Culver's North Atlantic Cod Fish Sandwich Vs McDonald's Filet-O-Fish: Who Makes The Better Fish Sandwich?

Sam Zwick / Mashed

The fast food burger joint's fish sandwich has a long, proud history that began with outright rejection. While it's been a nationwide menu staple since 1965, the McDonald's Filet-O-Fish was initially a tough sell to the restaurant's legendary CEO, Ray Kroc. Despite a strong pitch from Cincinnati-based franchisee Lou Groen, a fish sandwich was deemed a poor fit for the McDonald's menu, as Kroc didn't want his restaurants to smell like fish. Instead, the founder suggested a pineapple burger that crashed and burned in a head-to-head showdown with the soon-to-be-dubbed Filet-O-Fish.

Today, McDonald's sells about 300 million Filet-O-Fishes per year, but they're far from the only fast food chain to offer a fish sandwich. We've pitted the Filet-O-Fish against others in the past, but for the first time, Mashed is putting the original fish sandwich up against a formidable foe: The Midwestern fish fry.

Culver's is known for the ButterBurger and its creamy custard, but the Wisconsin-based chain is also quite proud of its fish offerings. Cod is the fish of choice at Culver's, unlike the Alaskan pollock that makes up the Filet-O-Fish. Both come on a bun, both are breaded, and both feature cheese, but from there, these sandwiches diverge fairly significantly. I tried one of each to see which is better, and the answer was as clear as the waters the fish came from. Read on to find out which of these fish sandwiches you should catch for yourself and which should be tossed back overboard.

Sam Zwick / Mashed

While chicken nuggets are perhaps the best-known sidekick to a classic McDonald's burger and fries, the Filet-O-Fish actually predates any chicken items on the restaurant's menu by nearly 20 years. It's a simple dish, consisting of a crispy fish filet patty made with wild-caught Alaskan Pollock atop a slice of American cheese, topped with tartar sauce, all served on a steamed bun. Fish, cheese, tartar sauce, bun: Just the basics.

I will confess that I don't often order the Filet-O-Fish, but when I have in the past, I don't think the ingredients have ever been properly centered on the bun, and this sandwich was no different. The cheese was comically askew while the tartar sauce dominated one side of the sandwich, leaving the other side dry. A little reorganization was necessary before I took my first bite, but perhaps that's part of the charm.

Like most McDonald's items, this one is solid if unspectacular. The bun is soft, the cheese melty, and the fish tastes good, but wasn't particularly crispy. The real star of this show is the tartar sauce, which is doing the heavy lifting in the flavor department. It's hardly a large sandwich, and one that, if alone, I would consider more of a snack than a meal. Still, it's far from bad and remains the benchmark for a quality fast food fish sandwich.

Sam Zwick / Mashed

I try to let flavor be the major deciding factor in a head-to-head review, but appearance can play a part, too. Unfortunately for the Filet-O-Fish, Culver's North Atlantic Cod sandwich makes a case for the best-looking fast food fish sandwich on the market. Served on a toasted hoagie roll, the cod is hand-battered and fried and garnished with lettuce, shredded cheddar cheese, and tartar sauce. It's an impressive-looking sandwich that is clearly meant to serve as nothing less than a meal.

Culver's fish is simply better than what McDonald's has to offer. The length and thickness of the piece feels more authentic than the manufactured square of the Filet-O-Fish, and the Culver's breading is light and wonderfully crispy. The North Atlantic Cod is so good, it's served beyond the bun in a basket that stacks up against any others in the industry. 

Lettuce is a nice addition that brings some freshness, while the shredded cheddar is more satisfying in quantity, texture, and taste than the melted American offered by the Golden Arches. The one element that's lacking is the tartar sauce. While it's a standout on the Filet-O-Fish, the North Atlantic Cod sandwich is light on sauce, and the sauce is light on flavor. An upgrade in this department is the only one I can suggest, as this is otherwise a fantastic, if not somewhat messy, fish sandwich.

Sam Zwick / Mashed

Sam Zwick / Mashed

Sam Zwick / Mashed

McDonald's Filet-O-Fish contains 380 calories, 16 grams of protein, 19 grams of fat, and 580 milligrams of sodium. If you're feeling particularly hungry, you can make it a double by adding a second fish patty. (There's still only one slice of cheese.) A double Filet-O-Fish contains 530 calories, 26 grams of protein, 26 grams of fat, and 830 milligrams of sodium. If that sounds like a lot of salt, it is; a large McDonald's fry contains less than half that amount of sodium.

Culver's does a great job of itemizing the nutritional info for its menu, so we know that of the 600 calories in the North Atlantic Cod Sandwich, 200 of them come from the fish itself, 230 are attributed to a buttered bun, with 60 calories courtesy of the shredded cheddar cheese, leaving the tartar sauce responsible for the final 120 calories. The sandwich also contains 34 grams of fat, 23 grams of protein, and a whopping 890 milligrams of sodium.

A single North Atlantic Cod Sandwich cost me $8.09, with a value basket bumping the price up to $12.29. At McDonald's, a Filet-O-Fish is $6.49 by itself and $11.59 as part of a meal. Those prices jump to $7.89 and $12.49, respectively.