Burger King Fish Sandwich: What To Know Before Ordering

Burger King is a brand that's known for flame-broiled burgers and its joke-laden, provocative advertising. Alongside all the colorful marketing, Burger King's product lineup has stayed pretty consistent throughout the years. One such product in the chain's arsenal is the Big Fish Sandwich. There's pure beauty in a good, simple fried fish sandwich — crunchy, seasoned breading, tangy tartar sauce, crisp lettuce, and a not-too-soft, springy bun is really all you need. 

While this simple combination has the power to win over fans, a ton of time and effort has gone into making this sandwich taste just right. After all, the quality of the fried whitefish, the bun, and the zing of the tartar sauce is so important because there are so few components. To see how Burger King's Big Fish measures up, you first need to take a peek underneath the bun.

According to Burger King, the Big Fish Sandwich consists of a White Alaskan Pollock fillet breaded with panko breadcrumbs and topped with iceberg lettuce, sweet tartar sauce, and pickles. The whole item comes loaded on a toasted brioche-style bun. Hopefully, the bun proves more sturdy than an actual brioche, which is too light and airy for sandwich use, per The Daily Meal.

If you aren't familiar with White Alaskan Pollock, it's a mild-flavored white fish with a delicate and flaky texture (via Seafood Health Facts). You may have eaten a lot of it as a kid in the form of fish sticks or breaded fish triangles, and the protein also makes an appearance as imitation crab or lobster. Once the panko-breaded fillet hits the bun, the Pollock has the potential for that crispy, crave-able crunch. The tartar sauce and pickles round out the sandwich, adding both sweet and sour notes for a balance of flavors.

Originally called The Whaler, the fish sandwich has been a staple on Burger King's menu in some fashion since 1975, per Me TV. When the chain launched its Specialty Sandwich line in 1978, The Whaler turned into the Longfish Sandwich, according to Retroist. The specialty sandwiches went beyond just burgers and included sandwiches featuring ham and cheese, roast beef, and chicken (via Encyclopedia.com). 

According to The New York Times, Burger King eventually pared down the sandwich's name to the simple Big Fish Sandwich by 1998, and the item has since spread across the world. European chains started to carry the sandwich on menus, and Spain even started selling the item with extra black pepper back in 2015 (via Expatica). The international locations embraced the sandwich as a way to compete with McDonald's Filet-O-Fish and the rest is history.

Reviews on Burger King's Big Fish are generally not that great. Eat This, Not That! found that the sandwich came with too much salt and proved disagreeable with the reviewer. Wichita By EB stated that the sandwich doesn't have a crispy texture and lacks any fish flavor. The folks at Business Insider agree, lamenting that the fish looks and tastes "gray and sad, like the last lonely tuna at the fish market." Bachelor On the Cheap simply said, "it sucked."

Ideally, you want to have your Big Fish your way, which probably means nice and hot. Folks on Reddit are a little kinder and agree that if your sandwich comes to you fresh off the line, BK's fish sandwiches are "easily the best tasting sandwich choices at Burger King." One Redditor even said, "I was surprised how good the Fish was. I like it more than the Whopper." 

If you do decide to part with some money and purchase a Big Fish Sandwich, pricing varies a tad depending on where you live. According to Fast Food Menu Prices, the difference in pricing is pretty minuscule and you can get the item for around $4 in cities across the U.S. It's probably more cost-friendly to go ahead and turn your single sandwich into a meal for about $2 extra. 

For example, in Utah, you can get the signature sandwich, small fry, and a small drink for $6.49. Make your meal a medium for $0.59 more or if you're really hungry, go for the large for an extra $0.99, per Menu and Price. With great deals like that, anyone can get excited to turn their Big Fish Sandwich into a full meal and indulge in some solid savings.

According to Burger King, the Big Fish clocks in at 513 calories. The sandwich additionally packs in 27.8 grams of fat, 51.1 grams of carbohydrates, and 1,181.3 milligrams of sodium. According to the FDA, that's more than half of the sodium recommended a day for adults, so if you're watching your salt intake, keep an eye out for this sandwich. The item additionally contains 4.7 grams of saturated fat. That's not bad, considering that the American Heart Association recommends adults who follow a 2,000 calorie daily diet should consume a total of 13 grams of saturated fat per day. 

Additionally, Burger King's fish sandwich packs in an additional 15.5 grams of protein and 7 grams of sugar, rounding out this menu item. When you need a sandwich to fill you up, you can't go wrong with the Big Fish.