For Filet-O-Fish At Home, Buy These 5 Store-Bought Frozen Fish Fillets

There are few fast food sandwiches more legendary than the iconic McDonald's Filet-O-Fish. If you've never had it before, it may seem like a superfluous menu item, just an afterthought to the burgers and chicken sandwiches that dominate the menu. But in reality, it's actually one of the very best sandwiches you'll find at the fast food chain, and some might even consider it a healthier option than most at the chain. Its simple construction is arguably what makes it so good: That neutral-tasting, battered fish fillet, the yellow slice of plasticky cheese, and the tartar sauce that oozes out of the side of the burger, all contained within a soft, squishy bun.

But let's be honest — most of us don't want to be buying fast food on the regular. Most of us know that it's not the healthiest choice out there, and these days, buying a meal from your favorite fast food joint is pricier than ever. That's why we're taking a closer look at some store-bought frozen fish fillets you can use to make your very own Filet-O-Fish-inspired sandwich at home. Considering how simple the sandwich is, it's really not that hard to pull off. You just have to make sure you're starting with the right kind of fish. We've based these picks on both personal experience and online reviews to give you a better idea of what to select the next time you're in the frozen section of your local grocery store. Your homemade Filet-O-Fish has never tasted better.

Have you ever wondered what type of fish McDonald's uses for its Filet-O-Fish? It turns out that the fast food joint employs Alaska pollock, a kind of neutral white fish that doesn't have a ton of flavor on its own. This blandness is part of what gives the sandwich its appeal, since the other flavors and textures are truly allowed to shine through. That's why it only makes sense to seek out the same kind of fish for your own homemade Filet-O-Fish dupe. Whole Foods' 365 Beer Battered Pollock Fillets are just what you're looking for. They took the No. 2 spot in our ranking of store-bought frozen fish fillets, and for good reason: It tastes almost like freshly fried fish. That beer battering makes for a really crispy exterior, especially if you cook these fillets in the air fryer.

Admittedly, I think that these fillets are a bit crispier than you'll find in the Filet-O-Fish, but that actually makes them taste better. Additionally, you'll have to contend with the fact that these bad boys are pretty thin, so you'll probably want to double up to get more of a sandwich shape on your bun. But honestly, once you try making a Filet-O-Fish dupe this way, you may just find that the actual fast food sandwich isn't quite as good as your own homemade take on the sandwich.

Apparently, there are plenty of people out there who are trying to find a way to make their own Filet-O-Fish at home, since there is a whole Reddit thread dedicated to searching for the best possible patty. The original poster says that they want to make a version of the sandwich in their own kitchen, but they find that all too often, the fish patties they choose are too crunchy and thick for their liking. So, they took to the platform to ask others where they could find a more appropriate fish patty.

One user responded that Meijer's store-brand fish fillets ought to do the trick. This poster says that they use them as a substitute for their own Filet-O-Fish at home, and they seem to work well. Although other reviews corroborating the idea that these fillets work for this kind of dupe sandwich specifically are sparse, reviews about the fillets more generally seem to be positive. On one review site, a poster pointed out that this fish is available for a great price point, making it an attractive option for those on a budget. Another says that they aren't too fishy, which is ideal when you're trying to recreate the relatively bland flavor of this beloved sandwich.

I also tasted Van de Kamp's Crispy Battered Fillets for Tasting Table's ranking of frozen fish fillets, and technically, they weren't my favorite of the bunch — they only snagged spot No. 4 in the rankings. However, my main complaint about them was the fact that they're just too bland for comfort. Fortunately, the fish patty in McDonald's Filet-O-Fish is also sort of flavorless and neutral-tasting, so this is actually a pretty good match. These fillets also have that signature saltiness you'll find in just about every McDonald's menu item, along with a crispy breaded exterior that brings the slight crunch you're looking for in this style of sandwich.

It turns out that I'm not the only one who thinks that these fillets make good dupes for McDonald's. A Redditor says that this brand makes a solid fillet with breading that isn't too thick, a claim with which I can wholeheartedly agree. On a different thread, another poster says that they make Filet-O-Fish dupes with Van De Kamp's fillets, although they use the sandwich-sized version, whereas I tasted the slightly smaller fillets that you'd have to double up on to make a full-sized sandwich. Either way, though, you're still going to get that neutral, salty crisp you're looking for in every bite.

Now, this one might seem a bit unexpected, since Stouffer's Fish Filet with Macaroni and Cheese is technically a whole meal on its own. Looking at this frozen meal option, you probably wouldn't think to put the fish itself in a sandwich. That being said, the fillet is definitely thin enough to place on a sandwich, and it's made of Alaska pollock, just like McDonald's take on the dish. After tasting a variety of frozen fish fillets to see which one would make the best addition to a homemade Filet-O-Fish, a writer at Mashed determined that this was actually the best product on the market, citing its large size and its decadent flavor profile that most closely matches what McDonald's has to offer.

A poster on Reddit says that this fillet has a similarly thin breading to the one that McDonald's uses on its sandwiches, although they admit that the size is much larger than the McD's version. That actually sounds like a good thing, though — who doesn't want to get more bang for their buck in every bite? Another Redditor says that all you have to do is add a bun and some tartar sauce (although they're missing the slice of cheese), and you've basically got yourself a Filet-O-Fish. Plus, as a bonus, you still get to eat a side of frozen mac and cheese. What's not to love about that?

Another favorite of the Mashed writer who tested out a variety of frozen fish fillets for a Filet-O-Fish dupe was Gorton's Fish Sandwich Breaded Fillets. They said that while it's a bit fattier than the kind that McDonald's uses, it still has a nice crispiness to it. Plus, it's offered in the same square shape as the kind you'll find at McD's. They also pointed out that this is a pretty common brand to find in grocery store frozen aisles, which makes it an accessible option for those who might not be able to find some of the other frozen fish fillets that appear on this list.

There are some other people on the internet who seem to be even bigger fans of this product, with one Redditor claiming that they're "damn near identical" to McDonald's fish patties. A commenter responded to this claim, saying that the breading is a little thicker, but other than that small divergence, they otherwise agree. Yet another Redditor said that these fillets yielded a sandwich that tastes the exact same as a Filet-O-Fish when paired with Meijer tartar sauce. Of course, you can always make your own tartar sauce or try one of many other store-bought tartar sauces on the market.

I selected two of these frozen fish fillet options based on my own personal experiences with them, although I corroborated my own claim with reviews from Reddit. Otherwise, I relied on Reddit and another review site to learn which frozen fish fillets people found to be similar enough to McDonald's Filet-O-Fish patties to recreate a dupe of the sandwich. In some cases, reviewers claim that these patties taste just like the McD's version, while in others, they mention slight differences while still praising the selection overall.