Homemade McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish burger! An epic fish burger that tastes remarkably similar to the real deal with the added bonus that it’s bigger, you know what goes in it, and it’s healthier ’cause it’s BAKED!! (Though you can totally fry it)
Homemade Filet O Fish Burger
Skip the Drive Through of Shame. It’s incredibly quick and easy to make Filet-O-Fish at home, and you don’t even need to fry!
Plus, you can make bigger ones at home. Ever notice how small the Maccers Filet-O-Fish are? Those teeny fish burgers barely scrape the bottom of my stomach.
At least we can make proper meal-size ones at home!
A homemade fish burger with a crunchy crumb that tastes just like McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish!
Baked Crumbed Fish Patties
I’ve been making faux oven-fried things most of my adult life, and for most of that time was disappointed by how the crumb came out all splotchy with white & burnt bits no matter how brutally I doused with oil spray.
So this is how I make all things crumbed in the oven: toast the breadcrumbs + one seasoned dredge batter with stronger glueing powers + oil spray = guaranteed golden, crunchy baked crumbed anything (baked crumbed fish, in this case). 🙂
I just recently shared a baked crumbed Chicken Tenders recipe using this same method where I wrote more about the logic so if you’re so inclined, pop over there for a read. It’s all driven by love of fried food vs waist and bottom expansion. The bonus is clean hands – no marshmallow fingers!
Yes, your fish will come out warped. They won’t be perfectly square and flat, like the boxed ones in the frozen section of the supermarket. We’re using fresh fish here, so warpage is the price we pay for true fish flavour and texture.
I’m totally cool with that!
Copycat McDonald’s Tartare Sauce
A quick inspection of the Filet-O-Fish ingredients followed by a taste test (yes, I did the Drive Through of Shame for this recipe!) is all it took to ascertain that the Tartare Sauce is pretty standard. Mayo, pickles / gherkins, capers, lemon juice, salt, sugar, parsley.
It’s just my basic Tartare Sauce recipe, minus dill plus a touch extra sugar (surprise, surprise 😂).
I make my homemade Filet-O-Fish burger using brioche buns because they are the closest to the super soft, super sweet buns used by McDonald’s. Though…. not as sweet and not quite as soft… but close enough!
And as for the cheese, in the spirit of copy-catting, I used this smoked processed cheese that I found at Coles (Aussie supermarket) with the signature Maccers orange hue but strangely lacking in smoked flavour. 🤔 So it’s perfect!
But any processed cheese will do. Or you could be a real rebel and use real cheese. 😳 – Nagi x
More burgers
Chicken Burger – juicy seasoned chicken breast steak with the lot!
Nando’s Peri Peri Chicken Burger – chicken marinated in a homemade flavour bomb Peri Peri sauce
Veggie Burger – Meatless made amazing. Puts those doughy bricks at the shops to shame!
Browse all Burgers and Sandwiches & Sliders recipes
And more fish recipes!
Watch how to make it
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Homemade Filet-O-Fish Burger (BAKED!)
Ingredients
- 2 cups panko breadcrumbs (Note 1)
- 400 – 500 g / 0.8 – 1 lb white fish fillets , flat / thin (I used Ling, Note 2)
- 4 soft buns , brioche recommended (Note 3)
- 4 slices processed cheese (Note 4)
- Oil spray (I use olive oil)
Dredge Batter (Note 5):
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard (or other mustard)
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Black pepper
Tartare Sauce:
- 1 cup / 220g mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp dill pickle / gherkin/ cornichon , very finely chopped
- 1 tsp fresh parsley , chopped*
- 1 tsp capers , drained and finely chopped*
- 1.5 tbsp lemon juice , fresh (or cider vinegar)
- 1 tsp white sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
Tartare Sauce:
- Mix ingredients in a bowl. Set aside for 10 minutes+.
Toast Breadcrumbs:
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
- Spread breadcrumbs on a tray. Spray with oil directly down, not from side.
- Bake for 3 – 5 minutes until golden. Immediately transfer to bowl.
- Brush tray clean, spray with oil.
Crumbing / baking:
- Cut fish fillets into square-ish shapes slightly larger than the buns (they shrink when cooked).
- Mix Batter ingredients in a bowl.
- Carefully coat fish in batter (handle with care, fish fillets can be delicate).
- Place in breadcrumbs. Use other hand to cover top and sides with breadcrumbs, pressing to adhere. Transfer to tray. Repeat with remaining fish.
- Bake 12 – 15 minutes until fish is cooked through. Immediately top with cheese – allow residual heat to make it semi melt (do not oven melt processed cheese, you get a plasticy film!).
Assemble:
- Cut buns in half, microwave for 20 seconds to warm through (microwave = stays soft).
- Top with fish and cheese, dollop with tartare sauce. Devour!
Recipe Notes:
* Tartare Sauce – Makes more tartare than probably required but it’s a tragedy if there’s no enough so I err on the side of caution. Keeps for ages in fridge.
* Fry option – follow dredge / crumb / fry steps in this Schnitzel recipe (video included)
* More background about this toasting / unusual single Dredge Batter / oven-fried technique in this Crunchy Baked Chicken Tenders recipe. It’s all driven by love of fried food / attempt to control waist expansion. 7. Nutrition per serving, assuming 1/2 cup of tartare sauce is used across all 4 burgers.
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
How am I supposed to work when this golden furry head keeps butting in to see what I’m doing??
Well I made a big boo boo but the recipe worked anyhow.
I thought I had a package of fish in my freezer so I took it out at night, put it in the fridge to thaw overnight. and went to bed. The next morning I got myself organized and make both the dredging sauce and tartar sauce. Then I baked some homemade hamburger buns and then ran a few errands.
So then it is about time to make dinner but when I removed the thawed fish from my fridge, it was actually chicken breasts!!! Yup, they look almost identical frozen and no, I obviously had not labelled the package.
So I pounded the chicken breasts to about the same thickness as fish and proceeded with the recipe. I maybe baked the chicken 5 minutes longer than what was called for with the fish.
And the chicken sandwiches were absolutely delicious!!!
I loved that the dredge sauce removed one of the steps when making fish or chicken this way. I had a bit of garlic aioli in a jar in the fridge so added that to the tartar sauce and it was absolutely delicious as well. Thx for the recipe.
I am having a senior moment here. What is all this talk aout oil spraying? What are you using to spray the oil? I get the concept of using the oil this way. You are using a lot less oil and food is healthier. Time for a tutorial on spraying? Please? Remind Dozer to use spell check. Barb
Hi Barbara! I purchase oil in spray cans from the supermarket 🙂 And no spell check can save Dozer….
This is my first recipe from u. It looks scrumptious. But I’m vegan I’m going to translate all the animal products to plant based. And I will surprise my kids with it tomorrow when they return from camping
What do you plan to use in place of the fish??!!!
Nagi, I am still laughing about the “drive through of shame”. I love that line! I used to eat Mac-D’s filet-o-fish years ago when I was in college. I haven’t eaten fast food in a very long time. But, I will definitely try your filet-o-fish! It looks very tasty and, like you said, when you make it at home at least you know what is in it.
Just love Dozer and that cute little furry face! So glad that he is nearly done with his rehab after his surgery and he is able to get back to the beach.
I am ashamed to admit I do the drive through of shame several times a year…. and I DO feel guilty and I DO check fearfully around the parking lot to ensure I won’t be caught!!!😂
Hey Dozer are you trying to nose in on the computer? It’s a fish recipe and delish too..try.to get a taste and tell us how good it is😄
He wants to lick the screen!!
‘Drive Through of Shame’ must be the best on-line phrase of the year !! The fish being baked makes me read and like . . . Interested to see on TV almost every night Maccas is promulgating as yet again another ‘healthy option’ yet having to close outlets in Australia / . . .for me the last time was 28 years ago . . . . 🙂 !
That’s exactly what it is!!! Isn’t it???
Hi Nagi! I don’t eat fast food but this looks delicious! And MacDonalds certainly does not use fancy buns! I have oven fried foods since my kids were little, I never did like frying foods, too much mess for me.
You are LUCKY you don’t have a Maccers round the corner!! 😂
The only bun on MacDonald’s menu that is steamed? You guessed it, Filet O Fish. Add that step for something even closer to the real deal.(steamed buns are awesome on this!)
That’s exactly right! I read that too! It’s the secret to the super soft bun!!
Tired the fish-filet bit mine weren’t crispy . I roasted the panko crumbs for around 15 mts but still didn’t get that much colour . Even after baking the fish in the oven , they didn’t turn out as golden and crispy as yours. They were a tad but salty too although I followed your recipe to the T. Where did I go wrong?
Hi Zeina! Are you sure your oven is working ok?? Because breadcrumbs should certainly brown in 15 minutes!!! Yikes!!!
Just got an air-fryer, this might be the recipe to try it out! Looks so good!
Oooh! I am keen to try an air fryer!
Yummo, the Aldi Brioche buns are the best. We use them weekly. Tried coles and the ones at bakers delight but both are super dry. We use the aldi ones atleast weekly.
Thanks for the tip!!! I have to try them! N x
Nagi, you publish things I didn’t know I even wanted to cook. This looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it.
I LOVE hearing that 🙂 N c
Nagi those look SO GOOD!! And your writing makes me laugh 🙂 Love your stuff!
💐 😂 N xx
Hi Nagi
I’m not a fish fan …
However, when I read the preparation, I think that would also have to go with poultry meat. What is your valuable opinion?
Culinary greetings from Switzerland
Peter
Hi Basler! It would be amazing! It will take about 20 minutes to bake 🙂 YUM! N x
Mmmmmm! I’m usually more of a shellfish eater, but my husband loves fish as much as shellfish, and those would be something we’d Both enjoy! With or without the bun and cheese! Tartar for me, none for him–and yes, it Is a tragedy if there is not enough of it, so must have that too, and the recipe looks to be exactly the sort of tartar sauce I like the most, also. For us, it will be North Atlantic cod, and likely baked, but might fry it. Air-fryer appliances and air-frying toaster ovens have become very popular in the US. I have a convection toaster oven, which I think is the same thing as an air-frying one, so might even try that. I’m intrigued by the air-frying appliances, too, but might have already reached critical mass in terms of small specialty appliances, so am reluctant to add yet another one! This baked fish recipe looks so perfect it minimizes the temptation to buy one, too!
Dogs are polite when interrupting, at least, executing a wet nose-nudge at most. Cats are not, and like nothing better than strolling across or sitting on keyboards, especially when in use, and will curl up in the middle of a book or a newspaper being read, also. Cats would sit on one’s head, draping their tails across one’s eyes, if they could get away with it.
I’m intrigued too! I’ve never tried one before 🙂 Dozer and his wet nose nudge is out of control. He thinks it’s cute. (And he’s right)
It’s also, oh so effective, and he knows that too! Anyone who thinks animals are dumb, knows nothing about them, and hasn’t had pets or been expertly manipulated by them. 🙂
Oh, at first, I’d missed it that “maccers” was McDonald’s! LOL! Around here, it’s often called Mickey D’s. The other two places with nicknames are the Goodwill and Salvation Army donation centers and re-sale stores, often known as Goodie’s and Sally’s. Abbreviations and nicknames aren’t quite as prevalent here, though.
Mickey D’s! I’ve heard that before and thought it was something different!! 😂
LOVE your ‘tragedy’ comment LOL
It would be! Can you imagine running out of sauce?? 😩
The recipe for tartare sauce is very similar to the one I make & everyone loves. I use minced onion & dill in mine. I Like the idea of including capers but never use sugar in anything I make. I am a salt & pepper girl!
Minced onion is a great tip, I will try that next time! I don’t think I’ve ever used it in tartare sauce before 🙂 N x
Fussy me, is using dry mustard instead. Is it still 1 tbsp or less? Dozer prob wants to see if your writing about him. Lol. What kind of quick bread is that, that Dozer is inspecting? Have a great day N! x
PS Yes you’re probably right, he was making sure I didn’t forget to include him in the recipe!! 😂 It’s cinnamon swirl quick bread in that photo, it’s on my blog! N x
Hi J! I would use 1 tsp of dried 🙂 N x
Nothing is better than a fried fresh fish sandwich. I said fried because I’ve never tried oven baked. We’re going to our fishmonger tomorrow, so I see a nice piece of torsk (cod) being brought home so as to give this a try. I like your tartar sauce recipe. Ever tried it Danish style? You just add curry powder to taste.
Dozer is just proofreading!
Oooh! I love cod! Do you get black cod where you are???
By Black Cod I’m thinking you’re referring to sable or butter fish. Yes, we do and we just had some last week steamed in the asian fashion.
Oh ya! You know this is gonna be way better than the original! Brioche bun, fresh fish and real cheese (cause you know that orange stuff at McD’s has to be fake).
I LOVE that pup! What a cuddler.
Homemade is ALWAYS better!!! Right?? ❤️