.

One spoonful of spicy soup.

“Slurp!”

Ughhhhhhh!

The steaming, refreshing taste that wakes you up and clears away even the last vestiges of a hangover.

Without realizing it, I exclaimed at the taste that seemed to alleviate my bodily discomforts.

“It feels like having a restorative. I feel like I’m getting better.”

Indeed, eating splendidly in such a natural setting is what revitalizes you.

The mana inside my body is active.

As I prepared the restaurant, the long-dormant mana core came alive and began to dance.

Sweat pours down my face.

Every time I take a bite of the soup with the fishbone sticking out,

“Wow, it keeps on going in. This is it.”

I still scoop up the steaming rice and eat it with the halibut flesh in the spicy soup.

“Ahhh.”

Spicy soup caught and eaten right at the base of the mountain is a delicacy.

I watched the crashing waves as I finished the spicy soup.

Despite eating all that rice by herself, it wasn’t uncomfortable.

A smile naturally appeared on my face due to the pleasant feeling of fullness.

“I did a good job healing.”

It was a meal to die for.

“Flatfish, you’re the best?”

***

“Sebastian? Sebastian? Where the heck did he go?”

Mishel, the princess of the Sea King who had come ashore for a walk from the distant ocean kingdom, found it strange that her servant Sebastian had not returned yet.

– Your Highness, I’ll go hunting for some food nearby.

He was a flatfish who had served the Sea King and his family for hundreds of years without ever breaking a promise.

Among the flatfishes, he was famous for being the strongest.

Even the Sea King didn’t think that he could have lost to another fish.

However, Mishel couldn’t bear the uneasiness she felt deep within her heart.

“I’ll have to check it out.”

She swam with the most beautiful tail in the ocean, heading towards where Sebastian had disappeared.

“His traces end here.”

Upon reaching the place where Sebastian’s last trace remained, she saw a human climbing a cliff.

And behind him, there was…

“Seba…stian?”

Her loyal servant, Sebastian, was dead.

“No! Sebastian!!!”