The McDonald's filet-o-fish is arguably one of the most divisive and much maligned menu items the chain has to offer. It's the marmite of the McDonald's world, you either love it or you hate it.

Before making this video I can honestly say I'd never tried a filet-o-fish before, and after giving the McDonald’s version a taste...I won't be trying it again. It was pretty bland, uninspiring and the fillet of fish itself was pretty mushy and unpleasant. Also, as you will see in this video the sandwich looked like it was assembled by a drunk! So I figured I could easily make a filet-o-fish...but way better! I used some nice fresh cod, fried in panko breadcrumbs for that awesome crunch. A fresh homemade tartar sauce as well.

McDonald's steam the buns for theirs, but I used brioche buns which are very soft anyway, so I didn't need to do that step. If you like the McDonald's filet-o-fish then you're going to LOVE my version.

To make my filet-o-fish that's better than McDonald's you will need:

For the tartar sauce:

• About 4 tbsp of mayonnaise

• 1 tbsp of chopped gherkins (dill pickles)

• 1 tbsp of chopped capers

• Juice of 1/4 of a lemon

• About 2 tbsp of chopped parsley

• About 1 tbsp of chopped dill

• Salt & pepper

For the filet-o-fish (there's enough breadcrumbs/flour to make about 4 sandwiches

• 2-4 skinless cod loins

• 50g of panko breadcrumbs

• 50g of plain all purpose flour

• Salt & pepper

• Oil for frying

• Processed American cheese

• Brioche buns

Method:

Prepare the tartare sauce

1. Chop the pickles, capers, parsley and dill and add to a mixing bowl along with the mayonnaise a pinch of salt and the lemon juice.

2. Mix well, cover it with cling film and leave in the fridge until needed. A good tip is to leave it for a good hour to let the flavours develop.

Breading the filet-o-fish

1. First take your cod fillets and lightly season with salt

2. Then set up your breading station by adding the flour, breadcrumbs and cracking the eggs into 3 separate bowls.

3. Then take each piece of fish and lightly dust in the flour, shake off any excess, then lightly dip into the egg, and finally into the panko breadcrumbs. Make sure to lightly press the breadcrumbs into the fish for better contact. Place the fish on to a plate and repeat with the other piece.

To fry the fish

1. Take a large frying pan and add around half an inch of sunflower or vegetable oil. We are going to shallow fry these so don’t add too much oil.

2. Once the oil is at a medium heat, gently place the breaded fish into the oil laying away from you to avoid being splashed with hot oil!

3. Gently fry them for around 4-5 minutes each side until cooked all the way through, and the coating is nice and golden. Times will vary depending on the thickness of the fish. You can also use a probe for more accuracy. Once cooked take them out and place on kitchen paper to soak off any excess oil.

Assemble the filet-o-fish!

1. Take the bottom half of your bun, and place a slice of American cheese on top. Yes that’s right McDonald’s a WHOLE slice not a piddly half slice!

2. Place one of the fish pieces on top of the cheese, then slather over as much of the tartare sauce as you like before placing on the top half of the bun.

Enjoy with some fries and there you have my version of the classic McDonald’s Filet-o-fish!