"This is truly remarkable! The acidity of the lemon and the capers blend perfectly, the minced red onions offer a hint of sweetness that adds another layer to the sauce, and the fennel provides a harmonious touch..."
A well-dressed man in his forties, a watch gracing his wrist, exuding the air of success, was the first to receive a portion of the dish. He savored it with a knife and fork, allowing the exquisite flavors to slowly spread through his mouth, a look of pure delight on his face.
"This sauce... it would make even a flip-flop taste delicious!"
Beside him, a younger man sampling the same dish exclaimed dramatically, his expression one of utter bliss, completely lost in the culinary delight.
"Fresh sea bream is pan-seared in a pot and then removed. Without washing the pot, freshly squeezed lemon juice, minced red onions, butter, and capers are added."
"These ingredients are stirred together to create the sauce, and then fennel is incorporated to balance the flavors and add depth to the overall dish."
"Although it's a simple combination, it perfectly highlights the deliciousness of the sea bream – a dish that can only be created with fresh sea bream!"
The elderly man who had previously evaluated Dylan spoke once more, discerning the dish's general preparation method simply from the taste of the sauce.
When dealing with such fresh ingredients, people generally avoid adding too many seasonings, preferring to savor their original flavors.
From a chef's perspective, the control of heat, the knife skills, and the identification and use of ingredients in this dish have all reached a super-grade level.
If some more 'high-end' ingredients could be added, it could completely transform into a shining dish!
A sharp glint flashed in the old man's eyes, acknowledging Jessie's skill as a super-grade chef. This dish perfectly illustrated his culinary spirit.
"This is my dish, Mountain Treasure Golden Scale Platter."
On the other side, Dylan had also finished his dish. He presented a platter covered with a silver lid and unveiled it at the very center of the crowd.
In that instant, a dazzling golden light burst forth from beneath the lid, and a rich aroma spread out the moment it was lifted.
"A shining dish! Mom, I've made something of myself! I actually saw a shining dish in my lifetime! I thought glowing food was just a legend!"
"You know, when I was reading about it, I was wondering, how could food possibly glow? It's not like they added fluorescent agents! I never thought I'd actually see a shining dish today! This is actually real!"
"No, no, no, this smells so good! Hurry up and give me the dish! Just one bite! I can't take it anymore, ahhh!"
As the golden light slowly dissipated, the dish revealed its true appearance. Golden scales encased the fish skin, and upon closer inspection, one could even see the layers between the scales. From the outside, it looked just like a real, live fish!
The appearance of the golden light completely pushed the atmosphere to its peak, and everyone looked greedily at the Mountain Treasure Golden Scale Platter in the center.
"This is... fresh, live sea bream?!"
Looking at the golden-scaled sea bream before him, the old man's mouth slightly widened. He raised a hand and rubbed his eyes, wondering if he had just hallucinated. He seemed to have seen the sea bream move, as if it wasn't completely dead!
"How was this done? From the start of the competition until now, the sea bream has been dead for at least 30 minutes, and its spinal nerves have been completely destroyed. Logically, it shouldn't be able to move anymore, but it really did seem to twitch just now!"
"It's just an illusion. How can a dead fish move? Everyone, hurry up and try it. Now is the best time to taste it, along with the sauce at the bottom of the bowl."
Dylan smiled faintly, not admitting anything. He had already learned the rules of this competition from Alice Nakiri.
Simply put, the side whose dish received more recognition would win.
This type of competition method was not uncommon in culinary duels, but it was mostly used for competitions between shops, such as the Guangzhou Dumpling Competition.
"Let me have a taste..."
Swallowing his saliva, the old man was very certain that he had just seen the sea bream move. However, the other party didn't admit it, so there must be something fishy going on!
Hearing the voice, Dylan looked at everyone present and, without hesitation, borrowed a few bowls from the fish shop owner, quickly dividing the dish on the platter.
He only kept a piece for himself and Alice, and as for Jessie, he didn't leave any. In his opinion, that guy didn't deserve to eat his food at all.
"What a powerful impact!"
As she took a bite, Alice Nakiri felt a strange warm current spreading inside her body. Closing her eyes, she felt as if her whole being had sunk into the deep sea.
At this moment, she seemed to transform into a sea bream, swimming freely in the vast ocean, enjoying the nourishment of the sea.
Suddenly, the scene shifted.
The sea bream abruptly grew wings, leaping out of the water and soaring into the sky, flying towards the mountains!
Termitomyces albuminosus, shiitake mushrooms, spring bamboo shoots, yams, burdock, fiddlehead ferns...
As she flew deeper into the mountains, all sorts of mountain delicacies and wild vegetables appeared before her eyes, symbolizing the essence of the mountains. This feeling of soaring and freedom gave her a sense of clarity!
At this moment, all worries were forgotten. They seemed to transcend, heading towards a world without sorrow or sadness.
"The sauce at the bottom of the plate... you used a combination of mountain treasure soup and fish soup, right! The aftertaste has a hint of orange sweetness, so you must have added orange juice..."
"And it is precisely this sweetness that completely harmonizes these two completely different flavors!"
"The texture of the fish is tender, and the potato-fried fish scales are crispy, forming a stark contrast with the tenderness of the fish. If I'm not mistaken..."
"The cooking technique isn't frying but rather pouring. The oil is heated until scorching hot, the fish is placed in a sieve with the skin facing upwards, and hot oil is poured over it again and again, finally making the potato scales crispy while the fish is kept at the moment it's just cooked."
"This kind of cooking extremely tests the chef's control over the heat. Otherwise, the fish will either be undercooked or the potato scales will be hard. You can achieve this level, and I must say it's truly amazing, coupled with the unique flavor of the sauce..."
As the old man spoke, he closed his eyes, using his tongue to carefully savor the sauce. It harmonized perfectly with the sea bream, further elevating its deliciousness.
"The freshness of the mountain treasures, the richness of the fish soup, the sweet and sourness of the orange, and a little cream added in the middle to bring out the overall flavor."
"Without a doubt, this is an exceptionally excellent sea bream dish!"
Opening his eyes, the old man looked at Dylan with a complicated expression, never imagining that this would be a dish created by a young chef.
Such a bold combination, even chefs with decades of experience might not dare to try it. Even if they dared to try, achieving this level requires extremely rich control over details.
Frankly speaking, the flavor of this sauce would undergo earth-shattering changes with even a slight misstep in the process, ultimately turning it into a failed sauce.
"Young man, can you tell me your name?"
At this moment, the way the old man looked at Dylan was no longer as eager as before, but had returned to a calm state, with a hint of looking at a fellow connoisseur.
"My name is Dylan."
"Old sir, I can tell you're no ordinary person either. You seem to know a lot about cooking."
"Ordinary people are unlikely to have so much culinary knowledge, let alone be able to accurately describe the cooking methods of my dish."
"You are also a super-grade chef, right? If I'm not mistaken, you should be one with a relatively high star rating. Otherwise, let's have a match. Competing with this kind of small fry, even if I win, there's no sense of accomplishment. I'd rather compete with a strong opponent!"
From the beginning, Dylan had heard this old man constantly making comments on the dishes.
Although what he said was somewhat different from what Dylan thought, it was largely the same, and even many major aspects coincided. All of this proved that he was a very experienced old chef.
"I only worked as a chef for a few years when I was young. This old man has long since retired. Now, with these old bones, it's already my limit to cook for the family when I have nothing else to do. Let's not talk about any competitions."
Hearing Dylan's extremely combative words, the old man smiled wryly, then moved his old arms and legs to show his inability.
"Alright then, but judging by their looks, they probably won't be able to vote in a short time. Speaking of which, I haven't asked for your honorable name yet?"
Seeing the old man's troubled look, Dylan didn't force him. Instead, he curiously asked for his name, intending to investigate it later.
Around them, the audience who had been making comments while tasting Jessie's dish had all fallen silent, standing in place with blissful expressions.
Each of them was immersed in the gourmet illusion woven by the exquisite dish, unwilling to wake up for a long time!
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