The 1962 Filet-O-Fish

This is the way the Filet-O-Fish was intended to be! Really, it is. If you've seen the film "The Founder" then you already know the origin story of McDonalds. What the film didn't divulge much information on was the inspiration behind the menu items themselves. The story about the Filet-O-Fish is almost as interesting as the story around the restaurant that serves it. About 300 million of these sandwiches are consumed each year and a whopping 23 percent of them are consumed during Lent. (Which is actually the reason the sandwich was created in the first place.) This is the way the Filet-O-Fish was intended to be! Really, it is. If you've seen the film "The Founder" then you already know the origin story of McDonalds. What the film didn't divulge much information on was the inspiration behind the menu items themselves. The story about the Filet-O-Fish is almost as interesting as the story around the restaurant that serves it. About 300 million of these sandwiches are consumed each year and a whopping 23 percent of them are consumed during Lent. (Which is actually the reason the sandwich was created in the first place.) In 1959, Lou Groen opened the first McDonald’s in the Cincinnati area–87 percent of the residents that lived there during that time were Catholic. His business was struggling, but Lou noticed that sales at a nearby restaurant Big Boy were great. Their secret sauce? A fish sandwich. Lou possessing a creative and entrepreneurial mind of his own set out to create the most delicious fish sandwich. The result was a filet of halibut between two buns with a melty delicious slice of cheese.

He had a hit, he presented it to Ray Kroc and the sandwich was rejected. The reason being Ray had an idea of his own to catch the catholic audience–a "Hula" burger. It was essentially a piece of pineapple in a bun? Well, Kroc was so confident in his pineapple burger he challenged Lou to a duel. On Good Friday in 1962 his Hula Burger went up against the fish sandwich. The customers would decide the victor...well there's no pineapple on the menu. The fish sandwich was so delicious it earned the right to a permanent space on the menu–but the story doesn't end there. The filet-o-fish unfortunately wasn't scaleable with expensive Halibut as the fish of choice. Instead, Ray swapped the catch for Cod and then later its cheaper cousin Pollock. Luckily, today you can enjoy the Filet-O-Fish as Lou Groen dreamed it would be served–breaded moist and flavorful halibut, sweet onions, melty white cheddar cheese, between a fresh bakery bun!

• Time and Serving Size

  Time:

  Prep: 10min

  Cook: 20min

  Servings: 2

• Ingredients

  Filet-O-Fish

  2 halibut filets

  panko

  sour cream

  white cheddar slices

  yellow onion

  ketchup

  Tartar Sauce (or Mayo)

  Sides

  spring onions

  carrots

  2 medium sized potatoes (or pre made fries)

• Nutrition

  Nutrition per serving:

  Calories

  566.84kcal

  28%

  Total Fat

  16.85g

  24%

  Carbs

  86.6g

  33%

  Sugars

  9.56g

  11%

  Protein

  28.39g

  57%

  Sodium

  1183.01mg

  59%

  Fiber

  5.96g

  21%

  Percent Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

  Health Score: 7.4/10

  *Health Scores are calculated on a 1-10 scale based on nutrient density and USDA recommendations for a healthy diet. A higher Health Score means healthier food. The value based on impact of more than 28 nutrients.

  Nutrients in this dish with a positive impact: Please see health score.

Fiilet-O-Fish (Make the sides first)

Step 1

Dice the yellow onion.

Step 2

Prep a crusting station: Spread some panko onto a large plate, spread flour onto another plate or shallow bowl, in another small bowl add sour cream.

Step 3

Pat dry the halibut, then dredge the halibut through the flour, both sides. Then dredge through or spread a thin layer of sour cream onto the one side of the fish. Then place the fish sour cream side down onto the panko and press firmly to create a crust. Repeat spreading the sour cream on the fish and pressing into panko on all sides until completely covered.

Step 4

Drizzle sesame oil in the pan on medium high heat. Place fish in the pan and until golden then flip and cook until golden on the other side. (About 4-5min each side. About 2 minutes after the fish has been flipped layer a slice of white cheddar on top to allow the cheese to melt.

Step 5

Meanwhile, place a thin layer of mayo on the inside of the buns and then toast them mayo side down in a pan. Then quickly cook the diced onions in the hot pan.

Step 6

Assemble the filet-o-fish. Bun, halibut, yellow onion, tartar sauce or mayo, and bun. Serve with a side of veggies and fries. Enjoy!

For Roasted Onions, Carrots and Fries (Optional)

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 425.

Step 2

Thinly slice potatoes into sticks. Fill a bowl with hot water and let the potatoes sit in the water for 10 minutes.

Step 3

Meanwhile Cut the carrots into sticks and halve the spring onions. Season with olive oil and garlic. Add fries to the pan and season with salt.

Step 4

Bake for 15 minutes. If the fries aren't crunchy remove the vegetables and cook the fries for 5 minutes more.