Super-Size Your McDonald's Filet-O-Fish With This Ordering Tip
The Filet-O-Fish was the first addition to the original McDonald's menu and possibly the first fast food fish sandwich ever. If you've never had one, you might be surprised that, despite the sandwich's big place in history, the fried patties of wild-caught pollock can seem a bit small. With a little custom ordering, though, you can get a much more filling meal.
If ordering in person at the counter or drive-thru, you can simply ask the employee for extra pieces of fish. It's still possible if you're ordering electronically, such as with the McDonald's app or a third-party service, but a little more complicated.
The classic Filet-O-Fish cannot be modified in-app to include a second fish patty. But the Double Filet-O-Fish is a separate menu item, and you can add a third patty to it. Confusingly, the app may say that the double sandwich has one patty by default, and you can add a second for an upcharge of about $1.20, depending on your location. That so-called second patty is actually a third, for a true whale of a sandwich.
The Triple-O-Fish is the peak of McDonald's fish
The Filet-O-Fish has a passionate customer base year-round, but especially during the Lenten season, when observant Catholics may abstain from eating meat. This was behind the Filet-O-Fish's competition against the Hula Burger, where fried fish proved much more popular than a slice of pineapple in a sandwich bun.
Despite a record of success, McDonald's is unlikely to debut another fish option. It pulls its own weight, but the Filet-O-Fish simply isn't popular enough to suggest a market for more fish. However, the company has tried. In early 2013, McDonald's debuted and discontinued Fish McBites within 3 months. They were intended to be a limited offering, but their disappearance for 13 years suggests they sold too poorly to bring back.
For now, if you want more fish from McDonald's, the best solution is a triple Filet-O-Fish. But there are also plenty of ways to hack the Filet-O-Fish for a more delicious sandwich. For instance, the tanginess of Big Mac sauce is a surprisingly complex replacement for the default tartar sauce, though you may want to ask for extra if you're getting three pieces of fish. And don't forget a napkin.