I’ll be honest, it took me a little while to try my first ever Filet-o-Fish, but I’m truly on board. Call it a guilty pleasure, but I love ’em. When it comes to making your own, it’s actually really simple and they turn out SO delicious. Follow me…
Tartare Sauce for Filet-o-Fish
There aren’t too many components in a Filet-o-Fish. Just the crispy fish, cheese and of course the tartare sauce. Whilst you could use store-bought, I highly recommend making your own. I use my Homemade Tartare Sauce recipe, and whilst I think it differs slightly from McDonald’s, here’s what you’ll need:
Tartare Sauce Ingredients
Mayo – full-fat of course! Capers – these add a good salty punch of flavour. Cornichons – these are small pickled cucumbers. Can use regular gherkins or dill pickles. Parsley – adds a fresh burst of herbaceous flavour. Dill – a classic pairing with seafood. Lemon Juice – adds acidity and brightens up the sauce.
I think the main difference between this and the McDonald’s version is the sweetness, so do add in some sugar to balance out the acidity if you like! I recommend making this ahead of time and resting it in the fridge, just to allow the flavours to develop. Process shots: add ingredients to bowl (photo 1), combine then chill in fridge (photo 2).
Homemade Fillet-o-Fish
For the fish itself, I believe McDonald’s uses Hoki or Pollock, but realistically any type of boneless, skinless white fish should do the trick. I usually go for Cod or Haddock, which is just down to personal preference and what’s most widely available. The main thing you’re looking for is for the fillets to be relatively thin and preferably square (you can slice them if needed). Although saying that, they don’t have to be perfect squares, it’s merely just a visual thing.
Salting the fish
I recommend sprinkling salt over the fish and leaving it to rest for 10 minutes. This will draw out moisture and help prevent the batter from going soggy. This also seasons the fish directly.
Panko breadcrumbs
These are perfect for this recipe as they turn the fish super crispy. You’ll find them at most supermarkets in the Asian section. Process shots: salt fish (photo 1), rest then pat dry (photo 2), dredge in seasoned flour (photo 3), dredge in eggs + Dijon (photo 4), dredge in seasoned Panko (photo 5).
How to make Filet-o-Fish
To truly get the fish crispy, it’s gotta be fried. Thankfully you only need to shallow fry it so it’s pretty straightforward; you’ll need just enough oil to come about halfway up the fish. I like to do two at a time, but if you’ve got a very large pan you could fry them all at the same time. Once you’ve fried the fish, rest it on a wire rack above a tray or kitchen roll. This will allow the excess oil to drip off the fish so it doesn’t go soggy as it rests. From there, chuck the cheese straight on top so the residual heat can lightly melt the cheese. Process shots: add fish to hot oil (photo 1), fry (photo 2), add to wire rack (photo 3), add cheese (photo 4).
What is the safe internal temp for fish?
White fish needs to reach 63C/145F. It’s always handy to have a thermometer on hand so you can check when the fish is done.
Can I make these ahead of time?
I don’t recommend making the fish ahead of time because it won’t reheat well without drying out. However, you could make the tartare sauce ahead of time.
Can I prepare them ahead of time?
Unfortunately, more bad news, the longer the fish sits in the batter, the more the salt draws out moisture from the fish, and the soggier it gets. So, these are best made fresh!
What kind of cheese should I use?
Gotta be American/Processed cheese for the full experience!
What kind of buns should I use?
McDonald’s buns are notoriously sweet, so you could use brioche buns, but I typically just use regular hamburger buns.
Serving a Filet-o-Fish
Serve these up right away so the fish stays crisp and the sauce doesn’t go greasy. You’ll likely have leftover sauce, so just tightly cover it and store it in the fridge. You can of course add fries if you want! Looking for crispy BAKED fish recipes? Check out my Fish Fingers and Tuna Fishcakes! Alrighty, tuck into the full recipe for these Filet-o-Fish Sandwiches shall we?!
How to make Filet-o-Fish (Full Recipe & Video)
