Chapter 818 - 584: Unattainable Heights (Part 3)
With a switch to a small, sharp knife, he carefully deboned one side of the fish ribs, with movements so delicate it was as if he was conducting a piece of art.
The other side was the same, each fish rib falling away without a trace.
He spread the fish belly to its fullest, with the fish’s stomach facing up, securely laying it on the chopping board, and precisely severing the connection between the fish head and spine with the tip of a kitchen knife.
Next, he picked up a narrow, long deboning knife, slowly cutting in from behind the fish head, closely following the spine, skillfully removing the entire spine, stopping only when he reached the fish’s tail.
When the spine on both sides was completely removed, he carefully extracted it from the fish belly. At this point, apart from the fish’s head and tail, there were no bones or pieces of fishbone left in the entire carp.
This series of fluid and precise operations left others present dumbfounded, casting admiring glances.
Though the technique of deboning is not difficult, Huang Jun’s seamless operations are not something ordinary people can achieve.
Behind this is the crystallization of years of honing and refining skills.
Outsiders watch for the spectacle, while insiders understand the intricacies, thus are even more amazed.
The people present, including Qian Guoxiang, Zheng Yaohua, Yu Daqing, Zhao Weiguang, and others possess such skills, but considering the age difference with Huang Jun, any sense of superiority they possessed vanished.
Contemplating it, Meng Hongze convinced himself that when it comes to deboning a fish that weighs over a pound, he too could handle it, yet he feared his speed might not reach Huang Jun’s level.
Huang Jun gently set down the fish he was holding, and then picked up another lively, jumping carp.
The fish just now was merely a warm-up exercise.
And now, he was preparing to tackle a higher difficulty level technique more suited for Three Delicacies Deboned Fish—whole fish deboning.
This means removing the fish bones completely without damaging the fish skin.
This technique is far more difficult than before, testing not only the chef’s knife skills but also their handling of the fish’s innards.
The slightest carelessness could rupture the fish’s gallbladder, rendering the fish inedible.
Huang Jun first skillfully scraped off the fish scales, then carefully extracted the gills and removed the fish teeth.
He took a thin, sharp deboning knife, gently inserting it through the fish gills, beginning the meticulous deboning work.
This task is extremely challenging, with limited operating space, and the carp’s bone structure is complex, with rib spines in the front and rear barbs; any minor mistake could cause the knife tip to pierce the fish skin.
But relying on his intermediate chef expertise, Huang Jun executed the entire process, though challenging, with steadfast precision.
When he withdrew the entire fish bone and innards from the gills, every person present couldn’t help but draw in a sharp breath.
This method could be called exquisite.
Once again, everyone deeply felt that Qian Guoxiang’s previous evaluation of Huang Jun was indeed apt, and Huang Jun’s earlier modesty seemed somewhat excessive.
"Truly spectacular, Chef Huang!" Zheng Yaohua sincerely exclaimed, "Thinking back to when I was young, at your age, it was absolutely unattainable for me to reach your culinary level."
Qian Guoxiang nodded approvingly, "Indeed, I also felt far behind."
Zhao Weiguang and Yu Daqing nodded in agreement.
Indeed!
They were nowhere near that level!
Meng Hongze quietly pondered, questioning himself whether at Huang Jun’s age, he could reach Huang Jun’s culinary mastery.
Although the outside world always hailed him as "the most talented young chef," at this moment, deep down, he had to admit that compared to Huang Jun, he might not fully deserve this title.
Huang Jun’s culinary skills were undeniably more exceptional, more breathtaking.
Wanting to reach Huang Jun’s level at Huang Jun’s age is no easy feat, requiring more effort and sweat...
Of course.
Despite the challenging path ahead, he never planned to give up.
He would take Huang Jun as an example, continue polishing his culinary skills, hoping that one day he could stand side by side with him, or even surpass him...
Aspirations are necessary; what if they come true?