After combining a McDonald’s Double Cheeseburger with a Filet-O-Fish to create the Surf + Turf Menu Hack, the biggest question I have isn’t about how the Franken-wich tastes. Instead, it’s what the McHeck do I do with the extra top bun?
I’m left with some extra bread-age because I wanted to make it look like what’s in the promotional photo, so I put aside the Filet-O-Fish’s top bun and placed the tartar sauce-topped fish filet and the fish sandwich’s bottom bun between the Double Cheeseburger’s two halves. I imagine I could’ve just slapped the extra bun on top of everything and had the Atkins and Keto gods shake their carb-deprived heads in disapproval. Instead, the extra bun is a pain in my filet as it sits in my fridge.
Creating the menu hack was also a pain. Have you ever tried to pry apart the two beef patties in a Double Cheeseburger that are pasted together with a Pasteurized Process American Cheese slice? It’s as frustrating as trying to get bubblegum off a shoe’s sole. The cheese prevented me from pulling the patties away from each other cleanly with my fingers. I eventually got them separated, but a patty was harmed in the making of this hack.
All right, enough about sandwich construction. Let’s move on to sandwich conMUNCHion.
I thought the addition of tartar sauce to a cheeseburger would be odd, but it’s not bad. And after thinking about it, it’s like mayo and pickles, which are on other burgers. So maybe it’s not weird. But, it has me thinking about adding tartar sauce to a burger in the future. Oh, perhaps I’m weird.
I could taste the beef with a few bites as I ate the sandwich, but the fish’s flavor stood out the most between the surf and turf. The tartar sauce comes through with every bite and gives everything a pleasant tanginess. The Surf + Turf is also quite cheesy, thanks to the three Pasteurized Process American Cheese slices. They stand out flavor-wise as much as the tartar sauce. And, as I experienced with the Crunchy Double, the ketchup and mustard get lost among all the other ingredients.
I occasionally crave a Filet-O-Fish, and I often crave a McDonald’s Cheeseburger. While I like eating these sandwiches individually, when they’re together, I get less delight out of them. I kept thinking that I’d like it more if the fish wasn’t there, but that wouldn’t be in keeping with the menu hack.
I’m glad I finally got around to trying McDonald’s Surf + Turf. I’ve known about the hack for a while but never had the motivation to make it before since it’s something I could make at any time. But, after trying it, I’m not motivated to construct and eat it again.
Although, making it again will give me another extra bun to pair with the one sitting in my fridge.
Update: We also reviewed other Menu Hacks — the Crunchy Double and Land, Air & Sea.
Purchased Price: $7.28
Size: N/A
Rating: 6 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 830 calories, 42 grams of fat, 15 grams of saturated fat, 125 milligrams of cholesterol, 1700 milligrams of sodium, 73 grams of carbohydrates, 3 grams of fiber, 12 grams of sugar, and 41 grams of protein.
I’ve eaten some questionable items in my time–grilled cheese with grape jelly–but this just sounds gross! And the pictures clenched it. ug-alee!
This is less an actual menu hack, and more so, a marketing scheme designed to trick you into purchasing two separate items at full price.
Exactly! This is just a huge boon for everyone who loves social media. I feel like people invented these hacks just to get noticed on places like tik tok and insta. The practicality and economic advantage of these hacks is just not there.
What’s extra funny is they are supposedly available for a “limited time”, but they are just all standard menu items you can buy any time.
I guess the crazy increase in food waste with so many McDonald’s customers throwing away extra buns is the “limited time only” thing.
My first thought with these items was the amount of waste…alas, we are amid a throwaway culture…who knows though, maybe there are some souls out there repurposing the excess bread!
The only McDonald’s “hack” i had ever heard of is the McGangbang, which I believe is a McChicken/McDouble combo. Not sure why I haven’t seen that one advertised.
They probably don’t want to even remotely associate with a fan hack that has the phrase “gang bang” in its name
“Not sure why I haven’t seen that one advertised.” I see that sarcasm isn’t your first language.
If that was indeed intended as sarcasm, I didn’t catch it. It’s not always easy to read tone on the internet and I was just trying to offer a sincere response. Please don’t be needlessly rude.
Hehe, don’t know if it was intended, and your comment has a nice pun in it…
(witty name, I like it.)
You bring up a good point, i hadn’t thought of that. I just figured they were two of Mickey D’s cheaper sandwiches, so the profit margin would be low.
Two and a half slices of cheese, not three…the Filet-o-Fish famously only has a half slice of cheese.
I dunno, I think this might taste pretty good. As was said, the tartar sauce is basically mayo and relish, which goes okay with the hamburgers as well.