Paczki Day is behind us, sadly, but Fish Sandwich Season—known to many as Lent—is in full swing. The origins and symbolism of meatless Fridays are beyond the scope of this blog, but whatever the case and fortunately for us all, plenty of fast food chains indulge/exploit this Christian tradition by offering seasonal fish sandwiches that can be enjoyed by sandwich lovers of all denominations. For the latest entry in our Chain Reactions series, we’ve conducted an informal, unscientific sampling of some of these mass-market delicacies.
Not all of the sandwiches included in our review are limited to the Lenten season; in fact, most are available year round. In all cases, our recent tastings comprised a single sandwich. Despite their best efforts to ensure a burger tastes the same in Nebraska as it does in New York, fast food chains can’t possibly standardize every customer’s wait time or drive time. Evidence suggests fried fish is especially sensitive to these variables. While multiple tastings would’ve provided a fairer representation of these sandwiches, just one of any of them packs more than a day’s worth of fat and salt. Beach season is right around the corner!
Without further ado, here is Eat a Sandwich’s incomplete guide to fast food fish sandwiches.
The OG: McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish
What can we say? The Filet-O-Fish is the clear standard-bearer for fast food fish. Despite seemingly having far less to offer in terms of toppings and presentation than its imitators, the Filet-O-Fish never disappoints. It’s okay that I have no idea what species of fish is used. (Various sources will assert that it’s hoki or Alaskan pollock, but whatever.) My fondness for the Filet-O-Fish is fueled at least a little bit nostalgia, or the fact that it’s often paired with shamrock shake during the first half of March. Its very simplicity and lack of pretension are charming: Half a slice of cheddar, a square filet, tartar sauce, and the buttery bun. To try to copy something so no-frills and fall short says a lot about what you’re signing up for at most of these other chains. Often imitated, never duplicated.
Best in Class: Wendy’s Crispy Panko Fish Sandwich
The Crispy Panko fish sandwich debuted in 2021 as a seasonal offering from Wendy’s, replacing what the internet suggests was a well-loved cod-based version. The Crispy Panko features a substantial filet of Alaskan pollock, and of the sandwiches I ate for this article it made it back to Eat a Sandwich HQ with far and away the highest level of crisp still intact. Beyond its heft and pleasing contrasts of texture, it boasts a very reasonable presentation of what I can only describe as “real” fish flavor. Where many of these other fish sandwiches—even some of the ones I really like—taste mostly like a salty bun topped with tartar sauce, the Crispy Panko fish sandwich bears at least some resemblance to something you might eat from a dockside seafood shack. It’s a perfectly fine fish sandwich for less than five bucks, for a limited time only.
Biggest Letdown: Culver’s Fried Walleye Sandwich
I really wanted this to be the best fish sandwich I tasted for this article, and based on my experience with other sections of the Culver’s menu, I expected nothing less. I’ve been a cheerleader for the Wisconsin-based chain since moving to Michigan in 2016. That this sandwich uses walleye, a freshwater staple of the Great Lakes region, lends it a novelty factor among its peers. It even looks good. Sadly, the short drive from the drive-thru to my kitchen table reduced the sandwich a mushy, oily mess. The soggy breading had come completely unbound from the filet, the chopped lettuce was limp, and the bun was bland and lacking texture. A big part of Culver’s appeal is that it doesn’t taste like fast food. Sadly, its fried walleye sandwich feels much too much like something I would’ve made myself, at home, and been unhappy with. (It’s worth noting Culver’s offers its fish sandwich with a cod filet, as well. That variety was not included in this review.)
Popeye’s Fried Flounder Sandwich
One thing you should expect in the flavor profile of any fast-food fish sandwich is salt. Lots and lots of salt. It doesn’t matter what franchise, what brand, or what species of fish. And don’t be fooled by a good presentation, a decent sized/shaped filet, or a specialty sauce. Case in point: Popeye’s crispy flounder sandwich. This is a thick filet, and it’s not all right angles, so it looks like actually came from a fish rather than being stamped out with a square-shaped cookie cutter. It features a pickle and tartar sauce, and the species of fish is explicitly named in the product title. But it’s mostly salt (and so were the fries and biscuit).
Arby’s King’s Hawaiian Fish Sandwich
I often refer to the Filet-O-Fish as having the base flavor profile that most fish sandwiches in this segment of the restaurant market possess. Arby’s King’s Hawaiian fish sandwich is a clear illustration of this. Even the bun, a King’s Hawaiian roll, oddly resembles the Filet-O-Fish bun in texture and buttery flavor. It’s the most memorable thing about the sandwich. And that’s sad, because in my childhood, Arby’s fish sandwiches were leaps and bounds ahead of their competitors at McDonald’s and Burger King. There’s really nothing remarkable about this one. Imagine a larger Filet-O-Fish with shredded lettuce and you’re basically there. It even has a slice of Kraft-adjacent American cheese, just like the McDonald’s variety.
Burger King Big Fish
Slightly more substantial than the Filet-O-Fish, Burger King’s Big Fish was still one of the most lightweight sandwiches included in our sample set. There’s not much to say about this one. Its sets itself apart from the Filet-O-Fish with the addition of a few pickles and a slightly larger polygonal piece of fish, but it is otherwise an inferior take on the McDonald’s classic. Nothing to see here.
