Behind the inn, there was nothing but an empty stable and a dry well. It seemed to be a plaza usually used by the adventurers staying at the inn for training.
At this hour, when the sky had started turning a deep red, there seemed to be no one interested in using it, so the innkeeper happily gave me permission.
“There’s no sign of people, so let’s get ready quickly.”
I efficiently set up tables, a cooking station, a magic stove, and a barbecue grill in the center of the plaza.
Normally, for a barbecue centered around meat, there would be some preparation like marinating in sauce to soak in the flavor, but this time it was a seafood barbecue.
“The fish will be wrapped in foil, and the shellfish will be grilled as they are. With butter, soy sauce, and lemon, it’ll be enough.”
I really wanted to have sashimi, but eating it raw straight away seemed like a high hurdle, even for the gluttonous Shella . So, I decided to start with the barbecue to get her accustomed to it.
The fish, similar to salmon, was cut into fillets, and I wrapped sliced onions, mushrooms, and a slice of lemon in foil to grill. The seasoning was simply cooking sake, butter, and salt and pepper.
I set up three servings and slowly grilled them on the grill.
“Tohma ! Tohma ! How do we eat this shellfish?”
With an excited expression, Shella asked with a smile, and I placed a frying pan on the magic stove with a wry smile.
“Clam miso soup! …I wish, but today we’ll just do a butter grill. Is it okay if I leave it to you, Shella ?”
“Yes! I’ll do my best!”
I used purification magic to clean the clams after they had spat out the sand, then placed them in the frying pan with butter to grill. I asked Shella to keep an eye on them.
“When the shells open, that means they’re cooked. Be careful not to break the shells and stir slowly, okay?”
“Got it. I’ll keep an eye on them.”
“Good, thanks… Ketsue, will you keep an eye on them with her?”
“Kururu.”
Ketsue reluctantly walked over to Shella . As he passed by me, he swished his tail and lightly tapped my knee.
Unfortunately, his fluffy fur didn’t hurt at all; in fact, it felt like a reward.
“Next, we’ll do grilled fish skewers!”
I decided to grill a fish that looked like mackerel on skewers. After removing the innards, I lightly salted it, and then simply grilled it on the net.
The grill was getting full, so I prepared the other seafood while waiting for the fish to cook.
In the meantime, Shella called out to me.
“Tohma ! The shellfish opened its mouth! Is it done?”
“Let me see… Oh, it’s done. Let’s eat right away.”
“Mm! The butter smells so good!”
The recipe for butter-grilled clams often calls for adding cooking sake or mirin, but I skipped that and just trusted the flavor of the ingredients, using only butter.
I used high-quality butter, not margarine, so I was confident it would taste amazing.
“Mmm, ahh!”
Shella eagerly pinched the clam meat with her fingers and slurped it down, squinting from the heat but deeply focused on drinking up the juice.
“Delicious! It’s like the essence of the sea in every bite.”
“Wait, wait, Ketsue. I’ll get the meat out for you…”
Both Shella and Ketsue eagerly begged for more, so I hurriedly divided the clam meat into small plates.
Making sure Ketsue didn’t burn his tongue, I blew on the pieces to cool them down before offering them to him. He meowed adorably and bit into it with delight.
“Yum, yum.”
“Right? These otherworldly clams are so plump and tasty!”
Noticing that Shella , who usually makes a lot of noise when she enjoys something, was unusually quiet, I glanced at her.
“…Mmm, ahh!”
“Whoa… eating directly from the pan…”
With an intense look on her face, Shella was devouring the butter-grilled clams.
It was a bit embarrassing to see her eating so fiercely compared to the more refined way I was eating from the small plate.
(Wait, isn’t Shella ‘s way of eating more embarrassing? But, well, it’s not like she’s embarrassing herself in a restaurant, so it’s fine, right?)
Shella continued to devour the clams without even pausing to comment on how delicious they were. The bowl next to the frying pan was soon piled with empty clam shells.
In the end, Ketsue and I were both stunned as we watched Shella finish off all the butter-grilled clams from the frying pan.
With flushed cheeks, Shella sighed in bliss.
“Fuhhh… That was so delicious…”
“I’m glad you’re satisfied. Alright, let’s eat the salmon foil bake next.”
Suddenly, Shella snapped back to reality and looked at me, then at Ketsue, before hurriedly glancing at the empty frying pan.
“I’m so sorry! It was so delicious, I ended up eating it all!”
Shella was so apologetic, she almost bowed to the ground. To my surprise, Ketsue was the one who calmed her down.
Rarely, for someone who loves food like him, he jumped up onto Shella ’s shoulder and affectionately rubbed his face against her cheek.
“Ketsue-san…?”
“She saw you eating so deliciously, and that made it okay. Seems like she really liked the clams.”
“Yes! It was sooo delicious! It had a strange texture, different from both meat and fish, but it matched perfectly with the flavor of the butter. I just couldn’t stop eating…”
“I get it. Butter-grilled clams, you just can’t stop eating them, huh…”
I couldn’t laugh at Shella for that.
As a guy living alone, eating straight from the frying pan or pot is normal.
I had also polished off a huge amount of butter-grilled clams made in a big frying pan. It goes really well with beer.
The butter and clam broth also made a great pasta sauce. Maybe I’ll make it again tomorrow.
“We’ll be making a living from the sea for a while, so we should stock up on clams.”
“Yes! I’ll dig up lots of them!”
She’s really motivated.
Maybe I should buy an extra bucket. I might also need a cart to carry buckets and coolers that can’t fit into the Item Box.
“Well, let’s eat while it’s still warm. The foil-baked fish also has butter, so I think it’ll suit your taste.”
“Let’s eat!“
I opened the foil-baked fish I had placed on a flat plate, making it easier for Shella to eat.
By the way, Ketsue’s portion didn’t have onions or lemon. I made sure to remove the bones and flake the fish for him.
“Mmm! This is delicious! Fish from the sea is so tasty, Tohma !”
“Heh heh… this is tasty, but I’m going to feed you something even better soon.”
There are still plenty of seafood from the sea. Shrimp, squid, octopus, clams… And the much-anticipated oysters!
“The shrimp will be grilled simply. Don’t forget to taste the roe, okay? And the squid grilled with a sweet and savory sauce… it can’t possibly taste bad!”
“Woooow!“
Shella was already enchanted by the ongoing seafood barbecue.
It seemed she didn’t like the bitterness of the shrimp roe, which was a shame.
Ketsue also has a childlike taste, so he had given up on it.
“Well, then maybe we should skip the oysters? They’d be easier to eat if fried. As for the octopus, maybe I’ll make it as karaage or a marinade instead of a barbecue…”
I quietly put the octopus back into the Item Box. But I wasn’t going to give up on the oysters. Even if no one else ate them, I might even enjoy having them all to myself.
“This squid? It looked like a new kind of magical beast, but it was also delicious.”
“Squid is also great grilled with butter or in a mayonnaise-soy sauce. Alright, let’s grill the oysters and clams next. Oysters have a distinctive fishy smell, so if you don’t like them, don’t force yourself. But if you liked the clams, I’m sure you’ll like the clams too.”
“Bivalves…! They’re bigger than clams, I’m so excited!”
I carefully grilled the clams, and once they opened, I added a bit of butter. You can also add soy sauce or lemon as you like.
Shella tried the oysters with butter and soy sauce, but she seemed to prefer the clams, eating them eagerly.
Ketsue seemed to like the oysters, though, and sweetly asked me to cut them into smaller pieces for him.
“You’ve got some good taste, as expected from my partner.”
“Nyaou.“
I chose olive oil and garlic for the seasoning. I’m not too fond of onions, but lately, I’ve been really into garlic.
“Mmm! The oysters are amazing! So plump and juicy!”
As I bit into one, the rich taste of happiness spread in my mouth.
The oysters from this otherworld, containing magic elements, were far better than I had imagined.
