To me, a McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish tastes like nostalgia. In my Filipino-American Catholic family of two kids and two working parents, Friday nights during Lent often meant drive-through runs at McDonald’s. The order? Four Filet-O-Fish sandwiches and piping-hot fries, which I would inevitably tear through on the ride home.
I must not be alone in my sentimentality for the sandwich, because I’ve spotted fancy Filet-O-Fish riffs on menus from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. — and right here in San Francisco. From trendy spots like Mamahuhu and Lord Stanley to classics like Double Decker and Scoma’s, fine restaurants are paying homage to the unexpectedly comforting, humble triumvirate of crispy fried fish, melted American cheese, and tangy tartar sauce.
This Holy Trinity actually has its roots in Catholicism. It was invented in 1962 by Lou Groen, a McDonald’s franchise owner in Cincinnati who wanted a non-burger option for customers during the pre-Easter season when Catholics abstain from eating red meat on Fridays. Today, McDonald’s sells 300 million Filet-O-Fish sandwiches yearly, a quarter of them during Lent.
But in the 60 years since its invention, the Filet-O-Fish has become more than a Lenten tradition. Food writers and chefs from the Jewish, Muslim, and Asian American communities have penned odes to the sandwich. Chef Brandon Jew of the Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant Mister Jiu’s attested to an “innate love” for the Filet-O-Fish in Asian circles. “My grandparents were always thinking about health in some way, and having a Filet-O-Fish felt like it was the healthiest thing on the menu,” he said.
This summer, Jew’s fast-casual restaurant Mamahuhu went so far as to offer a limited-edition Double Happiness Meal ($50) that starred a caviar-topped fish sandwich topped with Taiwanese-inspired tartar sauce, Napa cabbage pickles, and herby slaw — a “high-low” twist on the McDonald’s classic. “It was just riffing on both the Happy Meal and the throwback love for the Filet-O-Fish,” he said.
Mamahuhu’s over-the-top fish sandwich has been rotated off the menu. But Hayes Valley restaurant Arbor has its fish filet sandwich, and Popi’s Oysterette in the Marina has one with a spicy spin and optional caviar upgrade.
Lord Stanley sells its version of the Filet-O-Fish from noon to 9 p.m. from its takeout window on Broadway. Chef de cuisine Nathan Matkowsky, who is Polish and Korean, put the sandwich on the menu as an ode to his childhood. “Growing up, my dad loved Filet-O-Fish sandwiches. I always made fun of him,” he said with a laugh.
Lord Stanley’s fish filet sandwich keeps things simple. It starts with fresh rock cod that’s battered and fried to a golden crisp. Matkowsky also makes a classic tartar sauce and dill pickles and serves it on a brioche bun.
But anyone who understands the allure of the Filet-O-Fish and its many doppelgangers knows that the key ingredient isn’t the fish, the tartar sauce, or the bun. It’s the cheese: specifically, processed American cheese. “In my eyes,” Matkowsky said, “it’s got to have it.”