"Ah—!"
The moment she swallowed the Crab Gratin, Hinako Inui's face immediately flushed as she let out a moan.
At that moment, it was as though she were dressed in a cool swimsuit, frolicking in a mountain spring at the height of summer.
There in the water, Hinako Inui dipped her beautiful legs into the refreshing stream as little crabs slowly crawled up her long legs through the crystal-clear water...
As a graduate of the Elite Ten Council, Hinako Inui had a far greater resistance than ordinary people. That much was clear from how she had just sampled Soma Yukihira's and Kutami's dishes without entering any strange state.
Yet when she tasted Seiya's Crab Gratin, a single bite made her feel as though she had fallen into an immersive illusion, leaving her utterly unable to pull herself free!
"The crab's fresh, savory flavor has been sealed beneath the golden-brown fried coating. Although river crabs are small, their meat is exceptionally sweet and fresh.
While larger crabs have firm, plump meat, the meat of smaller crabs is softer and more tender.
What is even rarer is that you specifically chose crabs in their molting period. Since their shells are soft at that stage, coating and frying them in breadcrumbs makes them wonderfully crisp and delicious.
The entire crab—from the meat to the shell, and even the roe and tomalley used as dipping sauce—has been fully utilized in this dish.
And that flavor bursting in my mouth at the end... that was cheese, wasn't it?"
That was right. Seiya's improvement on Rene's original Crab Gratin was that he used breadcrumbs rather than fried rice, and he also added cheese to the dish.
**"Cheese pairs exceptionally well with lobster and crab meat. Not only does it enhance the flavor and texture of the