Homemade Filet-o-Fish

3 homemade filet-o-fish stacked on each other on wooden board with fries in the background

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4.50 from 2 votes

Here I'll share with you the perfect recipe for recreating the classic McDonald's Filet-o-Fish!

Prep Time25

Cook Time10

Total Time35

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Western

Servings:

Author: Chris Collins

Cost: £3 / $4

Equipment

Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
Small Mixing Bowl (for sauce)
Kitchen Roll (for patting dry fish)
Small Bowl/Pot (for seasoning mix)
3 Large Shallow Dishes (for dredging)
Heavy-Based/Cast Iron Pan & Tongs (for frying)
Wire Rack & Baking Tray (for resting fried fish)

Ingredients

Tartare Sauce (makes big batch)

240g / 1 cup full-fat Mayonnaise
2 tbsp Capers, finely diced
2 tbsp finely diced Cornichons/Gherkins
1 heaped tbsp finely diced Fresh Parsley
2 tsp finely diced Fresh Dill (see notes)
1 Lemon, juice only (or to taste)
Salt, Pepper & Sugar, to taste

Sandwich

4x 100-120g / 3.5-4oz White Fish Fillets (see notes)
1 tsp EACH: Salt, Paprika
1/2 tsp EACH: Onion Powder, Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp White Pepper
50g / 1/3 cup Flour
2 medium Eggs
1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
75g / 1 1/4 cups Panko Breadcrumbs
120 - 240ml / 1/2 - 1 cup Vegetable Oil
4 Processed/American Cheese Slices
4 Hamburger Buns, halved & toasted (see notes)

Instructions

Combine all of the ingredients for the tartare sauce in a small mixing bowl. Season to taste and adjust with sugar to sweeten and balance out the acidity if desired. Cover and chill in the fridge until needed.
Sprinkle both sides of the fillets with 1/4 tsp salt and leave to rest for 10 or so minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the remaining 3/4 tsp salt with the rest of the seasoning in a small pot or bowl. Line up 3 large shallow dishes: 1st with flour + half of the seasoning, 2nd with eggs + Dijon beaten until smooth, 3rd with Panko + rest of the seasoning. Place a tray next to the last bowl to rest the breaded fish.
After 10 mins, thoroughly pat the fish dry to remove as much moisture as possible. One by one, dredge each piece through the flour, into the egg, then into the breadcrumbs. Finish by resting on the tray then repeat with the remaining pieces. Work fairly quickly so the batter doesn't go soggy.
Add enough oil to comfortably cover the base of a heavy-based/cast-iron pan. Turn the heat to medium-high and allow the oil to reach 180C/350F (a breadcrumb will rapidly sizzle when it's ready). In two batches, fry the fish on both sides for 2-3mins, or until golden and crisp with the centre piping hot (safe internal temp is 63C/145F). Rest on a wire rack above a tray or kitchen roll to catch excess oil and immediately place the cheese on top to lightly melt.
Stack the sandwiches with your preferred amount of sauce then tuck in and enjoy!

Video

Notes

a) Tartare sauce - I use my Homemade Tartare Sauce recipe. I'm not sure the McDonald's sauce has dill, so you could omit it, especially if you're not keen on it. I don't tend to add salt, but a couple of pinches of pepper works nicely. The McDonald's version is also sweeter, so you can add in sugar 1/4 tsp at a time to balance out the acidity if you'd like. If you can, I recommend making this ahead of time and chilling in the fridge to allow the flavours to develop. There will likely be leftovers so just tightly store it in the fridge for a few days.

b) Fish - McDonald's use Hoki or Pollock, but I typically use Cod or Haddock. Main thing is you're using relatively thin and square pieces (approx 9cm/9cm / 3.5"/3.5"). It will shrink slightly as it cooks, so just keep that in mind. Timings will depend on the thickness of the fish, but it shouldn't take long to fry. Always handy to have a thermometer to check internal temp!

c) Toasted buns - You can do this under the grill or in a large dry pan. If you'd like, you can lightly spread with mayo or butter before toasting.

d) Working quickly - You'll want to dredge and fry fairly quickly. The batter can get soggy the longer it sits due to the salt continuing to draw out more moisture from the fish. As such, the oil may spit slightly more aggressively than you're used to, so I recommend using a long pair of tongs.

e) Calories - Per sandwich assuming half sauce is used and half the breading attaches. Also assuming 2 tsp oil soaked up per 120g fillet.

Nutrition