Chapter 190: The Left-Handed Single-Edged Knife Master

After saying this, Sheng Yu Pian picked up a grass carp with his left hand and placed it on the cutting board. Then, his right middle finger slid along the knife rack from right to left, paused on the sixth knife, and reversed his grip to firmly hold the knife in his hand.

Whoa!

"Eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve…"

"You've got quite a few knives!"

Chen Jianhai was shocked as he glanced at the knives on the tool rack.

The blades varied in length and shape—some long, some short, some narrow, some wide. Although they didn't look as shiny as the hotel's knives, they had a natural sharpness about them, clearly well-used and perfect for filleting fish!

"I'm a bit particular."

"I use specific knives for specific fish, so I had many custom-made."

Sheng Yu Pian smiled and said, "This knife was specially custom-made for filleting grass carp."

He then showed the side of the knife to Chen Jianhai.

Chen Jianhai took a closer look. The knife seemed ordinary, resembling a typical household kitchen knife—a long rectangular piece of metal. However, at the handle, there was a semicircular indentation in the wide section of the blade, which looked quite abrupt.

Sheng Yu Pian's left hand, holding the knife, had three fingers and his little finger perfectly placed in the indentation.

With his right hand pressing on the fish head and his left hand holding the knife, he first made a horizontal cut below the fish head. In a swift motion, he turned the blade and smoothly slid it along the fish spine.

The fish meat was effortlessly split in half from the spine.

Then, Sheng Yu Pian's right hand lightly pressed on the fish meat, with his palm suspended in the air.

His left hand swiftly deboned, descaled, and prepared the fish with fluid movements.

Before Chen Jianhai could even react, six palm-sized pieces of fish were perfectly laid out on the cutting board.

"Boss, these are the best six pieces of meat from the fish," Sheng Yu Pian said.

Chen Jianhai was stunned. In that moment, he truly felt the saying, "At the mercy of someone else's knife."

"Your knife is really sharp!"

Sheng Yu Pian smiled, "Boss, my knife is sharp not just because of good honing but mainly due to the blade itself."

Saying this, Sheng Yu Pian rinsed the blade under running water and presented it to Chen Jianhai.

"My knife is different from ordinary kitchen knives."

"Ordinary household knives are double-edged, but my knife is single-edged."

"With a double-edged knife, both sides apply force simultaneously, making it easier to cut, but in terms of sharpness, it's far inferior to a single-edged knife."

"For example, using a double-edged knife to cut fish is like making an indentation on the fish and then cutting through the fibers with force."

"Although the result is sliced fish, it's not a clean cut, and the fish's juices and flavors start to leak from the cut, causing the fish to lose elasticity and look unappetizing."

"With a single-edged knife, the angle of the blade is sharper, and the edge is very fine, allowing for a clean cut through the fish's structure."

"The cut is crystal clear and the fish retains its elasticity even after being on the plate for a while."

As he spoke, Sheng Yu Pian picked up a piece of fish and swiftly sliced it.

His knife moved so fast it created a blur, and with each movement, a thin, transparent slice of fish appeared on the cutting board.

In the few minutes that passed,

three different forms of fish—thin slices, thick cuts, and fine strips—were neatly placed on a plate.

The fish slices were as thin as a cicada's wings, thin but not fragile.

The thick cuts were rich in oil, thick but not tough,

The fine strips were tender and bouncy, perfect for a bite.

Each piece of fish was about an inch long, just the right size for a single bite.

Meanwhile, Tang Tou had already prepared the ingredients and tossed the fish skin into the pot.

After five seconds,

a bowl of fragrant, gelatinous fish skin soup was presented to Chen Jianhai.

Chen Jianhai first tasted a piece of fish, then sipped the soup,

Hmm! Delicious!!!!

The fish's texture was absolutely amazing!

"These two are a perfect match!"

Chen Jianhai looked at Tang Tou and Sheng Yu Pian in surprise.

Xiaomajia Island had an abundance of fish, making Sheng Yu Pian's skills very valuable. Despite the current shortage of specialty chefs at the new hotel, guests dining in the island's fishing village were mainly there for fresh seafood.

By having Sheng Yu Pian and Tang Tou work together, one slicing fish and the other making fish soup, the kitchen could manage for a while.

"What a pity."

Chen Jianhai sighed while drinking the soup, looking at Sheng Yu Pian with a sense of regret and admiration.

"If you had come earlier, you could have participated in the association's culinary competition."

The participant list for the competition was already set and couldn't be changed.

But with Sheng Yu Pian's knife skills alone, he would have been a highlight!

Although Daodun also had good knife skills,

he mainly sliced potatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce, which, impressive as it was, remained auxiliary.

Sheng Yu Pian was a powerhouse—his knife skills could create an entire dish from sliced fish alone.

Definitely a valuable asset!

"Crunch crunch…"

It sounded like something was being chewed, like a mouse nibbling on rice.

"What's that noise?!" Chen Jianhai was startled.

"Boss, it's Daodun." The dishwasher whispered.

Following the dishwasher's gaze, Chen Jianhai saw Daodun holding a kitchen knife, looking at him with a resentful expression.

His eyes seemed to accuse him of forgetting old friends after finding new ones.

"Ahem…"

Chen Jianhai coughed awkwardly and said,

"Everyone representing the hotel in the competition is an elite."

"Recently, we've had many guests and heavy tasks, so let's all work hard... work hard."

…

After finalizing the kitchen staff, the next step was assigning other employees.

In the evening,

"Boss, you wanted to see us?"

Bai Cheng and a few young women knocked on Chen Jianhai's office door and stood in front of his desk.

"I've built a branch on Xiaomajia Island, and I'm planning to start trial operations soon. I need some employees to work there."

"Would you like to go?"

Chen Jianhai got straight to the point.

Although all hotel employees were valuable to him,

these four were his first hires and the ones he trusted the most. With them, he didn't need to hide anything.

The situation on the island was unknown, and everything had to start from scratch.

If these four were willing to go, it would greatly ease his burden.

"A branch?"

Bai Cheng and the others were dumbfounded.

The boss, who always enjoyed good food and leisure, had built a hotel on the island?

"Yes, a branch."

Chen Jianhai said seriously:

"The working conditions there are… quite good."

"But the island lacks interesting shops and has fewer people, so it won't be as lively as here."

"I called you here today to ask for your thoughts. If you're not interested, I'll arrange for other employees."