"McDonald's Filet-O-Fish Sandwich has become a popular menu item among those looking for a relatively healthy, low-calorie, or high-protein McDonald's menu item. It's also a best-seller during Lent, when the fast food giant sells approximately 75 million sandwiches in one 40-day period. In fact, this religious observation is one of the primary reasons the sandwich was first added to the menu by Lou Groen, the owner of a franchise in Cincinnati, Ohio, in a neighborhood with a large Catholic population."
"After noticing how sales decreased during Lent and seeing how other local joints succeeded with fish sandwiches, Groen developed his own version of a fast food fish sandwich, creating a "special batter" for the fish filet. His version used a variety of fish that was tender yet somewhat pricey for the time: halibut. "I wanted halibut originally," Groen told USA Today. "I was paying $2 a pound for halibut. That sandwich cost me 30 cents apiece to make.""
The Filet-O-Fish became popular for customers seeking lower-calorie or higher-protein fast-food options and sells about 75 million sandwiches during Lent. Lou Groen created the sandwich in Cincinnati to offset reduced sales during Lent, developing a fish sandwich with a "special batter" and initially using halibut, which was tender but expensive. Groen replaced halibut with Atlantic cod when pricing constraints arose. McDonald's later standardized on wild-caught Alaskan pollock. Halibut offers a denser, firmer, slightly sweet and buttery profile, while Atlantic cod is softer, flakier, and more affordable for frying and breading.
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