This Addition Makes McDonald's Filet-O-Fish Taste Like A British Pub Staple

Love it or hate it, there's no denying that McDonald's Filet-O-Fish is one of the most iconic fast food fish sandwiches out there. Some people look at it a bit sideways, but its soft fish patty with creamy tartar sauce hits the proper comfort food notes, thank you very much. If you want to take the sandwich to a whole new level, though, fill it with french fries for a fun spin on a British classic.

Fish and chips are a famous and well-loved part of British cuisine. In some international McDonald's locations, the dish used to be a standalone menu item for a limited time, but in the States, you have to hack the menu to enjoy this pub-favorite. Order the Filet-O-Fish and fries on the side. Then, lift the top bun off the sandwich, stack a liberal amount of fries onto the tartar sauce, and put back the bun. The sauce will keep the fries in place and give them tasty moisture. For a more filling upgrade, order an extra fish patty and stack the fries between the two patties as well as on top. It's not an exact replica of the traditional fish and chips, to be fair, but it's a pretty good sandwich version of it, especially when you're not near any authentic British pub.

McDonald's is not big on seafood, so the one famous fish burger is the only menu item in that category in most locations, and it almost didn't happen. The story goes that in the 1960s, one of the franchisees noticed the sales were dropping on Fridays during Lent, because that's when people in the Catholic faith refrain from eating meat. Fish, however, is allowed, so the franchisee got an idea for a fish burger. But the founder of McDonald's was skeptical and had other plans — he wanted the non-meat option to be the Hula Burger, which came with grilled pineapple and cheese. On one Friday, both of the sandwiches were offered to customers to test which one sold more units. The score ended up being 350 to six, in favor of Filet-O-Fish; the rest is history.

Today, the sandwich is still a well-selling item during Lent, despite the fact that some customers find it a bit boring — but that's where the customizations come in. If you do observe the Lenten fasting, you'll probably want to save the fish and chips upgrade for another time, since the fries contain beef flavoring. You can, however, add several fish patties to your sandwich or spice it up with onions and pickles.