This Copycat McDonald's Filet-O-Fish Will Have You Ditch the Drive-Thru for Good
Meet our new favorite Friday dinner.
McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish sandwich may not be as popular as its burgers, fries, or McNuggets, but it’s been on the restaurant’s menu in some form or another since the 1960s. Clearly, it sells well enough to stay on the menu, especially during the Lenten season when about 25% of all Filet-O-Fish sandwiches for the year are sold.
The sandwich is simple, just a fried breaded fish patty, tartar sauce, and American cheese on a steamed bun. It’s hot and delicious, but once it’s put in its box, that steamy bun plus the steam released from the fried fish patty can quickly make the sandwich soggy. If you’re having the sandwich delivered or picking it up through the drive-thru to take home, what should be a good sandwich can end up with a filet that’s lost its crispiness and a bun that falls apart in your hands.
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If you love the Filet-O-Fish but are heartbroken when you open the box and find a soggy mess or a tiny fish patty, there’s good news. We have a copycat Filet-O-Fish recipe that was carefully developed and tested to taste just like the real thing—perhaps even a little better. One thing is for sure. If you make it at home using our method, it’s bound to be super crispy.
How to Make a Filet-O-Fish Sandwich at Home
There are four main components to this copycat recipe—and a few tricks we have for making each piece just as good if not better than what you'd get from McDonald's:
Fried fish filet: The heart and soul of this sandwich, we of course kick things off with a crispy, fried piece of fish. McDonald's uses haddock in its Filet-O-Fish but we opted for easier-to-find and affordable cod. If you can’t get cod, any white fish will do.
American cheese: The original Filet-O-Fish famously has only half a slice of American cheese on it. We say, go big or go home and added a full slice to each of our copycat sandwiches.
Steamed bun: One of the key elements to a Filet-O-Fish is the contrast in texture from the pillowy soft steamed bun and the crispy, juicy fish beneath it. We get that steamed effect using the microwave to make it super simple. Plus, add the cheese on before warming the buns to get it nice and melty.
Tartar sauce: We use our recipe for Copycat McDonald’s Tartar Sauce to top off these sandwiches and we have to say, it taste just like the real thing.
Once you have your ingredients gathered, the only cooking you really need to do is frying up the fish. Set up a simple dredging station to get the fish coated in crispy panko breadcrumbs. Then, working two filets at a time, fry them in a large Dutch oven of hot oil until browned and crispy.
While the fish cooks, steam the buns with the cheese in the microwave and mix together your tartar sauce. Then all you have to do is assemble one piece of the cooked fish on a steamed cheesy bun, top it with tartar sauce and there you have it—Filet-O-Fish without the drive thru line!
Recipe Tips
Want to skip the greasy mess of deep frying? Use your air fryer to cook the fish instead. Spray the panko-coated fish with some oil and place them in a preheated 375°F air fryer until the fish is cooked through. The fish will still be crispy, but not as crispy as it is fried in oil.
Feeding a crowd? If you’re making several sandwiches, keep the fried fish on a baking sheet in a warm (200°F) oven until all the filets are fried. Then assemble the sandwiches so everything is served hot and fresh.
Serve it with sides. For the full McDonald’s experience, serve with crispy, hot, homemade French fries and a vanilla milkshake.
Read the original article on All Recipes.
