The Filet-O-Fish from McDonald's has been around longer than the Big Mac and is one
of the biggest non-burger success stories of the franchise.
Although it has held its own on the McDonald's menu for over 50 years, there are still a
lot of things about the Filet-O-Fish that you probably don't know.
The Filet-O-Fish was McDonald's first non-meat sandwich addition to the menu.
And while it has remained a popular menu item for over 50 years, it was created out of necessity
by one desperate franchisee.
The groundbreaking idea to add a mouthwatering fried fish sandwich to the menu of a burger
joint was first introduced by a Cincinnati-area franchisee in 1961.
His Ohio restaurant was located in an area of the city where over two-thirds of the population
were practicing Catholics and didn't eat meat on Fridays.
As a result, the burger sales dropped dramatically on Friday nights.
He realized he was losing most of his Friday business to another area franchise that had
a fish sandwich on the menu.
He knew that he needed to act fast to be competitive and save his profit margin.
And just like that, the Filet-O-Fish was born.
If you were wondering about just what you're eating when you bite into your Filet-O-Fish,
you’re not alone.
. “The filet-o-fish is a evil cancer square created to destroy America”
But, you can breathe easy.
You may be quick to assume the fast food fillet is a mishmash of questionable non-fish ingredients,
but there's nothing artificial happening here.
The first Filet-O-Fish sandwiches were made with halibut until McDonald's started using
cod shortly after in an effort to save money.
These days, the Filet-O-Fish is made with sustainable Alaskan Pollock.
The one thing you can’t deny about the Filet-O-Fish is its delightful aroma.
“What’s the problem?
Smells like fish in here”
And it has a very delicious bun to go along with it.
A major detail that sets it apart from its beef-based counterparts at McDonald's is that
unlike the other sandwiches on the menu, the fish sandwich is served on a bun that is steamed,
which makes the bread lighter and fluffier than the toasted buns used for most of the
other classic sandwiches like the Big Mac.
Even if you don't mind the fact that McDonald's uses pasteurized processed American cheese
on the Filet-O-Fish, you still may have wondered why they only give you a half slice surely
the corporate giant that is McDonald's can afford to give you a whole piece, right?
But the folks at the Golden Arches aren't doing it just to be cheap.
In fact, the McDonald's executives were afraid that adding too much cheese would overpower
the fish patty.
A half slice of cheese, according to them, was just enough to allow customers to enjoy
the delicious flavor of the fish itself.
President Donald Trump opened up about his love for fast food on the campaign trail during
the 2016 election.
At a town hall meeting in South Carolina, he told CNN's Anderson Cooper that his favorite
menu item at McDonald's is the fish sandwich, which he called the, quote, “fish delight.”
In January 2019, President Trump shared his love for the fast food dish with the Clemson
University football team who visited the White House after winning the national championship.
“And I think we’re going to serve Mcdonald’s Wendys and Burger King with some pizza.”
Trump personally paid for a lavish fast food spread, which included a huge mound of Filet-O-Fish
sandwiches.
Filet-O-Fish lovers know there's nothing like that first bite into that hot, flaky fish
yumminess.
But no matter how delicious it is, odds are your Filet-O-Fish sandwich is pretty old.
McDonald's employees weighed in on a popular Reddit post warning customers that because
most customers order burgers, the Filet-O-Fish sandwiches tend to sit out longer than others.
And if that information alone doesn't gross you out and make you just want to eat a homemade
grilled cheese, some workers claimed in that same thread that the steamers that are used
to warm your bun aren't exactly cleaned as often as they should be.
Yum.
There's no way to make sure that you get a perfect Filet-O-Fish every time you visit
a McDonald's.
There's always a chance that you'll get too much tartar sauce or cheese that isn't perfectly
centered inside of the bun.
But if you're worried about getting stuck with a sandwich that's been sitting under
a warmer for hours, there is a simple hack you can use to try to get something more fresh.
The next time you order, try telling them to hold the cheese in order to increase your
odds of ending up with a fish sandwich that's not that old.
If you don't mind being perceived as a little high maintenance, this simple request will
force the employees to prepare your Filet-O-Fish on the spot.
This will make sure that your sandwich is fresh — or at least fresher than the rest.
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