There is something fishy about this “inexpensive” dish.
Content creator Danny Kim, 27, of Maryland, challenges chefs to create gourmet meals with no more than a $10 bill and films the results on TikTok.
In a viral clip from September, Kim turns to chef Kevin Lee, a former Michelin cook, to see how far he can stretch the limited budget.
Lee and Kim take viewers to a Korean market in Los Angeles, where Lee buys a lemon (49 cents), spring onions (69 cents), a large cucumber ($2.49), perilla leaves (79 cents), and rainbow trout. ($4.99), resonating at $9.45.
With change to spare, Lee heads to the kitchen, where he begins his trout tartare by filleting the fish and brining it with sugar and lemon for 30 minutes in the fridge.
Mix sesame leaves with grapeseed oil before moving on to a cucumber sauce.
Chop cucumber and lemon to make a cucumber vinaigrette.
In a pan, add black pepper, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, cucumber juice, sugar and white wine vinegar, adding a sprig of thyme and combining the mixture with the vinaigrette.
He creates a separate mix of egg yolks, crab soy sauce, and liquid koji. He then slices the fish, adding some cucumbers, scallions, olive oil, and lemon juice.
Assemble the tartare in a bowl and top it with the cucumber vinaigrette, egg yolk mixture, and an additional ingredient of smoked trout roe.
Finally, she coats some crispy nori paper with sesame oil and shreds it as a garnish.
Lee and Kim fist bumped after trying the food.
But some TikTokers criticized it as a cheat meal because Lee used ingredients other than what she bought from the market for $10.
“Less than $10 but then we spent $135 off camera to make the dish,” criticized one.
“Fish roe would be over $10, right?” another wondered.
“Sorry…there is no fish that sells for $5,” said one skeptic.
Another estimated: “Added Ingredients -Grapeseed Oil ($5.37/24 oz) -Fennel Seed ($2/1.75 oz) -Coriander Seed ($7.56/12 oz) -White Wine Vinegar ($2/12.7 oz)” .
“Usually it’s 10 with other seasonings around the house. This is definitely not just 10,” someone else stated, referencing Kim’s other TikToks.
“HE CAN’T KEEP GOING OUT WITH THIS,” presumably added another about the content creator.
The Post has contacted Kim and Lee for comment.