During Lent, fish fry options abound across town every Friday evening. But there’s another piscatorial possibility available on a regular basis: fish sandwiches, specifically the drive-thru variety. Personally, we prefer fish that tastes like fish, not chicken, and larger pieces of fish, which typically mean more flavor.
Arby’s offers three fish sandwich options this season: a deluxe with cheese, tomato, and a King’s Hawaiian bun; a fish ‘n cheddar (sauce, not a slice); and a crispy fish. We went with the last option, a fat piece of fish that’s a little sloppy to eat but fresh and flavorful. It’s served on a soft bun—overall, a generously sized sandwich.
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Burger King proffers the Big Fish. Yes, it’s good-sized, although not larger than the Arby’s option. This is the only one that comes with pickles, which add a nice piquancy to things. Nice flavor. Note that their Impossible Whopper is also Lent-friendly.
Culver’s plops its fat battered cod on a longer roll. Particularly fresh lettuce and a light hand with the tartar sauce, plus a few sprinkles of cheese. This is all about the fish, and definitely something to keep in mind.
Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers has a seasonal offering of a fish sandwich or fish and chips. The sandwich is two nice cod loins in a batter that’s pretty tender. Cheese and the house fry sauce (ketchup, mustard, pickle juice and the mysterious Freddy’s Seasoning) come on the sandwich. It’s a really well-balanced sandwich, both in flavor and texture. One of the best we tried.
Hardee’s seems more about the fish than the bun, which is a good thing. Crunchy crust on a reasonable-sized fillet. No cheese, particularly tangy tartar, overall, pretty respectable.
Jack in the Box has both a single and a double fish sandwich. This single came out squooshed and not very hot, unusual for a fish sandwich because they’re often cooked to order. Decades ago, this was an Insider’s Secret sandwich for Jack. Now it’s pretty ho-hum, medium thickness, nothing deeply remarkable in either direction.
Lion’s Choice fish sandwich, regular or large, is only available on Lenten Fridays. The regular is still big enough that the corners hang off the edge of the bun. Fairly thick, serious fish that’s a little crunchy and with some chew. Altogether a surprisingly satisfying sandwich, not an adjective I expected to be using.
McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish was the first non-burger sandwich to appear on their menu. It’s a tidy rectangle of fish with a tidy rectangle of American cheese on a round bun. Every couple of years I try it again, thinking I was wrong or they’ve changed something. And every couple of years, I’m wrong. Some crunchy texture, little-to-no discernible fish flavor. You may see an editor’s note disagreeing with me when this is published; obviously many people like it. Here I stand; I can do no other.
Rally’s, too, offers a double or a single. The single was nicely crunchy with generous tartar sauce, but a very thin fillet, almost like perch, and a very mild flavor. Still, they get extra points for those addictive fries.
White Castle makes fish sliders, complete with the classic little box. There are options, panko-breaded or regular, cheese or no. Tartar sauce must be requested. I give the edge to the regular; it seems to have more flavor. This is another well-balanced sandwich, not too much bun, not too much fish despite the squareness of both components.
Overall, the smaller regional chains clearly have the edge, and I’d give the blue ribbon to Freddy’s, followed by Culver’s and Lion’s Choice.
