Burger King's Fiery Fish Sandwich Review: Just Spicy Enough

Uh oh. Do you hear that? It's the sound ... the sound of fish sandwiches being released into the fast food market sea. That's right, ladies and gentlemen, the time is upon us: Lent is officially here and the world of grab-n-go eateries has now put fish back on the menu. One fish, two fish, Popeye's Flounder Fish Sandwich, Arby's Crispy Fish Sandwich, red fish, blue fish, all the classics are back — but this year, there's also a new fishy friend on the scene. It's fiery, it's big, it's Burger King's Fiery Big Fish Sandwich.

Yes sir, way back in January, BK (you know, the chain that faced major store closures last year) announced it'd be adding this fiery addition to its menu on Valentine's Day 2024, which was also the first day of Lent. Yesterday, the day finally arrived, and we rushed out to give the King's allegedly hotter-than-life sandwich a try to let you know if it is, in fact, worth buying. Here's everything you need to know about Burger King's new (and potentially, not all-that improved) version of its classic Big Fish Sandwich.

So what new and exciting flavors does the Fiery Big Fish Sandwich bring to the filet fish table? Not many, actually. Because all Burger King did to create this sandwich was quite literally add a little spice to their original Big Fish recipe. Just like the OG version of the entrée, this Burger King menu item comes with a filet patty made of pure-bred Wild Alaskan Pollock (which sounds fancy, but is most commonly used in fish sticks) fried in panko breading and smothered in tartar sauce and pickles — pay attention now, the plural "pickles" is important. However, the Fiery Big Fish Sandwich does have one ingredient its older brother lacks: BK's triple pepper spicy glaze. But were all the ingredients present on our sandwich roll call?

Mostly, yes. BK was very generous with the tartar sauce and spicy glaze. And, to our surprise, although there was a lot of sauce on this fish sandwich, it managed not to be soggy. As for the veggie side of things, yes there was plenty of lettuce, but oh those alleged pickles — as in, this sandwich should come with many. When we opened up the top of our sandwich's bun, we only saw one. We thought there might be more hiding under the lettuce or the filet fish, but tragically that was not the case. So, unfortunately, although close, the Fiery Big Fish Sandwich's ingredients will not receive a perfect attendance award.

Burger King sure does love singing everything should be served up "your way" at its customers — unless prices are involved. The King is much more expensive than it has been in past years, but just how much will the Fiery Big Fish Sandwich put you back? And how does its price compare to the other fish sandwiches in the sea?

Prices vary by region, but our Burger King sells its Fiery Big Fish Sandwich for $6.49 a pop — meaning it costs about 20 cents more than the OG version. The fiery big fish is also more expensive than other eats in the spicy fish sandwich fast food category. Namely, the Popeyes Spicy Flounder Fish Sandwich which is, yes, back this year, goes $5.99 per fiery entrée. But this is also likely due to the fact the Fiery Big Fish comes with lettuce and tartar sauce and has its own special spicy sauce, whereas Popeye's spicy fish sandwich has no lettuce or tartar sauce and is spiced up with seasoning and spicy mayo (notably, the regular flounder sandwich is also the same price as the spicy one and cheaper than BK's classic Big Fish). However, BK is also currently running a promotion through March 28 where, after snagging a Fiery Big Fish or classic Big Fish Sandwich online, you can get another one for a measly $2.

No matter how high-quality the product, fast food chains are as quick to add fish sandwiches to the menu as they are to take them off it. However, Burger King, a rebel, does actually sell its classic Big Fish sandwich pre- and post-Lent — aka, all year long. Yet, Burger King reports that will not be the case for its Fiery Big Fish Sandwich. This new entrée will only be available at participating locations nationwide for that oh-so-famous and elusive "limited time" used by so many fast food eateries. As you may have guessed, because the King likes to toy with its subjects, it has not officially announced the last day its newest menu item will be available. However, we can gander a pretty good guess based on the ebb and tide of other limited-time fast food fish sandwiches' seasonal runs.

Generally speaking, most fast food fish sandwiches typically appear at Lent's beginning and then retire by Lent's end. This year, Lent ends on March 28. And what else ends on that date? That's right, BK's fish sandwich deal. So we're thinking the Fiery Big Fish's run (at least for 2024) will come to an end on the same day.

Yes, the Fiery Fish Sandwich is just the OG Big Fish sandwich on steroids, but how does it compare to BK's other, spicier menu items? Ironically, even though BK's burgers are flame-grilled, none of them are spicy. Aside from our fishy, fiery companion, the only two other currently available BK eats with some kick to them are the Spicy Chicken Sandwich and Spicy Chicken Wrap.

Both of these fiery entrées also report they get their heat power from Burger King's very own triple pepper spicy glaze — which, if it's made of the same stuff that coated the menu item formally known as the fiery chicken nuggets (RIP), contains a little cayenne pepper, a spot of bird's eye chili peppers, and finishes things off with some black pepper for extra heat. However, notably, where the aforementioned spicy eats are all fire and heat, the Fiery Fish Sandwich contains a spicy-meets-sweet flavor due to its tartar sauce — making it the only BK product of its sugar and spice kind.

When you bite into a Fiery Big Fish sandwich, here's what you're eating your way into. First things first, this Lent-friendly entrée comes in at 727.4 calories — which is pretty good, considering some of BK's sandwiches, namely its infamous Bacon King and Triple Whopper, come in at well over 1,000. And the Fiery Big Fish's calories aren't empty: The sandwich does pack a pretty good protein punch, offering around 19 grams per serving. However, the sodium in this baby is nothing to sneeze at. One hot fish sandwich entrée packs a whooping 1,526.6 milligrams of sodium. 

Let's put it this way, per the Mayo Clinic, the World Health Organization does not think it wise for humans to consume more than 2,000 mg of sodium a day. So by eating this sammie, you're already three-quarters of the way to your sodium intake limit, and on the fast track to eating too much salt. Just keep that in mind if you get a hankering to try out BK's newest, fieriest fish sandwich.

Forget about the sodium, you say. Does BK's Fiery Big Fish Sandwich taste any good? One whole pickle and all? Our answer is yes, it does. When we bit into the Fiery Big Fish Sandwich, we found ourselves entering a world of delectable flavor. The creamy, sweet tartar sauce combines with the crunchy patty and spicy glaze to create a sweet-and-salty serendipity of flavors. The spicy glaze is prominent and just spicy enough to give you that wonderful lingering spice tinge in your mouth, but the heat doesn't overwhelm the sandwich so you can't taste anything else. We found that when the one whole pickle was present, it added a savory vinegar flavor that had us craving more, and the iceberg lettuce was consistently providing BK's newest entrée with an extra crunchy texture throughout the eating experience.

Of course, aside from the one pickle fiasco, the taste of this sandwich's fish patty itself does get a bit lost under the sauce and other ingredients, but we had such a good time eating the sandwich thanks to its multitude of flavors and textures it didn't bother us too much. What we're saying is, BK isn't reinventing the wheel with this one, but the Fiery Big Fish Sandwich is still delicious for what it is. If you're a fan of fish sandwiches or are looking for something to curb your appetite during Lent, it will for sure satiate your spicy-sweet cravings.

We headed out to Burger King on the day the Fiery Big Fish Sandwich was released (February 14, 2024) to try out this eat for ourselves, basing our review on the quality and quantity of the ingredients, the flavor profile, and how its price measures up to its competitors. Aside from actually taste-testing the entrée, we also researched Public Relations platforms and Burger King's website to assemble a factsheet on the fish sandwich's nutrition and availability for the foodie world's benefit.