Chapter 290

Crab Meat Soup may seem simple at first glance when looking at the ingredients or recipe, but that doesn’t mean it’s an easy dish to make.

All seafood, including crab meat, has a unique aroma that land creatures can’t replicate.

For those who like it, it’s a charm, but for those who dislike or are unfamiliar with it, it’s often called the “fishy smell of the sea.”

The key to making Crab Meat Soup is how to handle that distinct fishy smell.

That’s why it’s a dish usually found in high-end Chinese restaurants rather than ordinary ones.

Of course, considering that the fishy smell of seafood tends to intensify as freshness decreases, there’s no need to worry much about the fishy smell of snow crab in Leila, where it’s cooked fresh from the source.

Ultimately, the key is how you handle that fishy smell.

As I thought this and savored the taste of the Crab Meat Soup in my mouth.

“…!?”

What the…?

This soup.

It’s not… fishy at all?

Wondering if I misjudged the taste, I took another spoonful, but the Crab Meat Soup’s flavor and aroma remained unchanged, with no hint of fishiness.

This clearly proved that the chef who made this Crab Meat Soup was no ordinary cook.

However.

I couldn’t even spare a moment to focus on the fact that the soup wasn’t fishy.

There was a problem in this Crab Meat Soup that made the lack of fishiness seem trivial.

I couldn’t help but feel deeply shocked.

This was on par with the shock I felt when I first tried Clam Chowder upon arriving in Leila.

No, it was even more shocking than that.

The moment I tasted it, I felt the urge to grab Drake by the collar and demand an explanation.

But I struggled to suppress that urge.

It wasn’t just because I was considering the atmosphere of the cooking duel.

As a chef, I naturally wanted to use my palate and knowledge to uncover the secret of this flavor.

And because I hadn’t fully savored the Crab Meat Soup yet.

So, I calmed down and slowly tasted the soup again.

First, I noticed the warm, mild flavor of the egg blending seamlessly with the deep, rich aroma of the crab, creating a warmth that seeped into the cold early winter air.

Despite appearing to use only a few ingredients, the combination of egg and crab created an overwhelmingly deep flavor.

But what shocked me the most was the next sensation.

It was a clean, refreshing aftertaste that could only be described as “cooling.”

The sensation of “coolness” is something you’d least expect when tasting seafood.

In nature, the sensation of coolness is rarely felt in meats and is mostly associated with plants like mint. Seafood, on the other hand, is usually associated with saltiness, umami, and fishiness—flavors far from coolness.

Yet, this Crab Meat Soup had a clean, refreshing taste that made me think of the word “cooling.”

No. Crab Meat Soup is inherently far from being a clean, refreshing dish.

Crab meat itself has a rich flavor, and the egg adds a mild, comforting warmth rather than a refreshing coolness.

But this Crab Meat Soup managed to harmonize a refreshing coolness with a deep, mild flavor, creating a masterpiece.

However, this Crab Meat Soup boasted a refreshing coolness with every bite.

And within that cool aftertaste, there was a familiar, fragrant aroma.

Did they use some kind of herb?

….

I figured I’d find out the secret behind this refreshing aftertaste as I kept eating.

I suppressed the urge to immediately ask Drake about the secret of the broth and turned my attention back to the soup.

If I asked Drake now, I could satisfy my curiosity, but that would take away the fun of figuring it out myself.

After tasting the broth, it was time for the solid ingredients.

Enoki mushrooms, while mild in flavor compared to other mushrooms, have a unique texture due to their clustered form.

But the true charm of enoki mushrooms shines in soups.

The broth trapped between the tightly packed mushrooms.

With each chew, the enoki mushrooms crunch pleasantly, releasing the Crab Meat Soup’s broth, filling my mouth.

Next, the egg.

Even though it was boiled in the soup, the egg retained the freshness of a Three-legged Fowl’s egg.

Moreover, the egg carried a subtle aroma of crab, making it a delicacy on its own.

Next, the bamboo shoots and the main ingredient, the crab.

I decided to save the crab for last and tried the bamboo shoots first.

Bamboo shoots are rarely used in ordinary Crab Meat Soup.

But since bamboo shoots themselves have little flavor and are mostly enjoyed for their texture, it wasn’t strange to find them in this soup.

In fact, bamboo shoots are a versatile ingredient widely used in various Chinese dishes.

Well, freshly picked bamboo shoots have a subtle corn-like aroma, but since bamboo doesn’t grow around here, expecting that level of freshness would be unrealistic.

Thinking this, I placed a thinly sliced piece of bamboo shoot into my mouth.

Crunch.

It’s soft like a mushroom but has a crisp texture like a vegetable.

That’s the charm of bamboo shoots.

Chew, chew.

…Huh?

As I chewed the bamboo shoot, I soon felt a sense of curiosity.

But that curiosity was short-lived.

By eating the bamboo shoot, I realized the secret behind the flavor of this Crab Meat Soup and smiled subtly.

So…

This is the secret of the magic.

I thought the bamboo shoots were added without much thought, but they turned out to be an unexpected key player.

With a wry smile, I then placed the final solid ingredient, the crab, into my mouth.

The crab’s flavor was exactly the same as the Man-eating Crab stew I had just eaten.

After savoring both the broth and the solid ingredients, I began to eat the soup normally.

.

.

.

Clatter.

After finishing the bowl of soup, I placed the spoon on the empty plate.

Others were still quietly but busily moving their spoons, having not finished their soup yet.

“You finished quickly. Want another bowl if you’re still hungry?”

“Ah, if there’s more soup, I’ll take another bowl. But before that, I have a question.”

As I finished the soup, Drake, who had cooked the Crab Meat Soup, approached me.

Perfect timing, as I had something I wanted to confirm.

“A question?”

“First, the flavor of this crab… It’s Man-eating Crab, right?”

“You figured that out with just one bite? Impressive. I didn’t think anyone could identify the type of crab in the soup with just one taste. Especially a Lizardman. Truly amazing.”

Yes.

The crab in the soup had the same flavor as the Man-eating Crab I had cooked and eaten just the day before.

Generally, the flavor of crab meat is said to depend more on the crab’s environment than its species.

In my past life in Korea, snow crab was considered the best, but that was only because Korea’s geography provided an ideal environment for snow crabs.

In regions where king crabs thrive, king crabs are considered the best, and in areas where hairy crabs or red crabs thrive, those crabs are considered superior.

In that sense, the Man-eating Crab, free from the stress of predators and even capable of threatening humans, naturally had superior flavor compared to ordinary crabs.

Thus, the Crab Meat Soup I was eating had a softer, sweeter, and deeper aroma compared to ordinary crab meat.

Yes.

This wasn’t ordinary Crab Meat Soup—it was Man-eating Crab Meat Soup.

But…

The fact that Man-eating Crab was used wasn’t the most surprising part of the shock I felt while eating this soup.

With my first curiosity resolved, I asked Drake my next question.

“Second, the refreshing, cool aroma in this Crab Meat Soup… It’s from the bamboo shoots, right?”

At my words, Drake’s expression grew even more intrigued, and he smiled deeper.