Culinary God in Wilderness

Chapter 272: Chapter 190: Eye-spotted Lobster, A Great Feat

But now, it was an absolute godsend, letting him skip the seawater filtration step and supplement his salt intake directly.

He steadied himself on a mangrove trunk and continued his search. As far as he could see, translucent shrimp lay quietly on the seafloor.

The slightest movement from him sent the skittish creatures rocketing away, giving him no chance to catch them.

As he wandered on, he gradually reached the edge of the Mangrove Forest. The seabed here was dotted with brownish-green reefs, though they were nowhere near as dense as on the reef flats.

Still, there was a high chance of crabs hiding under the reefs. He wanted to see if he could catch some bigger blue crabs.

After flipping over two head-sized rocks, several blue figures shot out from the swirling sand.

Lin Chen’s reflexes were sharp. He plunged his woven basket into the water and scooped backward, netting two of the blue crabs.

To keep them from escaping, he immediately ripped off their carapaces. The two unlucky critters went still instantly.

Just as he was about to flip a third rock, his eyes narrowed. He faintly saw two long, slender brown antennae poking out from under the stone, twitching slightly every now and then.

"A Lobster!?"

He might have needed a moment to identify any other creature, but the Lobster was one of the most sought-after catches by the sea—a top-tier ingredient in restaurants worldwide.

There was no need for identification; the moment he saw those two signature antennae, he knew exactly what it was.

He froze, not daring to move, terrified of startling the mysterious creature.

Unlike regular shrimp, Lobsters were large and not particularly fast. They liked to hide in rock crevices precisely because they couldn’t run quickly and needed to find cover.

The predators that hunted them were usually larger and couldn’t get into the rock crevices.

This very trait had given them the habit of simply retreating backward when faced with danger, rather than fleeing.

And that habit was a boon for humans, who could just reach in and grab them, or use tools like metal tongs.

A Lobster’s only weapon was its large claws, but not all species of Lobster had them.

According to his prior research, in the part of Panama bordering the Caribbean Sea, the Lobsters active in the shallows were typically the spotted spiny lobster. In deeper waters, one might find the painted spiny lobster. Neither species had large claws, so they were safe to grab.

He didn’t rush in. Instead, he first surveyed the area around the rock, paying special attention to any other nearby stones.

Fortunately, there weren’t many reefs in this area—just the few large ones in front of him.

Reassured, he took a quiet, deliberate step forward until he was right in front of the rock.

Sensing the sudden disturbance in the water, the two antennae under the rock slowly retracted.

Lin Chen bent down, submerging his hand beneath the surface. Then, he lunged forward, shoving his hand into the crevice and grabbing one of the antennae to yank it out.

Caught by surprise, the mysterious Lobster thrashed violently, but it was no match for a human’s superior strength. It was easily dragged from its hiding place.

SPLASH!

He held it by both antennae, careful not to let the Lobster’s struggling snap them, and his gaze fell upon its carapace.

Sure enough, there were two rows of eye-like white spots on its back.

’It’s a spotted spiny lobster, all right. This is the only kind you’d find living near the channel between the Mangrove Forest and the ocean.’

A genuine smile spread across his face.

This was a Lobster, the most sought-after, top-tier food for any seaside survivor. Bar none.

Ever since he started watching those wilderness survival shows, he had always looked forward to the island episodes, fantasizing about the cast gathering around a fire to share a Lobster feast.

Most Great Xia supermarkets in North America sold live Lobsters, but it just wasn’t the same as catching one yourself by the sea.

In fact, catching a Lobster had been on his to-do list for this trip to Panama.

He just hadn’t expected to accomplish it so soon. It felt a bit surreal.

The spotted spiny lobster, dangling from his grip, flapped ceaselessly. Its powerful tail slapped against its abdomen—THWAP, THWAP, THWAP—sending droplets of water flying everywhere.

Only then did he get a clear look at the Lobster’s full size.

It was much smaller than he’d imagined, only about a hand-span longer than his palm—roughly twenty centimeters. For a Lobster, that was well below average.

A Lobster of this size would barely yield a mouthful of meat once cooked.

Regardless, there was no way he was throwing it back. It was still meat, no matter how small.

He tossed it into his woven basket. There was no need to worry about it jumping out from that depth.

None of them stayed in the water for too long—half an hour was about the limit. Any longer and the skin on the soles of their feet would get rubbed raw.

After regrouping on the shore, the three of them shared their respective hauls.

Like him, Andre had also caught a spotted spiny lobster, though it wasn’t very big either. He’d also gotten a few unidentifiable fish, and the rest of his seafood haul was pretty much the same.

Erica, on the other hand, hadn’t found any rays, but she had caught two "balloons" covered in sharp spines.

"Lin, do you know how to prepare these?"

The moment he saw them, Lin Chen’s heart skipped a beat.

’Porcupinefish?’

"Theoretically, they can be prepared, but honestly, I’d recommend letting them go."

"A lot of people mistake porcupinefish for pufferfish, but they’re actually two different species."

"Pufferfish often live in freshwater habitats, whereas porcupinefish are a saltwater species."