Culinary God in Wilderness

Chapter 216: Chapter 171: Sea Urchin Buffet, Highly Toxic Grouper

"First, the water must be naturally pure and unpolluted. Mussels are filter feeders, so in unclean water, they will store a large amount of toxins in their bodies."

"Second, it must be during the cold season, like from September to April. During this period, the seawater temperature drops, which isn’t suitable for algae growth. This prevents red tides, which means the mussels won’t be full of toxins."

"Third, you must choose mussels whose shells are completely closed, and they have to be alive."

"The toxins in shellfish don’t dissipate even after being boiled at high temperatures. So, when eating wild shellfish, you have to follow these principles. Otherwise, you’ll most likely be meeting your maker."

"Oh, right, one more thing. You have to boil them for at least ten minutes. Any that haven’t opened after being cooked are dead and can’t be eaten."

He’d only just remembered the fatal danger of eating wild shellfish. He’d confirmed with experts before the competition that the shellfish in this area were safe to eat this season, so he had unconsciously accepted it as a fact.

It was only after a moment that he realized not many people would know this. Even fishermen might not be aware. Only professionals who specialize in shellfish farming and related research would understand the risks involved.

Since there was still a giant coconut crab back at the shelter, he didn’t go after the little crabs this time. He just harvested a few pounds of mussels and gathered some kelp, starfish, and sea urchins. The banana leaf he’d brought was almost too full to carry.

The sea urchins, those spiny little things, were especially tricky. He had to put them in his jacket. If he had wrapped them in the banana leaf, it would have been poked full of holes and turned into a showerhead after just a few steps.

"Lin, aren’t you going to get these fish?"

He had just finished packing everything up when Andre walked over, carrying a string of coconuts. He didn’t look like he had just gone through any strenuous activity; he wasn’t even out of breath.

"This is a grouper. They taste great, have few bones, and are one of the most common types of edible sea fish. But I’m not exactly sure what specific variety this is."

"You’d eat it without knowing for sure?"

"Of course. I’ve eaten them many times. My old man taught me how when we lived by the sea for a while as he was teaching me to swim."

Andre didn’t hesitate. He bent down, picked up the spotted fish, rinsed it clean in the seawater, and tossed it into his basket.

"There’s a large coral reef near here. Most of the fish living here feed on the algae around the reef, so they might have ciguatoxin in their bodies."

"Of course I know that."

Lin Chen nodded in agreement.

Ciguatoxin is a potent neurotoxin, over three hundred times more lethal than the tetrodotoxin in pufferfish, and there is currently no antidote. This toxin is only found in a certain type of algae that grows near coral reefs.

Ciguatoxin is harmless to fish. After being ingested, it accumulates in their bodies. Over time, the toxin becomes stronger and more concentrated.

This was the main reason he hadn’t picked up any of those fish.

"Ciguatoxin is deadly, but it’s only found in the fish’s head, skin, internal organs, and roe. As long as you remove those four parts and soak the rest in fresh water for over half an hour, it’s safe to eat."

Lin Chen had also come across this preparation method in his prior research. But he didn’t have hands-on knowledge of fish or any experience preparing them. ’Facing a poison hundreds of times more potent than tetrodotoxin with no known antidote... It’d be a lie to say I’m not a little nervous.’

’Since Andre says it’s not dangerous, it must really be safe. Otherwise, the old guy wouldn’t still be standing here.’

"You can have them for now. I’ve got too many spoils already. It’d be a waste if I took them back and couldn’t finish them all. Don’t mention it."

He didn’t touch the fish. He just gave Andre a wave, which served as a goodbye, and turned back toward his shelter.

After quickly grabbing two fish, Andre didn’t linger on the beach either. He broke into a jog and hurried to catch up with Lin Chen.

Lin Chen frowned. "What are you following me for? Don’t you have a home to go to?"

"I don’t." He shook his head.

"Well, you can’t build your shelter next to mine. That’s predatory competition."

"Who said I was going to build next to you? Can’t I just scout the nearby terrain?"

"...Suit yourself!"

Ignoring the shameless old geezer, Lin Chen quickened his pace, grabbing any fallen branches he saw along the way.

In just over half an hour, the two of them arrived at the end of the river valley, at the base of a small hill.

"This is your home?"

Andre pointed in disbelief at the hole dug into the earthen wall, which was blocked by a few wooden planks. He simply couldn’t connect this dugout with the luxurious mansion Lin Chen had in Alaska.

"Got a problem with it?"

Lin Chen’s mouth twitched, and he silently rolled his eyes.

"I’m not done with it yet. It’s just a temporary place to sleep for now."

’That makes sense,’ Andre thought. ’The competition only just started its third day. Factoring in the travel time, there really hasn’t been a chance to make tools and build a proper shelter.’

Making himself at home, Andre removed the wooden frame and poked his head inside to take a look.

"Hey, hey, hey! What do you think you’re doing? That’s breaking and entering!"

Lin Chen hadn’t expected the old guy to be so brazen, tearing down his front door just like that. He immediately reached out to grab the back of his collar.

However, Andre, with his excellent eyesight, almost instantly spotted the huge creature trussed up with bark rope and hidden in the corner.

His eyes bulged. With a look of utter disbelief, he cried out, "A coconut crab?!"

"Holy hell, you actually caught one of these!"

’No wonder he looked down on the groupers on the beach. Compared to this thing, groupers are nothing!’

If you were to rank the food you can get while surviving in the wild, the coconut crab would absolutely be in the top three—S-tier level.

Don’t be fooled by its large size and claws that can crack open coconuts. It might seem formidable, but it’s actually very slow. Once you step on its back, there’s absolutely no chance of it struggling free.

Easy to catch, lots of meat, delicious, and nutritious. This one crab alone could provide enough energy for three or four days.

If you rationed it, it could even last a week.