Those strange things covered in mucus on the beach, which were hardly recognizable, might be a mystery to others, but Li Ying saw them clearly.
They were obviously monkfish that lived in the dark depths of the sea. They were usually hard to catch, but due to the typhoon this time, the abnormal weather and tides had washed these deep - sea fish, rarely seen by the coastal villagers, onto the shore, leaving them stranded.
Ignoring the villagers' dissuasion, Li Ying rushed forward. She didn't mind the disgusting mucus on the monkfish at all and opened the gills.
The gills were still bright red, and the fish's eyes were relatively clear. Apparently, the monkfish had just died, and their appearance was still fresh enough to be eaten.
Li Ying immediately abandoned those small sea snails with thick shells and little meat and called out, "Folks, hurry up and take all these monkfish back!"
The people of Huan City had managed to avoid the typhoon disaster because of Li Ying's early warning. So, they respected her quite a lot.
However, even so, when they saw those strange fish lying limp on the beach in a disorderly manner, they couldn't help looking hesitant and reluctant to step forward.
"Miss Li, do you mean we should... eat these?"
These strange fish looked extremely terrifying. Their huge mouths were like abysses that could swallow an adult man's arm whole. The rows of white, sharp teeth were really intimidating.
Could such sea monsters really be eaten?
Wouldn't they get sick if they ate these "sea monsters"?
Everyone looked at each other, whispering to themselves.
Li Ying had already guessed their concerns. She laughed heartily and said, "You may not know that the monkfish just looks a bit strange, but actually, it's understandable."
"After all, this fish spends its whole life swimming in the dark depths of the sea. There's no one to light a lamp there. When the female and male fish reproduce, they don't care about looks like we do. It's just pitch - black, and they can't see each other. So, they just grow casually, not bothering to look good."
With her charming smile, her words made everyone burst into laughter. The fear of this unfamiliar thing unconsciously lessened a bit.
Without further delay, they soon carried several heavy baskets of monkfish back home, fully loaded.
However, they were at a loss as to how to cook these fish.
The monkfish were very large, and it was obviously not feasible to just throw them into the pot and stew them randomly.
Moreover, the fish were so slippery that they were covered in mucus everywhere.
This mucus couldn't be washed off easily and emitted a faint fishy smell that made people feel nauseous.
The royal chef originally wanted to quickly skin the monkfish, cut it into large pieces, blanch it to remove the strange smell, and then braise it.
But the fish kept slipping on the chopping board. It was so difficult to skin it! The royal chef almost missed the cut with a knife, which was really dangerous.
Seeing everyone looking at each other and turning to her for help, Li Ying smiled slightly. She washed her hands, tied up her wide sleeves with a cloth, and calmly stepped forward.
She said softly, "This monkfish is not suitable to be cooked in the usual way. Please help me hang the fish up first."
Although the villagers in Huan City didn't understand her intention, they still followed her instructions and struggled to hold the huge mouths of the monkfish to hang them on the wooden frame.
Li Ying quickly cut off the fins on both sides with two swift strokes and put them aside for later use.
Then, she made a circular cut along the hard skull of the monkfish with a sharp knife. She grabbed the torn part of the fish skin with both hands and pulled it down forcefully.
With just the weight of the fish body, she could easily and smoothly tear off the whole fish skin, leaving only the tender pinkish - red meat.
The torn monkfish skin could be washed clean with salt, vinegar, flour and other things to remove the strange smell.
Because the monkfish lived in the deep sea, its skin and meat were very thick. The back and belly skins were very nutritious, and their texture was elastic and crispy, no less than that of good - quality sea cucumbers.
Then, she sliced off the fish meat on both sides along the spine. This fish meat was tender and had few bones. Whether it was stewed, braised, or made into soup, it tasted extremely delicious.
Inside the monkfish's belly, the fat fish liver, known as the "sea fish liver", was rich and mellow, and was the essence of the whole fish. Naturally, it had to be carefully removed for later use.
The stomach wall of the monkfish was very thick, crispy and chewy. After being cut open and washed clean, it was also a top - grade delicacy.
Some villagers in Huan City had been ordered to take the fish belly to wash. Soon, exclamations came from the water's edge.
"Wow, there are so many small fish hidden in the monkfish's belly?"
"Miss Li, can these small fish still be eaten?"
Li Ying nodded and said with a smile, "Of course."
In later generations, the monkfish was also known as the "sea blind box" because of its huge mouth. Every time it ate, it swallowed small fish in the sea whole.
If the monkfish was caught before the small fish were completely digested, one could take out all kinds of small and large sea fish from its mouth when cleaning it, which was really amazing.
Now there were many refugees in Huan City. After cleaning these small fish from the monkfish's belly, adding some scallions, ginger, salt and soy sauce, and stewing them in a large pot of braised mixed sea fish, and then sticking a circle of pancakes beside the pot as dry rations, it would be extremely delicious.
The villagers in Huan City imitated Li Ying's method of hanging and cutting the monkfish and went to divide the monkfish themselves. Everyone was well - organized. Soon, they divided the white and tender fish meat and various internal organs into several large plates.
The monkfish meat was tender and wouldn't turn mushy after long - time cooking. Its taste was somewhat similar to that of lobster. Li Ying selected the two fattest and tenderest fish tails, as well as some fish livers and fish bellies, and cooked them herself as the emperor's imperial meal.
The remaining fish meat was just handed over to the villagers in Huan City and the royal chefs. They added some wild vegetable porridge and boiled it into a hot pot. Although it didn't look very appealing, the fish meat tasted delicious. It was not bad to have such a delicious meal just after the natural disaster.
The emperor watched Li Ying's skillful movements from afar. After pondering for a moment, he whispered to Queen Pei beside him, "I really didn't expect that in this great disaster in Huan City, it was this woman, Li, who stepped forward and turned the situation around."
"Could it be that I really underestimated her?"
Queen Pei sized up the situation and quickly said with a soft smile, "Your Majesty, you rely on Lord Lu. Lord Lu is also your disciple. How could the person he approves of be just a useless person? It's still because Your Majesty has the ability to recognize talents."
These words made the emperor feel very comfortable and satisfied.