I'm the Culinary God-Chapter 536 - 264: Low EQ: Nearly Backstabbed by Father-in-Law; High EQ: Father-in-Law Helps Me Show Off! [Seeking Monthly Ticket]_3
The scales shed piece by piece, revealing the white crocodile skin underneath.
Chen Yan curiously asked, "Brother-in-law, this part can be eaten now, right?"
"Yes, this crocodile skin is rich in collagen, with an even better texture than soft-shell turtle and Pork Skin. I’ll make sure you two eat plenty once it’s cooked."
This was precisely when he needed some help, so he might as well coax these two into doing more work.
As soon as they heard it was rich in collagen, the two pretty cooks immediately perked up.
While helping Lin Xu support the crocodile tail, they even took the initiative to scrape off the Scale Armor that was almost falling off from the hot water.
After cleaning the tail, Lin Xu also cleaned the Scale Armor on the upper half of the body.
Then, he lifted the Crocodile back onto the work table, belly up, using a steel brush to clean the Scale Armor on its belly as well.
Once everything was clean, he scalded it once more with hot water, trying to remove as much of the epidermal Scale Armor as possible. Soon, the Crocodile turned pure white.
It looked like a sculpture that hadn’t been painted yet.
Lin Xu placed the cutting board under the Crocodile and started by chopping off the tail. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂
The crocodile tail was divided into two parts. The front, thicker half had substantial meat and, being tougher from regular activity, was suitable for braising.
The tail tip in the back half was full of gelatin, making it ideal for soup.
After removing the crocodile tail, the Crocodile’s size was instantly halved.
Next, Lin Xu chopped off the crocodile head. The head didn’t have much meat, and since crocodiles don’t have tongues, he made sure to include as much neck meat as possible in the cut. It would later be steamed in the Chopped Pepper Fish Head style.
This kind of dish made from a crocodile head is generally for show; when served, they prop up the Crocodile’s mouth and give it a formidable name like "King Crocodile Head" or something similar.
After dealing with the head and tail, he then chopped off the Crocodile’s claws and removed its limbs.
The meat from the crocodile’s limbs was not only thick but also rich in collagen. If cooked right, its texture could rival that of a bear paw.
With four sizable crocodile legs, Lin Xu planned to cook two and freeze two in the fridge for whenever he craved them later.
With its head, tail, and limbs removed, only the Crocodile’s torso remained.
He then removed the Crocodile Belly, which had the tenderest meat, suitable for stir-frying, steaming, and even making sashimi.
However, since the family wasn’t used to eating raw meat and Lin Xu didn’t have a taste for it either, he decided to skip the sashimi, preferring his meat cooked.
After cutting off the belly meat, he removed the ribcage.
The Crocodile’s ribs were tender and finely textured, well-suited for marinating and then deep-frying to make garlic crocodile steak or Peppered Crocodile Steak. They could also be marinated in black bean sauce and steamed to make black bean sauce crocodile steak.
"I just discovered that crocodile meat looks a lot like frog meat; both are pinkish-white, not blood-red like beef, pork, or lamb," Chen Yan remarked, touching the crocodile meat and feeling its extreme tenderness.
Such tender meat, once eaten, would likely result in tender skin too, right? By now, she was already looking forward to how her skin would improve and her complexion would glow after eating the Crocodile. Hmph, although I can’t compete with my cousin in body shape, when it comes to skin and complexion, I can still give that darn Yueyue a run for her money!
"Yan Bao, if you’re hungry, go eat something else to tide you over. Don’t just stand there drooling over the crocodile meat," Shen Jiayue muttered disdainfully. Her cousin looked like a Komodo dragon that had spotted its prey. Good heavens, was she about to reveal her true form?
Chen Yan gently kicked her cousin with her high-heeled leg.
"You’re the one drooling! I’m just thinking how tender this meat looks and wondering how best to cook it later," Chen Yan retorted.
After removing the ribs, only the spine and the crocodile skin on its back remained.
Lin Xu skillfully used a kitchen knife to remove the skin from the back. This skin could be used for soup, turned into a gelatin dish, or stir-fried with dried chili.
Basically, any way you could prepare Pork Skin, you could prepare crocodile skin.
To change the subject, Chen Yan curiously asked, "Brother-in-law, can you buy those pre-cut crocodile meats at the market?"
"You can, but you have to be careful not to buy lizard meat by mistake. I’ve heard that some markets sell giant lizard meat passed off as crocodile meat."
Shen Baobao burst into laughter upon hearing this. Just a moment ago, I was teasingly thinking of my cousin as a Komodo dragon drooling over its prey, and now Lin Xu brought up giant lizards! Could this be what they call a ’meeting of minds’? She had planned to show off in front of Chen Yan but thought better of it. Yan Bao was so petty, and with all these kitchen knives around, what if she snapped? It could end badly. Sigh, girls like me who are considerate of others’ feelings are becoming so rare. Lin Xu is really lucky to have me!
After separating all parts of the Crocodile, Lin Xu first bagged a front and a hind crocodile leg in plastic and put them in the freezer.
Then, he began to cut the crocodile meat into portions.
He chopped the ribs into small pieces, marinating half with black bean sauce, Scallion and Ginger, and the other half with Scallion and Ginger, dried chili, Light Soy Sauce, Cooking Wine, salt, and sugar.
Once all the ribs were thoroughly marinated, he steamed half and fried the other half.
This was the best way to savor the deliciousness of the crocodile ribs.
After dealing with the ribs, he moved on to the other parts.
He soaked what needed soaking, marinated what needed marinating, and cut what needed cutting.
Once everything was prepared, Lin Xu began cleaning the Crocodile’s organs, asking Aunt Liu and others to start preparing the side dishes for the All Crocodile Banquet.
These included minced ginger and garlic, chopped green onions, cilantro, as well as green and red chilies, onions, and wood ear mushrooms—none of which were essential but certainly enhanced the dishes.
After organizing these tasks, Lin Xu soaked the Crocodile’s lungs, crocodile liver, and heart in running water, then carefully removed the crocodile gall to add to the soup later.
As for the chunks of fat from the abdominal cavity, he kept them soaking in another basin.
Before starting to cook, he planned to render some crocodile fat first, using it to cook the ingredients. This would enhance the rich, aromatic flavor and the smooth, oily texture of the dishes.
After sorting the organs, Lin Xu began to clean the crocodile intestine.
This too was a delicious ingredient; crocodile intestine was tender and chewy, suitable for many recipes. Today, Lin Xu planned to use the Stir-fried Pork Intestines Technique to cook some crocodile intestine, letting everyone taste the deliciousness of this ingredient.
As for the rest, he decided to just dry-fry them.
While he was busy, Shen Guofu, hands behind his back and beaming, boasted to the relatives, "You all kept arguing with me, saying a Crocodile isn’t a fish. So what if it’s not? In the presence of my son-in-law, doesn’t it still get handled clearly and orderly?"
Hmph, as long as it has the word ’fish’ in its name, it’s under my son-in-law’s jurisdiction, and he’ll find a way to handle it!
