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??
Has anyone tried to freeze the fish after dredging it with breadcrumbs? I’m planning on making it tomorrow. Is it okay to just rewarm it after it’s been baked?
Hi Sherry, you can crumb and freeze – do this unbaked and thaw and bake when you need them 🙂
I love this recipe!!
And I love Dozer!!
I’m so happy you love it!!!
There is no e in tartar
It’s sad that the only comment you have to make on a recipe is to correct grammar. I’ve come back this far to check someone’s positive comment.
Tartare is a common sauce however a person of irritable or violent temper is a tartar. Knock yourself out mate.
It depends on where you are in the world. Many countries use the “e”.
Just made this and it went down really well even with 2 fussy teenagers. Absolutely banging!
That’s awesome Marina!!
Made this tonight. Another hit – as close as it gets to mcD’s.
Thank you again!
Wahoo! That’s great Mimi!
Hi Nagi
Just about to make this now. I don’t have dill pickle but got gherkins and cornichon. Is dill pickle essential?
Hi Monsur you could use 1 tbls of any one of them – they would all be suitable ❤️
I loved your recipe!! I was always afraid to do fish because they keep tell me to make sure the temperature was right. But I did it and my husband enjoyed it. Thanks
Great Maricela, I’m so glad you tried this one!
OMG! This was SO good!!! As a child, I would eat McD’s filet-o-fish all the time…can’t bring myself to eat at McD as an adult. You hit all the flavors w/ this recipe! Thank you!!!
Thanks so much for letting me know what you think Susan!
Absolutely delicious!!!!
I’m so glad you loved it Lucy!
This was soooo good I made m own buns betterthan anything in town. Thanks I love your recipes
Woah that’s commitment! I’m so glad you loved it!
This recipe is amazing!!! I’m from uk so we eat a lot of deep fried fish and chips, so to have a breaded fish in the oven is genius!!! I used cod, Same cooking time as per recipe. My panko crumbs didn’t brown like on the video but maybe that’s because of my oven so I added a few minutes. I just watched it carefully. Used tartare sauce from a jar, they sell really nice ones from the shops here. Next time I’ll try and make it from scratch. I used real cheddar cheese. Overall, it tasted nice. The brioche bread is really the bread of choice for this one. This recipe is a keeper!!! Glad I found your site and your mum’s. The recipes are always spot on. I’ve tried quite a few. Love the research that goes into each recipe. And also I can’t have a dog bec of allergies so I love the extra pics of dozer. Makes me happy 🙂
I love that “overhead” picture of Dozer. Does his nose ever get sunburned? I just wrote down this recipe, along with your Crispy Chinese Rice Paper Wrapped Fish recipe, and had a “eureka” moment. I’ll buy a couple of pounds of cod fillets, cut the top end into big squarish pieces for the sandwiches … and leave the random shaped end pieces to wrap in rice paper.
Haha no sunburnt nose for Dozer! And that’s a great idea with the fish, love it!!!
What a yummy healthy alternative! It was really good and crispy!
Yes! So much better than fried!
In the written directions, you spray oil on the breadcrumbs before toasting, but that is all. In the pictures, you spray oil on the battered fish before it is baked. Do you oil spray on crumbs before baking AND on the battered fish before baking, or which?
Hi Amber, you spray oil on the breadcrumbs to toast them in the oven and get that beautiful golden colour. After this, you coat the fish and then spray with oil before cooking. – N x
Can I air fry the fish and if so how?
Delish! Thank you so much for the fantastic recipe!!! Was getting tired of my regular rotation. Adding this dish to my rotation has helped us eat more fish and reduce beef (for my meat’n potatoes loving husband and a more vegetable loving me.) So appreciate your talent for recipe development!!
Fantastic recipe, as always (and I have never even had the McDonald’s version!).
I just want to let you know that you have become our most trusted source of recipes. My boyfriend and I have cooked so many of your recipes (spaghetti with meatballs, Guinness stew, satay chicken curry, cowboy rice salad, lime salmon with potatoes and green beans, burritos, pork with Marsala sauce, and of course Charlie!) that we know that you test and check your recipes before you put them online (unlike others who kinda put things together for a pretty picture..). We have had weeks where we cooked your recipes for 4 of our meals. And we even refer to you by name! 🙂
Anyway, I just thought I’d let you know that. Great job! 😀
Thank you for the compliment Eleonora! I’m so glad you and your boyfriend are enjoying my recipes! N x
Nagi, this was amazing! I made this yesterday when a friend came over and she couldn’t believe how tender and wonderful the fish tasted! (And it also was the first time I think that I cooked white fish).
Thanks for the recipe – you rock.
I’m so glad! Thank you for letting me know Zee! N x
You are a flipping genius. Just made this…literally as I eat this I am posting here. OMG this is as close to the real thing one can get. Managed to buy frozen pollock filets , got the brioch buns and actually had the Macdonald’s filet of fish sauce in a bottle they sell here in Toronto. Put on Kraft singles slice of cheese and ….Fantastic!
stop stop! My head….. it’s getting so big! 😂
Hi Nagi,
I made fish sticks tonight using your recipe. I had no buns so we had fish and chips using your recipe. It was DELISH. The tarter was great and the fish was really good. Your batter/crumb idea is epic. Seriously, it saves so much time and especially mess. I will never do the flour/egg/crumb thing again. Thanks for the inspiration and wonderful recipes. (And clean hands) Hi to Dozer.