My Refrigerator Turned Into A Dungeon

Chapter 459

Home Cooking

Well then, without delay, we borrowed the Katsuhina family's kitchen and started cooking.

[Bakyah! Goryu… Bakari!!]

“Whoa, awesome~. This thing still has insides like an engine, huh~”

When I peeled off the shell of the giant crab, Shark peeked inside and let out that impression. Hmm, I see—an engine, huh. Nicely said again.

Certainly, the inside of the giant crab after removing the shell really does have a structure worthy of being called an engine.

For one thing, it’s huge. By the way, the ingredients from the Crab Dungeon were secured a little before we arrived at the Katsuhina household. And this crab was nerve-spiked—sticking the mithril shoehorn in through its mouth with a vun and sun. So the freshness is outstanding.

“Look, this slightly black, flappy thing here is the gill. It’s called gani, but if we’re comparing it to an engine, it’s like the carburetor. See, there’s one on each side, so the two of you try removing them.”

“Yeah!”

“I-I’ll try!”And helping with the cooking, Shark and Yuzuki-chan joined in.

When it comes to cooking, it’s something I can teach them anytime, so when we were staying at Serai-san’s family home, I prioritized letting the two of them experience farming and interact with nature instead. How about that decision-making? Pretty fitting for someone whose profession is: teacher, right?

“Uwaah! It’s all squishy!”

“Hey hey, Shark. Don’t peel it carelessly and crush the gills. If you mess them up, the off-flavor will transfer to the meat, you know?”

“Man, you’re noisy. I know already…”

“I-Is it like this…?”

“Yeah, yeah. The base is the hard part, but handle that carefully… that’s it! Yeah, Hinagata-kun has good sense! Very nice!”

“R-Really?”

And since my motto is praising people so they grow, whenever they do well I unleash a full praise attack.

And of course I don’t forget to boost their mindset by lifting them up like that. Indeed—after all, Ruu, whom I guided like this, achieved splendid growth, so my track record and credibility are on a different level.

And while we cook, I also don’t forget to take care of the people who are waiting.

While watching for an opening, I quickly used the fire wand to roast the fresh mushrooms that the old man had gathered, bringing out their aroma. Sprinkle a little God Salt over them, and just like that, the perfect snack is complete.

As they eat the roasted mushrooms, Ruu’s father and mother savor the taste with heartfelt appreciation.

“Haaah… This is another exquisite dish…”

“Yes, dear. It has such a lovely flavor.”

Roasting them brings out the mushrooms’ aroma, so you can enjoy their fragrance first.

But once you put them in your mouth, you get a double punch of gentle yet rich flavor and aroma. And the seasoning that makes it stand out even more is God Salt, bestowed by the tiny god of salt. Indeed, there’s no way this could taste bad.

“Coach, once you’ve removed the meat and only the shells are left, please give them to me. I’ll use them for the miso soup stock.”

“Mm, understood. I’ll start peeling the leg meat in order now, so get ready.”

“Yes, please.”

“Yeah, leave it to me.”

While Shark and Yuzuki-chan struggle with the main body of the giant crab, I move ahead with processing the legs.

After quickly cutting off the many legs, I slice them so they’re easy for shabu-shabu and toss them into ice water! This tightens the meat while giving the fibers a three-dimensional firmness, so it’s an effective step both for appearance and texture.

“Here, Ruu. Please take these shells.”

“Understood.”

With perfect unspoken coordination, Ruu receives the crab shells from me and begins making stock with them.

By doing that, the umami from the shells and the bits of meat still attached drift into the soup, letting us enjoy every bit of the flavor without waste.

“Alright, you two keep securing the crab meat and the miso. Oh, and pass the empty shells to Ruu. I’ll start filleting this Piragorou over here.”

“Got it.”

“Understood.”

While giving instructions like that, I begin filleting the Piragorou with smooth, flowing movements.

Yeah. Piragorou is just the monster’s name I came up with randomly. It’s a giant mudskipper with piranha-like teeth that lives in the muddy marshes on the second underground floor of the Crab Dungeon. But this guy has lean meat with a nice layer of fat.

So I figured it’d be delicious for shabu-shabu, which is why I caught just one.

[Goshi goshi goshi! Jaa~…!!]

And the skills I possess are [Salt] and [Strong Acid].

So if I scrape it with a Salt Cutter, the scales come off easily, and the double attack of salt and acid perfectly removes the slime and odor. That’s why even a sea-lion-sized Piragorou can be filleted in no time.

“Hey, Master…”

And at that moment, Serai-san, who was cutting vegetables at the kitchen table, called out.

“Hmm? What is it, Serai-san?”

“Why am I always the one in charge of cutting vegetables…??”

N-No, well… that’s what you call putting the right person in the right place, Serai-san…