McDonald’s famous Filet-O-Fish sandwich ranks high thanks to its tartar sauce flavor, but Popeyes’ spicy fish sandwich is the winner. Erin McDowell/Business Insider
I tested and ranked six fish sandwiches from McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, and Popeyes.
I was impressed with McDonald’s classic Filet-O-Fish and tartar sauce.
However, Popeyes has my favorite sandwich.
Fish sandwiches are a popular springtime offering at many fast-food chains, but which chain has the best?
Every year, fast-food chains release fish sandwiches to coincide with the season of Lent, the 40 days before Easter Sunday. During that time, Catholics abstained from eating meat but could eat fish on Fridays.
McDonald’s has been selling fish sandwiches since the 1960s. The chain’s Filet-O-Fish was born after a franchisee in a highly Catholic area of Ohio noticed his restaurant’s sales suffered on Fridays, according to the company.
The franchisee brought the idea of selling a fish sandwich to McDonald’s then-CEO Ray Kroc, who was appalled at the idea of adding a fish sandwich to the lineup of his hamburger empire.
“I don’t care if the Pope himself comes to Cincinnati. He can eat hamburgers like everybody else. We can’t smell our restaurants with any of your damned old fish,” Kroc recalled in his 1977 memoir, “Grinding It: The Making of McDonald’s.”
However, customers couldn’t get enough, and by 1965, the Filet-O-Fish had become a permanent fixture on McDonald’s menus across the country.
USA Today reported in 2023 that McDonald’s sells about 300 million Filet-O-Fish sandwiches each year, and about a quarter of all Filet-O-Fish purchases are made during the 40 – day of Lent.
Since the introduction of the Filet-O-Fish, almost every fast-food chain has added a seasonal fish sandwich to their menus during Lent.
Burger King added a fish sandwich sometime between the 1960s and 1970s, according to The Retroistand this year the chain added a spicy version.
Popeyes released its first flounder fish sandwich in 2021, and added a spicy fish sandwich to its menus the following year, perhaps looking to capitalize on the incredible success of its spicy chicken sandwich in 2019.
But which sandwich tastes the best and offers the best value?
For a specific ranking, I tried all the fish sandwiches I could from McDonald’s, Burger King, Popeyes, and Wendy’s.
Here’s every fast-food fish sandwich ranked from worst to best.
My favorite fish sandwich is the crispy panko fish sandwich from Wendy’s.
Wendy’s crispy panko fish sandwich. Erin McDowell/Business Insider
The sandwich costs $9.36 from my local Wendy’s in Brooklyn, New York, excluding tax and fees.
It should be topped with lettuce, a slice of American cheese, pickles, and tartar sauce. Strangely, my sandwich came with tomato instead of lettuce.
Wendy’s crispy panko fish sandwich. Erin McDowell/Business Insider
This was clearly just a mistake made by the employees at my particular Wendy’s. However, I decided to go ahead and try it anyway.
I enjoyed the crispy fish patty and the tartar sauce had a mild flavor.
Wendy’s crispy panko fish sandwich. Erin McDowell/Business Insider
I couldn’t quite get over the tomato, though. It added a unique flavor to an otherwise OK sandwich. After removing the tomato, I liked the sandwich even more.
If you order it yourself, you’ll probably have a better experience than I did, with the right toppings.
My fifth favorite sandwich is the Big Fish sandwich from Burger King.
Burger King Big Fish sandwich. Erin McDowell/Business Insider
It cost $7.09 from my local Burger King in Brooklyn, New York, excluding tax and fees.
Alaskan pollock patty is topped with tartar sauce, lettuce, and crunchy pickles on a toasted potato bun.
Burger King Big Fish sandwich. Erin McDowell/Business Insider
I thought the sandwich could have used more tartar sauce, and the lettuce could have been spread out more to ensure evenly distributed bites of all the ingredients.
The pickles are very crispy and I love the texture of the potato bun.
Burger King Big Fish sandwich. Erin McDowell/Business Insider
However, I thought the fish patty could have been just a touch flakier on the inside. The texture is more chewy than some of the other sandwiches I’ve tried.
I also tried Burger King’s spicy version of the fish sandwich, which I liked better.
Burger King Flaming Big Fish. Erin McDowell/Business Insider
The Fiery Big Fish sandwich also costs $7.09, excluding tax and fees.
It has the same toppings, but the fish patty is coated with Burger King’s signature triple-pepper spicy glaze.
Burger King Flaming Big Fish. Erin McDowell/Business Insider
It’s the same glaze that Burger King uses on its spicy chicken sandwich, which I’ve always been a huge fan of. I was intrigued to see if I liked the spicy fish sandwich as well.
The fish tasted fresh, and I loved the sweet-yet-spicy flavor of the glaze.
Burger King Flaming Big Fish. Erin McDowell/Business Insider
However, again, I’m not fond of the texture. I thought the ingredients were good, but I would have preferred a slightly flakier fish patty.
However, if you’re not too into fish but are looking for a pescetarian option, I thought this would be a good option. With the glaze, it tastes very similar to the chain’s chicken sandwich, in my opinion.
My third favorite is the classic flounder fish sandwich from Popeyes.
Popeyes classic flounder fish sandwich. Erin McDowell/Business Insider
It cost $5.99 from my local Popeyes in Brooklyn, New York, excluding tax and fees.
The top of the sandwich is slathered with tartar sauce, with layers of pickles and more tartar sauce underneath the flounder patty.
Popeyes classic flounder fish sandwich. Erin McDowell/Business Insider
It’s on a brioche bun, like other Popeyes sandwiches.
I really liked how crispy the fried fish patty was, and it had a lot of delicious flavor.
Popeyes classic flounder fish sandwich. Erin McDowell/Business Insider
I thought the tartar sauce was tart, without being overpowering. The slices of pickles were thick which I also enjoyed. Overall, I enjoyed this sandwich and would definitely order it again.
My second favorite, to my surprise, is the McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish.
The slice of cheese was slightly overhanging the burger, so I moved it more to the center before diving in.
In 2023, a TikTok user said that the size of the Filet-O-Fish patty has shrunk over the years, citing “shrinkflation,” a tactic reportedly used by chains where they reduce the size of their menu items in response to the increase. cost.
However, McDonald’s responded that the “size and composition of the Filet-O-Fish, including the half slice of American cheese, has not changed in decades.” I didn’t notice anything surprising about the size — I thought it was about average for a burger.
This sandwich has the most fish patty, in my opinion.
Layers of fish oozed out with every bite, which I haven’t seen in any other sandwich.
I also liked the amount of tartar sauce that came with this sandwich – it added a ton of flavor and moisture, without being overwhelming. I didn’t really taste the cheese, and I think the sandwich would have been just as good or better without that addition.
My favorite fish sandwich is the spicy flounder fish sandwich from Popeyes.
Popeyes spicy flounder fish sandwich. Erin McDowell/Business Insider
It cost $5.99 from my local Popeyes in Brooklyn, New York, excluding tax and fees.
Instead of tartar sauce, the sandwich is topped with spicy mayonnaise and pickles.
Popeyes spicy flounder fish sandwich. Erin McDowell/Business Insider
I was interested to see if I would miss the tartar sauce, as I loved it on the classic Popeyes fish sandwich.
I loved the spicy taste of the mayo with the fish and crunchy pickles.
Popeyes spicy flounder fish sandwich. Erin McDowell/Business Insider
I thought this sandwich was the best, and also a great value at only $5.99. I loved how the spicy mayo not only added a nice amount of flavor but also added moisture to the fish patty.
The pickle slices tasted fresh, and I wasn’t overwhelmed by the ingredients. I would definitely order this sandwich again.
