Food - Drink
How Kristen Kish Gives McDonald's Filet-O-Fish A Fine Dining Twist
By JESSIE MOLLOY
Originally created as a Lent special in heavily-Catholic Cincinnati, McDonald's Filet-O-Fish has been a staple since the '60s. Although fish options are a popular fast food offering, some find the fish and cheese combination strange, but not Top Chef alum Kristen Kish, who has developed a gourmet spin that takes the simple sandwich to a whole other level.
Kish’s version gets rid of the Filet-O-Fish’s sandwich element, instead opting for a light, fluffy "bun" made out of phyllo dough and dill. For the fish itself, Kish uses steamed black bass, and rather than cheese and tartar sauce, Kish uses crème fraîche and a “brioche sauce” made by combining toasted bread cubes with simmering thyme, cream, and milk in a blender.
The dish is then topped off with tempura-fried parsley instead of lettuce and some capers cooked in brown butter and lemon. Kish said she wanted to elevate the dish while honoring the original flavors, explaining, "If I can connect with you through one flavor — 'Oh, that reminds me of something I grew up eating!' — already then there's some form of connection."