Live Streaming: Great Adventure in the Wilderness

The golden, crispy flesh of the fish easily parted with the chopsticks, and the texture transmitted through them clearly conveyed the crunchiness of the fish skin.

As the crispy layer was torn open, one could feel the tenderness of the fish flesh, with the fat streaming between the flesh and skin, the high heat coaxing out a fragrance that made the two hungry people eager to eat, as they started their meal with the sea breeze blowing.

After cutting off the head of the barracuda, Bi Fang continued to fry it. He took a bite of the fish body, and the freshness burst across his taste buds.

The sea barracuda didn’t have as many bones as the river barracuda, so Bi Fang wasn’t afraid of choking. He slurped down more than half of it, then licked his glossy, oily lips.

"Barracuda is rich in nutrients, with a tender and delicious flesh. It’s high in protein content and is a delicacy on exquisite banquet tables, especially the spring sea barracuda, which is the most precious. Although it’s September now, and not the season when the barracuda is fattest, it is still delicious."

Having eaten the whole barracuda, with only its head left, which wasn’t thrown away, Bi Fang picked up the slightly charred head and crunched through the bones and flesh together, the crispness complemented by the smoothness of the fish brain, adding an even richer layer of texture, leaving Baus looking constipated.

"Can you eat the fish head, too?"

"Give it a try," Bi Fang didn’t just say it outright but encouraged Baus to try it himself.

After some hesitation, Baus, who had slurped up a whole barracuda, flipped the fish bone over and positioned the head in front of himself, staring it down.

It wasn’t that he didn’t eat fish heads, one could tell from looking at the night sky filled with stars, where fish heads were all turned skyward.

But Baus himself wasn’t keen on it. However, due to Bi Fang’s enthusiastic invitation, he still carefully opened his mouth and bit into half of it.

The moment it entered his mouth, Baus’s eyes lit up.

The outside of the fish head, having been barbecued for a long time, had become as crispy as a potato chip, this crunchiness distinguishing it from the backbone and even more fragrant.

In the end, he could feel the fish brain burst, bringing with it a strong salty taste.

Seeing Baus enjoy it so much, Bi Fang smiled with satisfaction, "When cooking barracuda, the head is the most fragrant part. There’s a folk saying that goes, ’Lose the cart and ox, but don’t lose the barracuda head.’

The fish brain inside the head is a roughly transparent and gelatinous liquid, which when cooked has a very fragrant and concentrated taste of bone marrow collagen, delicious and can be considered a top delicacy within the fish head.

"Furthermore, it contains a small portion of seawater, hence the distinct saltiness. Although the flesh of the fish is fragrant, it lacks saltiness and is rather bland when eaten on its own."

[Eh, shouldn’t sea fish be saltier?]

[Sea fish are naturally salty. Some cooking methods don’t require any salt at all; they’re already salty (smile)]

[...Are sea fish salted through curing?]

Bi Fang shook his head, "Firstly, one has to acknowledge the fact that the body fluid salinity concentration of marine fish is higher than that of freshwater fish, but in bony fish, this difference is not significant, hence seasoning with external salt is still necessary when cooking fish."

The audience pulled up their stools, perking up their ears.

"The body fluid salinity concentration of marine bony fish is lower than the salinity of the surrounding seawater, so they autonomously regulate their osmotic pressure."

"The primary pathways for marine bony fish to regulate osmotic pressure are twofold. On one hand, they drink a lot of water, in addition to the water they get from their diet, marine bony fish directly consume a considerable amount of water."

"On the other hand, the gills of marine bony fish have special salt-secreting cells. The seawater ingested and absorbed into the blood through the intestines retains the water, but the excess salt is expelled through the salt-secreting cells on the gills.

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A certain amount of other salts are also expelled through the urine, though the kidneys of marine bony fish are very degenerate, and they produce very little urine."

As Bi Fang explained, he gesticulated at his neck as if he had fish gills there.

"The salt-secreting cells on the gills are the main pathway for marine bony fish to expel salt from their bodies, mainly excreting sodium chloride, while divalent ions like calcium, magnesium, and sulfate are excreted through urine."

"This ensures a low osmotic pressure environment within the bodies of marine bony fish. That’s why salt still needs to be added when cooking marine bony fish."

The audience had an epiphany.

That’s why sea fish and river fish are pretty much the same without salt; they lack flavor.

Baus listened intently as well.

One had to admit, the charm of being able to answer any question was truly powerful.

This kind of erudition in the wilderness gave a strong sense of security; when you didn’t know whether the creature before you was poisonous or dangerous, he could easily provide an accurate answer, lessening much of your concerns and fears.

"Cartilaginous fish are an exception," Bi Fang added and then the audience saw him appear to think of something, his face showing disgust.

Cartilaginous fish... typical examples being sharks.

That taste...

Bi Fang remembered the white-fin shark he had eaten before; the shark meat had a strong ammonia smell, which was how cartilaginous fish regulated their osmotic pressure, through the concentration of urea in their blood.

"The method of osmotic regulation in marine cartilaginous fish is completely different; the osmotic pressure in marine cartilaginous fish is higher than that of marine bony fish, sometimes even higher than seawater."

"They regulate their osmotic pressure by varying the concentration of urea in their blood; when urea content is high, water intake increases, diluting the concentration of urea, leading to increased urination and the reduction in urea."

"When the urea content decreases to a certain level, water intake reduces, urination decreases, and the urea concentration increases. The cycle repeats."

"Because of this bizarre method, if you really want to eat them, you actually have to add a lot of salt when cooking cartilaginous fish to suppress the strange taste of the meat."

[Weird knowledge has been gained]

[So shark meat is very salty, huh (dog’s head)]

[Not just salty, but also cheesy (funny face)]

Meanwhile, the crabs that were simmered in fresh water were ready, bright red and apparently because no one had come to eat them yet, quite large in size, with bodies as big as a palm.

They were indeed delicious, Bi Fang opened the shell of one crab and found abundant and full crab roe inside.

The two of them ate a total of six fish and six crabs before they stopped.

Bi Fang ate quite cleanly, Baus gobbled down the crabs, making it a painful sight to watch.

After burping contentedly, Baus patted his stomach and exclaimed, "Although there aren’t many seasonings, this is still an unforgettable meal in my life, surrounded by the sea, the wind, and the endless wilderness, making me feel like I’ve tasted the most primal flavors of nature."

After eating their fill, Bi Fang rested only briefly before looking up at the sky.

In Central Country, the nights in September come late, not until nine o’clock.

It was only four o’clock now, and they had plenty of time.

"Our cave still needs some fixing up, adding a roof and as well as a wooden door that can bring a sense of security."