The Type Of Fish Burger King Uses In Its Big Fish Sandwich

When it comes to choosing the right fish for the Burger King Big Fish sandwich, you probably couldn't find a better option than wild-caught Alaskan Pollock. Given that Alaskan Pollock features large in both its Big Fish sandwich and its Fiery Big Fish sandwich, it's probably not a stretch to say that Burger King would concur with this assertion.

In all fairness, there's a lot to like with this white fish. With its sweet, mild flavor and tender, flaky meat, the sandwich appeals to people who don't normally like fish because most fish tastes, well, too much like fish. Chief among them are typically kids, who, at a certain age, sometimes become as finicky as a cat around dinnertime, but unlike cats they won't eat fish to save their lives. Alaskan Pollock kinda sneaks in under the radar, putting fish back on the menu for kids.

However, Burger King's fish sandwich doesn't just appeal to finicky kids. If the mild flavor of the regular Big Fish sandwich appeals to kids, its spicy counterpart, the Fiery Big Fish, is just right for grown-ups who like their fish sandwiches to have an extra spicy kick in each bite.

The advertising for Burger King's specialty version of its Big Fish 2.0 sammy — the Fiery Big Fish — offers clues as to why a burger joint would offer fish sandwiches. Burger King unveiled its spicy fish sandwich in ads beginning the early part of February 2024. The sandwich had a limited run, starting in the first part of February and going until the end of March. More plainly, the ads for the sandwich, as well as the availability of it, stopped at the end of Lent on March 28, 2024. All of this is to say that Burger King, along with other fast food companies, including McDonald's, sell fish sandwiches to accommodate Catholics who will often give up red meat for Lent.

About 300 million McDonald's fish sandwiches are sold per year, with 25% of those sammy sales coming in during the season of Lent. While Burger King's actual sales number count may not be as much as McDonald's, it's reasonable to think that Burger King also sees an uptick in fish sandwich sales during the same time period that Micky D's does and for the same reason.

Aside from its pleasant taste, the white fish from Alaskan waters is just a plain ol' versatile fish. Yes, it makes a mean sandwich, but that's not even the half of it. Food manufacturers use it to make faux shrimp, scallop, and crab meat. Alaskan Pollock is also the star of many fish and chips platters in pubs around the country and the world.

It also happens to be plentiful, which is really helpful for companies that are trying to keep sustainability in mind. Approximately 3 million tons, give or take, of Pollock are pulled out of the Pacific Ocean, from Alaska to Japan each year, per Pittman Seafood. Thus far, it hasn't been over-fished like so many other types of fish, including Albacore tuna or salmon. And of course, it comes with all the nutritional advantages that people look for in fish — vitamin B12, protein, the works.

But for fans of the Burger King fish sandwich, most of these advantages may be somewhat irrelevant come lunchtime. The Big Fish sandwich, with its crispy coating, crunchy pickles, and soft sweet bun, makes for a yummy and cheap fast food burger substitute when red meat gets taken off the menu.