Culinary God in Wilderness

Chapter 254: Chapter 184: Ancient Stone Clam, Goose-necked Barnacle

He flipped it over; its flesh was a faint pink, and it really did look a lot like abalone.

’I remember now. This is a Stone Clam!’

There aren’t many types of shellfish that resemble abalone, especially those found on coastal reefs—only a few kinds, really. It didn’t take long for him to recall the true identity of this strange-looking mollusk.

’Stone Clams are the ancestors of all shellfish. They appeared even before the dinosaurs. Not only do they have immense nutritional and medicinal value, but they’re also incredibly delicious.’

His eyes lit up at this discovery. He grabbed the Stone Clam’s shell, rinsed it in the seawater, and tossed it into the basket on his back.

He decided to explore this newly exposed reef area for a while longer and gather as much shellfish as he could.

’In terrain like this, where waves crash against the shore, the reefs are usually covered in Green Mussels. They’re very nutritious and high in protein, which would make them a perfect lunch.’

Green Mussels are a species that attaches to reefs and doesn’t move. They feed on plankton and algae brought in by the waves as the tide comes in and out, which is why they tend to grow in clusters within this intertidal zone.

They might look like they’re just sitting on the rocks, free for the taking, but harvesting them is actually a high-risk job.

Wild Green Mussels grow and reproduce quickly and have few natural predators. Within a year or two, they can completely cover the surface of all nearby reefs.

This means that to harvest the Green Mussels, you have to walk on their shells.

The combination of seawater and slippery moss makes it incredibly easy to lose your footing. If you were to slip and fall, smashing your body against the shells or the reef would be devastating.

If you were unlucky enough to hit your head, you could die instantly.

That’s why harvesting these mussels usually requires non-slip rain boots and full protective gear to prevent accidents. The working hours are limited by the tides, making the haul from any single trip extremely small.

For this very reason, few people bother to gather shellfish from wild reefs; most of it comes from aquaculture.

He moved cautiously across the rocks, carefully choosing safe places to step and avoiding the slippery moss.

After walking just ten meters or so, he could vaguely make out the silhouette of a large patch of black shells on the side of a huge reef up ahead.

When he rounded the rock, he saw that the side facing the waves was completely covered in a dense layer of shells.

Besides the common grayish-black Green Mussels and clams, many strangely shaped species were growing within this colony of shellfish.

They looked a bit like the claws of some creature, or perhaps coral, growing in dense patches between the clusters of Green Mussels.

The moment he saw them, a name popped into his head.

’Goose-necked Barnacle!’

These things were far more notorious than Green Mussels.

They shared a trait with Green Mussels, both feeding on the tides, but their habitat wasn’t limited to coastal reefs; they could be found in oceans all over the world.

The hulls of international freighters on long voyages, railings constantly splashed by waves, even the backs of some whales and sea turtles—all could become their habitats.

It was this very characteristic that made them the bane of sailors.

Once a ship became infested, the crew had to regularly scrape them off by hand. Otherwise, they would add significant weight to the vessel, drastically increasing the risk of it capsizing and sinking.

Their downsides aside, however, Goose-necked Barnacles are the only species of barnacle that is eaten. They are nutritious and have medicinal properties, but because they cannot be farmed, they are extremely difficult to harvest, which drives up their value.

The domestic market price averages 600-700 yuan per half-kilo, with high-quality specimens reaching prices of several thousand, or even tens of thousands, of yuan.

In the North American market, the price wouldn’t drop below three figures.

Their high price, combined with their bizarre appearance, has earned them the nickname "seafood from hell."

’You don’t see these on the market often. You can’t get them unless you place a special order. At least, I’ve never seen them on a supermarket or wholesaler’s inventory list.’

He squatted down again, first prying off a few of the surrounding Green Mussels to clear some space before starting to scrape off the Goose-necked Barnacles.

These bizarre-looking creatures had long... tentacles? Stalks? They looked like miniature geoducks, their surfaces covered by a tough membrane with a pattern like a mesh glove.

After he scraped one off the rock, the part that had been attached was broken, revealing faint pink flesh similar in color to most other shellfish.

’This thing... how do you eat it?’

He stared in confusion at the handful of bizarre creatures. The shell-like part was hard to the touch, while the stalk had a rough, matte texture. When he squeezed it, it squirted water.

His chef’s instincts told him that the pink, tender part inside was what you were supposed to eat, but that meant he’d have to peel off the outer skin.

Peeling it would be simple enough—a quick blanch in boiling water followed by a cold-water rinse would make most of the skin come off easily.

’But what about raw... can you eat it raw?’

Green Mussels, abalone, and scallops could all be eaten raw right after harvesting. The same went for things like Lobster and crab, and most ocean fish as well. So, chances were, you could eat these raw too.

This one was so small, not even as thick as his pinky finger. A little taste should be fine.

If it felt wrong, he could just spit it out immediately.

He squeezed the base of the shell hard. A jet of clear liquid shot out, and a column of pale pink meat was forced out, almost like squeezing meat from a crab leg.