Who Is the World’s Strongest Appraiser? ~Living in Another World With Satisfying Meals~

A Quick And Easy Seafood Marinated Bowl Using Men-Tsuyu

“Is it about ready?”

As lunchtime approached, Yuuri was alone, opening the refrigerator. He took out a bowl and checked its contents. Inside was raw fish marinated in sauce. The fish, cut into thin, bite-sized pieces, was fresh enough to be eaten as sashimi, as confirmed by the [God’s Eyes]. By the way, it was salmon.

Since Yuuri was alone for lunch today, he decided to make what he wanted. What he was about to eat was a seafood marinated bowl. While regular seafood bowls are delicious, the marinated version has a deeper flavor and is equally tasty.

The reason he chose the marinated bowl, being alone, was that sashimi isn’t commonly eaten around here. Dishes like carpaccio exist, but simple sashimi with soy sauce, salt, or wasabi isn’t widely accepted. Well, it’s an inland town, so it can’t be helped.

However, Yuuri likes sashimi, so he decided to enjoy it during his solo meal. Huh? Isn’t there usually someone from the guidance team at the base? …The person on watch, Frau, was called out to the adventurer’s guild and left. Thanks to that, Yuuri had a relaxed lunch alone.

Even if Frau returned and wanted to eat lunch, Yuuri figured she could just grill the marinated salmon. So, he made a bit extra. If there were leftovers, someone else would eat them. At Scarlet Lynx, leftover food is never a problem.

“Yep, looks good.”

Taking the salmon out of the marinade, it had a nice color. The delicious marinated salmon was ready. By the way, the marinade was quick and easy to make. The main ingredient was men-tsuyu. …Hooray for mixed seasonings.

The method is simple: put men-tsuyu, ginger juice, and a little sesame oil in a bowl, then toss in bite-sized sashimi-grade fish. The ratio of ginger to sesame oil is up to personal preference. Also, Yuuri isn’t a fan of raw garlic, but adding grated garlic gives a spicy kick and makes it delicious in its own way.

By the way, marinated fish like this can also be sautéed or grilled, and it’s still tasty. Depending on the type of men-tsuyu used, the flavor can vary—dashi-based, slightly sweet, or strongly soy sauce-like—making it versatile and fun to experiment with.

“Let’s see, I have shiso, myoga, and green onions, right?”

Placing the bowl by the sink, Yuuri took out the ingredients he needed from the fridge. A seafood marinated bowl needs garnishes. What to use is up to preference, but Yuuri chose shiso, myoga, and green onions.

After washing them, Yuuri chopped them up. The shiso and myoga were julienned, while the green onions were thinly sliced. Seeing the neatly chopped garnishes, Yuuri smiled with satisfaction.

Next, he scooped rice into a bowl. He placed the remaining rice from the rice cooker into a deep bowl, then arranged the marinated salmon on top. After generously layering the salmon, he scattered the chopped shiso, myoga, and green onions over it.

“Done!”

Looking at the finished marinated seafood salmon bowl, Yuuri smiled brightly. He had made exactly what he wanted to eat. Of course, he’d be smiling. Huh? He’s always smiling? Well, this smile is for a different reason.

After placing water, leftover morning soup, and salad on a tray, Yuuri was about to head to the dining area when he suddenly looked up. Someone was entering through the doorway.

“Huh? Ireis, what’s up?”

“My business finished early, so I came back.”

“Oh, I see. Well, then I should prepare lunch for you too.”

Yuuri spoke in his usual tone to the mermaid girl, Ireissia, who smiled softly. However, he subtly hid the marinated seafood bowl behind him, keeping it out of her sight. Since many people here aren’t fond of raw fish, he decided to be considerate.

By the way, Ireissia is a mermaid, but she eats both meat and fish normally. The question of whether eating fish counts as cannibalism is explained by the fact that the fish world is survival of the fittest. Mermaids, with their human-like upper bodies, are quite omnivorous. In fact, seafood seems to be a favorite.

“Ireis, should I grill the salmon?”

“There’s salmon?”

“Yeah, it’s marinated in men-tsuyu, so it has that flavor. Is that okay?”

“Of course, that’s fine. …By the way, Yuuri, what’s that dish in your bowl?”

“Oh, this? It’s a marinated seafood bowl I made for myself.”

“Is that salmon… raw?”

“…Yeah, it’s raw.”

Yuuri averted his eyes slightly when answering Ireissia’s question. Since many people dislike raw fish, he expected her to say something like, “Are you really going to eat that?” But Ireissia’s reaction was different from what he expected. She tightly grasped Yuuri’s hands with her delicate, beautiful fingers. When Yuuri looked up in surprise, the stunningly beautiful girl was blushing slightly as she gazed at him.

“Ireis?”

“Yuuri, are you from a region where eating raw fish is common?”

“Huh?”

“If it’s not too much trouble, could you prepare the same for me?”

The ethereally beautiful girl’s face sparkled with excitement. Even at such close range, Yuuri wasn’t particularly fazed by her beauty. Instead, he was more intrigued by her words. She had indeed said she wanted the same dish. That meant she was accustomed to eating raw fish, or sashimi. Yuuri was utterly shocked.

“Wait, Ireis, you eat sashimi?”

“I’m not familiar with sashimi, but in my hometown, we eat fresh fish raw.”

“Wow, really?”

“But around here, people don’t eat it raw…”