A simple, yet delicious pollock burger to enjoy instead of rushing to a fast-food restaurant! Three elements make it: a fluffy, buttery brioche bun, a lovely piece of white fish fillet and our homemade tartar sauce without relish. In our opinion, this is a better version of a famous fillet-o-fish burger! Serve with some fries for the ultimate fast-food experience at home!
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost for you! Thank you!
I am told that nobody orders a fillet-o-fish from a McDonald’s menu. Well, they’re wrong! I know for a fact that Fillet-o-Fish is one of my Top 2 choices when we grab a bite to eat at services on a long trip. Since we haven’t done a long trip in a while, nor have we visited any Fast Food restaurants in over a year, I decided to have a mini-franchise of it in my own kitchen. And the first order was a fillet-o-fish with a side of potato wedges!
Our fish burger isn’t quite a replica of a fillet-o-fish burger, but if anything, for me, it’s better! It is healthier, it is a lot more filling and it tastes homemade with love. Hopefully, no one will take offence, but we replaced the pasteurised American cheese slice that’s traditionally served in a fillet-o-fish with some grated cheddar. It adds a lot more flavour, and we much prefer it to processed cheese slices.
What Fish to Use for Burgers?
Choose non-oily white fish fillets that are about 1.5cm in thickness. One of the cheapest options (that is actually used in the fillet-o-fish burger, at least in the UK) is pollock. You can find frozen pollock fillets in the frozen foods aisle and it is sometimes labelled “White Fish Fillets”. Alternatively, use cod, haddock or tilapia fillets.
How to Make Tartar Sauce Without Relish?
For homemade tartar sauce, you will need:
- mayonnaise: we used light mayonnaise.
- capers: the small ones work best.
- gherkins: use your favourite type. Cornichons will work too!
- dill: fresh, frozen or dried – whatever you have available!
- lemon juice: freshly squeezed or bottled.
- tarragon: we know lots of people who don’t enjoy the flavour of tarragon, so omit it if you must.
- chives
Simply mix all the ingredients in a small bowl (see quantities in a recipe card below). Taste and add some salt and pepper as needed. Keep the homemade tartar sauce in the fridge until you’re ready to use it!
How to Make our Fish Burger at Home?
Whisk an egg and half a tbsp of water in a shallow bowl. Spread the breadcrumbs on a separate plate or a shallow bowl.
Cut your fish (pollock) fillets into portions the size of your burger bun. They should be 1-1.5cm thick, ideally. But if you have thin pollock fillets, you can simply stack a couple of pieces instead. Dip each portion into the egg mixture and let excess drip off. Then cover in breadcrumbs. Repeat with the other fish fillet.
Heat about 1/2 cm of oil in a small frying pan. Shallow fry fish for about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels, and sprinkle with salt.
Whilst the fish is cooking, grate the cheese. Scatter the cheese on the bottom halves of the brioche buns. Place them and the top halves in the preheated oven (or under the grill) for a minute, until the edges are starting to brown and the cheese has melted. Top the cheesy bottom brioche half with the fried fish. Spoon half of the tartar sauce and top with the lettuce. Cover with the top half of the bun.
Serve with some french fries/ potato wedges and the remaining tartar sauce!
What to Serve Pollock Burgers With?
The obvious choice (and a great one) is French fries, chips or potato wedges, but if you’re looking for something slightly different, why not try it with:
- Sweetcorn, tomato, coriander and red onion salad
- Potato salad with lots of herbs
- Baked Polenta Chips
Other Burger Recipes
For other burger and sandwich ideas, have a look at our recipes below:
- Ultimate Halloumi Burger with Chimichurri Relish
- Vegan Coronation Chickpea Sandwich
- Aubergine & Halloumi Panini
Homemade Fish Burger With Tartar Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 white fish fillets pollock, tilapia, cod or haddock
- 1 egg small
- 50 g breadcrumbs
- 2 brioche buns cut in half
- 2 lettuce leaves shredded
- 20 g cheddar grated
For Tartar Sauce:
- 70 g mayonnaise
- 1 tsp capers finely chopped
- 1 small gherkin finely chopped
- ½ tsp dried dill
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 sprig of tarragon finely chopped, optional
- 1 tsp chopped chives
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients for the tartar sauce in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper and keep in the fridge until your burgers are ready to be assembled.
- Whisk an egg and half a tablespoon of water in a shallow bowl. Place the breadcrumbs in a separate bowl.
- Cut your fish (we used pollock) into portions. They should be 1-1.5cm thick, ideally. But if you have thin pollock fillets, you can simply stack a couple of pieces instead. Dip each portion into the egg mixture and let excess drip off. Then cover in breadcrumbs. Repeat with the other fish fillet.
- Heat about 1/2 cm of oil in a small frying pan. Fry fish for about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels, and sprinkle with salt.
- Scatter the cheese on the bottom halves of the brioche buns. Place them and the top halves in the preheated oven (or under the grill) for a minute, until the edges are starting to brown and the cheese has melted. Top the cheesy bottom brioche half with the fried fish. Spoon half of the tartar sauce and top with the lettuce. Cover with the top half of the bun.
- Serve with some french fries and the remaining tartar sauce!
Notes
Nutrition
Okay these were SO good. And the tartar sauce put it over the top. I tried it with some capers and pickles…omg…heaven!!
Thanks, Heather! We love the homemade tartar sauce! 🙂
Making my own fish burgers are better than the fast food! The tartar sauce was so tasty and delicious!
Thanks for the feedback, Mirlene! We agree, these are so much better than the fast-food burgers.