食鱼曲
2023-09-09范雅琳
范雅琳
住海边,吃鱼是家常菜谱。
买鱼,洗鱼,做鱼,三部曲,曲曲悠扬,暗藏玄机。
买鱼,去渔市。大大小小、长长短短、有鳞的无鳞、叫上名叫不上名的鱼,一律整齐地排列着。湿漉漉的海草,绿莹莹的,如裙纱似的随意搭着,群鱼出浴,美艳绝伦,鲜气四溢。收拢目光,定下神来,弯腰俯身,细观那心仪的鱼儿:看眼,看鳃,看肚皮……烂熟于心的买鱼宝典又翻阅一遍。终于,鼓着黑亮的眼,含着鲜红的鳃,肚子光滑平坦,皮肤鲜亮紧实的鱼儿就在人声鼎沸、水汽蒸萦中上了秤,进了购物袋,心满意足。
黄渤海水质肥沃,营养盐含量高,饵料生物十分丰富,是鱼虾蟹贝繁殖栖息的天然渔场。小黄鱼、带鱼、鲐鱼、鲅鱼、黄姑鱼、鲳鱼、鳕鱼、半滑舌鳎……约300种的鱼类聚集于此,繁衍生息。宝藏海洋,幸福人间。
四季更迭,各种鱼儿轮番上阵,“百来甲子炖萝卜,白敏子焖了就片片,黑老婆熬鱼汤雪白的营养最高……”在耳濡目染中,也就记住了它们鲜美的模样和可愛的俗称小名。买鱼之乐就在于融入这市井烟尘,在浓浓的乡音里品味生活。
买回的鱼刮鳞,去鳃,剖肚,剪刺,那镰刀似的鳃,那利剑似的刺,一不小心就会挂个小彩,洗鱼貌似简单,其实不然。
有朋友来,做清蒸鱼,去鳃,剖肚,剪掉尾巴和鱼鳍,朋友笑:这哪是鱼,像只拔了毛的鸡。咱胶东除了带鱼、鳗鱼那些长条的鱼外,其他的鱼,仅剔除内脏而保留全鱼。闻之肃然起敬,感悟胶东重礼尚义的鱼文化,从此洗鱼只剖肚去鳃,入乡随俗。
围裙一戴,长勺一掂,锅前一站,排兵布阵,将军一般。油光闪现间,葱姜蒜盐酱油醋,“八仙过海各显其能”;锅铲叮当时,鲜气蒸腾,香雾弥漫。“云雾”缭绕中,如至云端仙境,此为做鱼之大趣。
焖煎炸蒸,鲜美之鱼,换着法吃。
用酱焖,用西红柿焖、用糖醋焖……最喜做的还是焖鱼。
焖鱼之道关乎油温、火候、调料还有专注、创意和耐心……如同演剧,主角配角,各司其职;舞美道具,灯光音乐,烘托气氛;说唱哭笑,情感起伏,酣畅淋漓;鸣锣收金,帷幕落下,完美结局。大火小火中就焖出了鱼的鲜、鱼的美和焖鱼人眉宇间的得意。
从开始的“衣衫褴褛、面目全非”,到“身着华服,美艳动人”,千锤百炼,鱼终保全身,华丽登场。焖鱼,焖的是鱼也是厨艺,人生的历练无处不在。
酱焖鱼,色彩浓郁,鲜咸醇厚,烟台俗称“家常焖”。久而久之,就学会了这道鱼的家常做法。洗好的鱼素面朝天地一旁候着,油锅一热,葱段姜片蒜粒先下,几粒花椒几个干红辣椒,俩仨八角、几片五花肉随后,再挖一勺烟台面酱。酱香领衔众香,一时香气逼人,口水上延。放鱼加水,大火煮开,加少许盐,加盖小火咕嘟,谓之“焖”,越久越入味。渔家饭馆的大锅焖鱼,一焖就是半上午,那才是正宗地道的“家常焖”。收了汁的鱼身上裹着红亮的外衣,让人想起山里的红苹果、女人的红头巾,吉祥、如意、喜庆、明朗,浓浓的胶东味。
如此鲜的鱼与如此香的酱碰撞,相融又各得其味,鱼更鲜酱更香,多么地神奇,如同山与海的相映成趣。一道简单又美味的“家常焖”就成了一座城的符号,一个故乡的念想,一串生活的记忆。
食鱼一曲,绕梁三日。
For people living by the sea, eating fish is very common.
Buying fish, cleaning fish, and cooking fish constitute a trilogy, which is full of fun and learning. To buy fish, you can go to the fish market. As soon as you step into the market, what come into your view are great varieties of fishes on display: large or small, long or short, scaly or scaleless, named or nameless. On them are some green dampish seaweeds like a skirt casually draped over these freshly-out-of-the-sea fishes, making them more dazzling and tempting. Then you withdraw your gaze from them and bend down to concentrate on your desired fish. After looking closely at the eyes, the gills, the belly… according to what you have read on how to choose fish, you make up your mind. Amidst the bustle of people and the rising of steams, some fish with black shiny eyes, bright red gills, flat smooth bellies, and tight shining skin are put on the scales and then into the shopping bags. You leave with satisfaction.