Chapter 55: Leon's Fish Dish
I returned to the mansion from the market. For now, I'll leave the shells in the garden and start preparing dinner first. It's already evening, so I should start cooking early.
I asked if I could use the kitchen and went to get permission from Lord Richard.
Roger knocked gently on the door of Lord Richard's room. I thought it might be too sudden to visit like this, but it seems he had told me that I could visit anytime if I had something to discuss. Well then, I shouldn't hesitate.
"Lord Leon is here."
Lord Richard's attendant opened the door. I was invited to sit on the sofa.
"Lord Richard, I apologize for the sudden visit."
"Don't worry about it. Leon, you're welcome to visit anytime. So, what brings you here?"
"Yes. I have something I want to make for dinner using seafood, and I was wondering if I could use the kitchen?"
"You're going to cook, Leon?"
"Yes, but..."
Why is he so surprised?
"Can you cook?"
Ah, I guess he doesn't know I can cook? Well, I'm not that skilled, to be honest.
"My family runs a restaurant, so I can manage a bit of cooking. I want to make a dish using seafood, so could I have permission to use the kitchen?"
"Leon's cooking, huh? I'm looking forward to it. Alright, I'll inform Tony and the head chef that you'll be using the kitchen. You should head there after a little while."
"Thank you."
And so, after killing some time, I headed to the kitchen. There was a kindly middle-aged man there. Could this person be the head chef?
"I'm Leon. Thank you for allowing me to use the kitchen."
"It's fine. I'm Nacel, the head chef."
"I see. Thanks for letting me use the kitchen."
"No problem. I'm looking forward to your cooking, Leon. If there's anything you need help with, just let me know. This wooden box here is something you purchased, Leon."
"Thank you, Nacel. Since I'm not familiar with handling seafood, would it be alright if I asked for your assistance?"
"Of course."
Nacel smiled and said so. He seems kind. If I can get help, the cooking process should go smoothly!
First, I checked the things I bought. Octopus, mackerel, horse mackerel, yellowtail, scallops.
Octopus, mackerel, and horse mackerel will be fried. Octopus will be deep-fried, and I want to make mackerel and horse mackerel into fried dishes. First, I need to prepare them.
"Nacel, could you help me prepare the mackerel and horse mackerel?"
"Certainly. How would you like them prepared?"
Hmmm, I think fried dishes have a triangular shape with the tail still attached, right? Is it called "sangayaki" in Japanese cuisine?
"Could you fillet the mackerel and horse mackerel into three pieces for me? Make them thin. Also, please remove the bones."
"Understood."
Nacel began skillfully filleting the fish.
Alright, I should get prepared too. First, let's prepare the frying batter. If I remember correctly, I need to coat the fish with flour, then egg, and finally breadcrumbs before frying. I prepared the flour on a flat plate, cracked eggs into a bowl, and asked Nacel for some leftover bread from yesterday, which I diligently crumbled.
It was quite a struggle since I didn't have a grater... I did my best with a knife, but the breadcrumbs turned out a bit rough.
Well, a bit of crunchiness should be alright.
"Leon, I've finished filleting everything. What should I do next?"
Wow, that was fast! Next, I should ask him to cut the octopus.
"Could you chop the octopus into bite-sized pieces, please?"
"Understood. Octopus requires some preparation, so it might take a bit longer. Is that okay?"
Oh, octopus needs preparation, huh? I guess the octopus I see at the supermarket is already prepped. Well, come to think of it, the octopus at the supermarket isn't fresh, is it?
"Yes, that's fine. Could I watch how you prepare the octopus?"
"Of course."
I watched closely as Nacel demonstrated how to prep the octopus.
Using a knife, Nacel skillfully removed something like the innards, then rubbed salt onto the octopus and massaged it. After a while, a lot of sliminess came out, and he rinsed it with water. Once that was done, he started chopping it into bite-sized pieces. His efficiency was impressive. Amazing...
"Is this size alright?"
"Yes, that's perfect."
"Understood."
Nacel quickly chopped the octopus into pieces. I sprinkled some salt on them for seasoning. I'm not sure if it will taste good, but it's better than having no flavor at all without soy sauce. All that's left is to coat them with flour before frying. The octopus is done now.
Next is... come to think of it, fried dishes don't have much flavor, do they? Salt alone would be bland... I wonder if I could make some kind of sauce?
Hmm, in this world, the only thing I can think of making is tomato sauce. But I wonder if tomatoes are available this time of year? Back at home, we mostly had radishes and Napa cabbage during the cold seasons. I don't recall having tomatoes.
"Nacel, are tomatoes available this time of year?"
"Tomatoes? I think it's too late in the season for fresh tomatoes..."
"I see... So making tomato sauce is out of the question then?"
"You want tomato sauce, not fresh tomatoes? If that's the case, I can make it."
"Really!?"
"Yes, we have dried tomatoes soaked in oil for preservation. You can use those to make a delicious tomato sauce."
"Could you please do that?"
"Sure, leave it to me."
Nacel accepted with a smile. This way, the fried dishes will be even more delicious.
Oh, but before that, I'd like him to fillet the yellowtail...
"Naser-san, I'm truly sorry to ask, but could you fillet the amberjack first...?"
"Of course."
Without Naser-san, it would have taken me forever to fillet it, and it would have turned out quite messy. The deliciousness would have definitely suffered. I'm really grateful. I want to learn how to do it myself too.
I observed Naser-san filleting closely, trying my best to pick up the technique. Naser-san also watched me and taught me how to fillet.
Then, there were a few extra horse mackerels aside from what I had bought. I tried filleting one myself, but I made a mess and wasted quite a bit, resulting in a rather disappointing outcome.
I need more practice. I'll make this one for myself.
Since I plan to just grill the amberjack with salt, I decided to prepare scallops.
I want to make Scallop Oven Bake! I loved that when I was in Japan and always ordered it at nearby restaurants.
I've tried recreating it at home before, so I somewhat know how to make it. I don't know how to use this oven, but I'll leave that to Naser-san. Thank you so much, Naser-san.
Oh, you need to preheat the oven first, right? I should tell them sooner.
"Naser-san, I'd like to use the oven. Could you prepare it for me?"
"Of course. It will take a little time for it to be ready. Is that okay?"
"Yes! I'll be getting ready, so it's fine."
"Then I'll get it ready."
"Thank you."
Alright! Now I just need to prepare to bake it in the oven.
For Scallop Oven Bake, you first need to separate the shell from the meat. Then, wash the concave shell and rinse the meat with water, patting it dry. I think you're supposed to remove the black part of the meat.
After that, you put the scallop back in the shell and season it.
I like the seasoning with garlic... I wonder if there's garlic?
"Naser-san, do you have garlic?"
"Garlic? It's right there, but we use it to mask the smell of beef."
Just for that purpose? I guess I haven't used garlic much in cooking.
"Is there any other use for it?"
"It's not used for anything else. In fact, it's a recent addition to our cuisine."
"I see. But garlic really enhances the flavor of this dish. Can I use it?"
"I'll leave that to you, Leon-sama. May I observe how you use it?"
"Of course, that's fine."
Garlic is quite a versatile seasoning. I hope Naser-san learns how to use it and explores more dishes with garlic.
"Garlic should be minced like this, and when added to a dish, it becomes really delicious. You can put it in tomato sauce or stew dishes."
"We'll try it in tomato sauce or stews next time."
"Definitely! It goes well with almost any dish, so feel free to use it."
I minced the garlic and placed it on the scallop. Then I sprinkled some salt and coated it with breadcrumbs.
It's ready! Now I just need to bake it in the oven.
"Naser-san, is the oven ready for use?"
"Yes. Are you planning to bake that in the oven?"
"Yes."
"Please leave it to me since it's dangerous."
Naser-san placed the scallops on a metal tray and placed them in the oven.
"Let's check the cooking progress in a while."
"Please do. Meanwhile, I'll finish up other dishes. I'll be grilling the amberjack with salt, is that alright?"
"Just sprinkle salt and grill it? That's all?"
"Yes, I want something simple."
"Understood."
While Naser-san was grilling the amberjack, I prepared the deep-frying.
Naser-san provided me with oil, and I began heating it in a pot. It's nice to have plenty of oil.
Once the oil was hot, I started preparing the ingredients. I coated the octopus with flour and the horse mackerel and saury with flour, egg, and breadcrumbs.
By the time the preparations were done, the oil was ready, so I began frying them one by one. I need to be careful not to mess up.
The sound of frying is quite satisfying... I'm getting hungry.
All done with frying. The Scallop Oven Bake is ready, and it looks like the amberjack is grilled too.
It's done!! I think I did better than I expected. Now, if they find it delicious, it'll be perfect.
"Naser-san, thank you so much for your help. Without you, I definitely wouldn't have been able to create these dishes so well."
"I am a chef, so helping is only natural. I, on the other hand, learned a lot from witnessing your new dishes. Thank you very much. Now, Leon-sama, please proceed to the dining hall. The staff and I will bring the dishes."
"Understood. Thank you."
I thanked Naser-san and left the dining hall. Roger was waiting for me just outside, but he frowned as soon as he saw me.
"Leon-sama, let's change into clean clothes in your room before heading to the dining hall. You're quite dirty."
"Is that so?"
I glanced down at my clothes. There was flour and breadcrumbs on them. They're definitely dirty.
"You're right. We should hurry, or dinner will be served soon."
With that, I changed into clean clothes in my room and then headed to the dining hall.