As evening approached, after finishing all December's tasks, Lin Yu'an could finally start preparing his dinner.
He glanced at the lake trout fillets hanging on the crossbeam to dry, then at the pile of red spot salmons intended for the cold smoking project kicking off tomorrow.
Finally, he deliberately picked out a large red spot salmon, a fish that grows in pristine lake water, with tender, rich, and fatty flesh.
With a tone of self-deprecation and relief, he said, "I just complained that I am really tired of tasteless grilled fish pieces. But this one will still be my celebratory dinner in a grilled form."
Lin Yu'an chose the cooking method that best preserved its natural flavor: direct grilling.
Yet he took meticulous steps rather than being careless.
First, he carefully scraped off the scales with gentle focus, afraid of damaging the intact, gelatin-rich fish skin which would be the tastiest part after grilling.
