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
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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??
Hi,
Can I prepare the fillets and dredge ahead of time?
I was wondering if I can complete all the steps up until baking and place the squares on a baking sheet maybe an hour or 2 before dinner then just pop them in the oven when I’m ready. Thanks in advance!
Do you think I could do it in the airfyer?
(I live alone and would love to do single serves but have a big chef’s oven.)
This is pretty damn good, probably shouldn’t have had the second one but yeah, no regrets
Thank you! A recipe that easily converts to dairy free meal!!! It so lovely to be able to give children who love a maccas fillet o fish but cant eat it due to allergies, now enjoy. I think it taste way better than the the maccas one anyway
I’ve made this recipe a few times with rockling and it never disappoints. Fantastic recipe!
I am a fish snob. I have live just blocks from the Gulf of Mexico. The Mississippi Gulf Coast. I have eat fish all my life but if it had a strong taste I threw it away and refused to eat it. This recipe surpassed my expectations beyond belief. I had frozen trout in the freezer we had caught so I used it and have to say best recipe I have ever tried. Thank you!!!
Made this tonight for the first time ! Fantastic!!!! I will definitely be making it again and again ! Perfect for a patio party this summer too !
I was talking to a friend who use to be a manager at maccas. She said the fillet o fish buns are actually steamed! Do you think steaming be brioche would make it softer like their buns or would it just be soggy?
Coles sell potato buns that always remind me of filet o fish buns
YES! I just tried them the other day, they are terrific 🙂 N x
Made this but not for a burger. I just wanted the crispy fish and tartar sauce this time cause i had some fries in the freezer i wanted to use up. I toasted the panko 3 minutes but you said 3-5. Im gonna do 4 or 5 next time. I used tilapia cause cod is crazy expensive. And i actually think that tilapia is boring enough to benefit from the crispy crust. The oven time was a very good indication. I like the mustard in the batter a lot. You never disappoint
You have instructions for frying. But do i still use the batter before the panko coating? Or is the whole breading different. Im very intrigued by using a batter. I used just egg, then flower and then panko in earlier attempts but i feel like maccie d’s does indeed uses both batter and breadcrumbs. Never thought of that! Thanks for the recipe.
Super easy to make and came out terrificly. An unstable favourite! Thank you Nagi 🙂
I was wondering if Barramundi would be a good fish to use for this recipe?
I love your recipes, the Emergency Fish is a staple for me!
Seriously delicious! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
So good! Ive never crumbed my fish like this before but it turned out amazing. will definitely try again. I added lettuce to mine because had some to use up.
This was a hit. I used a bag of Frozen hoki fillets, and doubled the pickles in the tartare. Brioche buns are a little sweet, next time I think I’ll use regular hamburger buns. Anyone know if toasting the panko is absolutely necessary?
Yes it is. Its will go either pale or patchy otherwise.
2nd time making and more fabulous than I remembered. WARNING: made the tartare sauce earlier, taste tested and thought “it could use more pickle and capers”. Sitting in the fridge really intensifies the flavors. It was great, but I had to cut with a little more mayonnaise. Got my shopping list ready for tomorrow cause your eggplant parmesan is next.
Thanks for the feedback Debbie!! N x
I love this recipe! it is super easy to make and tastes delicious! There are so many of Nagi’s recipes that I love and this is one of them. It is a regular in our house.
Hi! Is there any replacement for the mustard or can I omit the mustard from the dredge？
Hi! I would like to know if there is any other way to replace the mustard or is it alright to omit it from the recipe? I don’t want to go out of my way to buy a bottle of it just for a recipe haha..
My advice: Buy the mustard. If you plan on using other recipes from Nagi, it’s a pretty common ingredient. I used to buy the small jars and it lasted forever. I now buy the large jar, and it’s gone within 6 months
just leave it out! 🙂 N x