Culinary God in Wilderness

It was one thing if he’d learned how to build a shelter from watching all those wilderness shows; that was acceptable.

But for a chef to so easily identify all sorts of plants and mushrooms in the wild? ’Isn’t that a bit too ridiculous?’

Many of the patients she’d treated were chefs, with specialties ranging from French and German to Northern European, Indian, and American cuisine. Once these people left their professional kitchens, they wouldn’t even touch a stove at home.

And all the ingredients in their restaurants came from suppliers, who in turn sourced from large farms. Everything was farm-raised; they had no way, and no opportunity, to encounter wild food varieties.

This meant one of two things: either this young chef from Great Xia had done incredibly detailed research before the show, or these ingredients were common back in Great Xia.

She was most intrigued by the mushroom dish Lin Chen had made last night. The thick slices of mushroom, pan-fried in fish oil, looked absolutely mouth-watering. What especially piqued her interest was his claim that not even the risk of poison could stop the people of Great Xia from loving wild mushrooms.

At that moment, she had desperately wanted to rush over and have a taste, just to find out how delicious these so-called poisonous mushrooms could be that people would risk their lives to eat them.

The other crew members had similar thoughts. They even tried to coax Daniel into gathering some of the same mushrooms for them to try, but he firmly refused.

Daniel’s reasoning was simple: anyone in their right mind wouldn’t try to forage and eat unfamiliar mushrooms in the wild. There were too many look-alike species. Even an expert like him, with forty years of wilderness survival experience, couldn’t guarantee that the wild mushrooms he picked would be the non-toxic kind.

Furthermore, Lin Chen had clearly stated that the whitish mushrooms were poisonous. Even if they weren’t fatal, without knowing the proper cooking method, he, as the wilderness survival consultant, couldn’t lead the entire crew into taking such a risk.

They were responsible for the safety of fifteen contestants; there was absolutely no room for even the slightest accident.

No one could offer a reasonable counterargument to that. Sighing and shaking their heads, they had to give up the idea.

But undeniably, their reliance on Daniel had, without them even realizing it, diminished significantly.

’A young contestant can solve this problem with ease, but an experienced expert like you can’t? What have you been doing for those forty years of wilderness survival?’

’Just professionally building shelters?’

Of course, Daniel had no idea his standing had dropped so much in the crew’s eyes. He was still basking in the pride of having made the right decision.

’If the crew had actually gotten sick from eating something, the future of the show would have been up in the air.’

The "culprit," Lin Chen, was completely unaware of the sensation his jungle cuisine and his strange performance over the past two days had caused. All he knew was that the salmon he’d been smoking for over two hours was about ready.

He lifted the pan. A thick cloud of smoke billowed out, slowly revealing the wine-red salmon flesh beneath.

Compared to before they were smoked, the two pieces of salmon had shrunk by about a quarter, and their color had deepened.

A layer of caramelized brown had formed on the surface of the fish, evidence of the open-flame smoking, as the initial temperature was much higher than in normal smoking methods.

This crust wasn’t from the fish being burnt, but rather a sugar shell formed from the blueberry jam he had brushed on later.

The faint aroma of applewood had long since filled the entire crevice, and he could also vaguely smell the sweet fragrance of the jam.

He eagerly used his small knife to slice the fish on a bias, revealing the beautiful texture within, somewhere between raw and cooked.

Smoking is also a method of sterilization. Coupled with the long, low-temperature cooking, it was like a variation of sous-vide, so he didn’t have to worry about any residual bacteria or parasites in the parts that weren’t fully cooked.

"Oh my god! Did you see that, folks? What an incredibly enticing piece of smoked Red Salmon!"

Even Lin Chen himself could hardly believe his eyes. Holding the GoPro, he carefully circled the cut fillet a few times, showcasing every last detail of the fish.

Closer up, the sweet aroma of the blueberry jam was even more pronounced.

He eagerly popped the slice of fish into his mouth. With just a gentle press of his tongue, the fish instantly melted.

The surface of the fish was, as it looked, slightly firm, much like canned tuna, but it was filled with the sweet and sour flavor of blueberries and the unique aroma of applewood.

The center portion of the fish was like jelly and required no chewing at all; it simply melted on the tongue.

The fresh, sweet fish had a natural saltiness of its own. Paired with the tartness of the wild apple, the sweetness of the blueberry, and the fragrance of the wild chives, the more he chewed, the more distinct the salmon’s characteristic buttery flavor became.

Multiple complex flavors exploded in his mouth, like a sea breeze rushing in from the waves, wandering through the forest, and then returning to the ocean.

"I’m not just bragging," Lin Chen said, his eyes closed in ecstasy. "The flavor of this rustic smoked Red Salmon is absolutely beyond anything you can imagine. In the wild, where nutrition is scarce, a sweet and sour salmon like this is the greatest gift from heaven!"

He figured most of the audience watching the live stream would be foreigners, so he tried to adopt a speaking style that would appeal to them.

"Although the texture is a tiny bit overcooked, to achieve this with no proper tools is already pretty amazing. I highly recommend everyone try this at home."

"Slice the smoked fish thinly, pair it with toasted baguette slices, spread a layer of sour cream on top, and add some red onion slivers pickled in apple cider vinegar and honey. It’s an absolutely nutritious and delicious option for a healthy afternoon snack."

The enticing rosy-red color of the salmon was captured with perfect clarity by the camera. Smoked foods like this were already a favorite among diners in North America, and it instantly triggered the cravings of countless viewers.

It was a sunny afternoon, and many restaurants soon received a flood of similar delivery orders, all for small snacks featuring smoked salmon as the main ingredient.

Spurred on by their children, housewives pulled their shopping carts out the door and headed once again for the supermarket.

She had already bought fresh salmon yesterday, but the house lacked herbs like dill and chives. She also needed to buy a baguette and some sour cream, and get ingredients for the pickled red onions.

If possible, she also wanted to see if she could get her hands on some applewood.