Pirep: Arby's Fish Sandwiches - 2 for $5

Sac Arrow

Sac Arrow

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Snorting his way across the USA
Never mind that I felt like I was riding on the deck of a fishing trawler in gale force winds being pummeled with torrential rain, hauling in the catch of the day (the trawler was manufactured by Nissan and I was actually inside it) but I had to secure me some seafood. The gale force winds and torrential rain were, however, in effect.

So as I stepped up to the register, I asked 'Fayeanne' (how the hell do you get Fayanne out Hu Ling?) if the deal was on for two fish sandwiches for five dollars, she answered "Yes, but only for the crispy fish and the Nashville hot fish sandwich" in a surprisingly unaccented voice. Well, there was only one reply. "Got a boyfriend or a husband or some crap like that?" Okay, I didn't really say that. I did say "Gimmie one of each, and a side salad with Ranch."

This is how it all arrived:
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Just like that, think it didn't. I don't know if the Nashville Hot Fish sandwich is of the hotfish variety, or if it is just hot fish, but it did occur to me Nashville has never been promoted as a seafood destination. We will overlook that.

When you eat lobster, you wear a lobster bib, right? I didn't have a lobster bib but that second, unnecessary paper bag made a nice place mat.
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Really, it didn't look half bad. As you can see, the fish are somewhat triangular in appearance, and they didn't appear to be exactly the same. True fillets. The Crispy Fish is to the right, the Nashville Hot Fish is to the left.

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Prepping the fish was easily accomplished: Scrape the tartar sauce, lettuce and mayo from the buns, transfer to the fish, and chow down.

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As you can see, the fish is tender and flaky, and the batter is not overly thick. It was almost like a panko batter. Although it seemed a tad thin, the heft was reasonable for a $2.50 piece of fish.

Bottom line? Not bad. The taste was decent. The tartar sauce complimented it perfectly. The only thing though, was that I could not tell any difference between the Crispy Fish and the Nashville Hot Fish other than the fact that one had pickles on it and the other didn't.

There is the old adage: Don't order the fish in a steak restaurant. But Arby's is hardly steak. Comparison to the Filet O Fish? Arby's is a clear, hands down winner. Would I go through that exercise again? Most def.
 
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First pic, did you wash your hands before you ate? I mean they even have a purple beet color, what's up with that?
 
mscard88 said:
First pic, did you wash your hands before you ate? I mean they even have a purple beet color, what's up with that?
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It's cold as Fk ouside, I don't handle cold well.

Plus my hands get really dirty when I eat, so I normally wash them afterwards. Unless I happened to be carrying a dog turd in my hands, then, certainly, I would wash them first. Yeah.
 
I voted and you delivered, well done. The sandwiches themselves look like a win, but that salad looks pathetic, although that’s pretty standard for a fast food joint.

Only thing that would’ve completed the review was a photo of the cashier, but that part is understandable because I wouldn’t want you to get arrested.
 
I wonder what species of fish is in there. Cod? Pollack? Hake?

If it's a Nashville fish, shouldn't it be catfish?
 
mscard88 said:
Cold? Aren't you in Calipornia?
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Last week was in the high 20's in the morning. That said, anything below about 65 is arctic to me.

Ryanb said:
I voted and you delivered, well done. The sandwiches themselves look like a win, but that salad looks pathetic, although that’s pretty standard for a fast food joint.

Only thing that would’ve completed the review was a photo of the cashier, but that part is understandable because I wouldn’t want you to get arrested.
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The salad wasn't that bad, by fast food standards. And Newman makes a mean dressing. The place that has a better side salad is not a national chain. At least not yet. And the cashier wasn't really that hot, but then again lately my standards aren't very high.

asicer said:
I wonder what species of fish is in there. Cod? Pollack? Hake?

If it's a Nashville fish, shouldn't it be catfish?
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Some sort of whitefish, but I doubt it's cod. Maybe pollack.
 
Sac Arrow said:
Last week was in the high 20's in the morning. That said, anything below about 65 is arctic to me.



The salad wasn't that bad, by fast food standards. And Newman makes a mean dressing. The place that has a better side salad is not a national chain. At least not yet. And the cashier wasn't really that hot, but then again lately my standards aren't very high.



Some sort of whitefish, but I doubt it's cod. Maybe pollack.
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Most definitely pollack filet-o-fishpaste. Just the way it goes.
 
I still say you shouldn't eat so much fast food. Those fish are breaded and fried, and may be more caloric than their terrestrial brethren.
 
Probably any whitefish they can buy in bulk,notice in their ads they don’t mention,what fish ,or where it came from,could be farm raised.
 
frfly172 said:
could be farm raised.
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You can count on it. Wild would be far too expensive to use in a fast food setting. Although there’s a lot of negative practices around the fish farming industry, it’s not always a bad thing.

Whole Foods for example only sources their fish from farms that practice responsible aquaculture and verify their 3rd party sources to their standards. Due to this, it’s the only place I choose to purchase fish if I’m going to be grilling out at the house. A lot of times if I choose salmon, I’ll still buy Coho or Sockeye though, as I prefer the flavor over the farmed Atlantic.
 
Ryanb said:
You can count on it. Wild would be far too expensive to use in a fast food setting. Although there’s a lot of negative practices around the fish farming industry, it’s not always a bad thing.

Whole Foods for example only sources their fish from farms that practice responsible aquaculture and verify their 3rd party sources to their standards. Due to this, it’s the only place I choose to purchase fish if I’m going to be grilling out at the house. A lot of times if I choose salmon, I’ll still buy Coho or Sockeye though, as I prefer the flavor over the farmed Atlantic.
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I actually prefer farmed Atlantic to Sockeye or Coho, mostly because it's cheaper here and it's fresher due to greater turnover.
 
Sac Arrow said:
I actually prefer farmed Atlantic to Sockeye or Coho, mostly because it's cheaper here and it's fresher due to greater turnover.
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Yeah that’s true. Whole Foods will put Coho or Sockeye on sale periodically, so I like to take advantage of that when possible. 90% of the time, my salmon is Atlantic farmed though.
 
Sac Arrow said:
As I examine closer, I think it was indeed formed paste. Still, it wasn't that bad.
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If you're going to go with fish paste then may as well dispense with the pretense and eat fish balls, I say...
Fish_Cake_0022.jpg
 
Triangular fish..????

Not real. Everyone knows that real fish is square.... :lol::lol:
 
I've seen the Arby's fish sandwich commercials and didn't give them much more thought.

It's Lent and I'm off Beef and Pork until Easter (yah, not just Fridays, I'm giving them up for the whole time)

So, I think I'll have to try the Arby fishery.
 
asicer said:
If you're going to go with fish paste then may as well dispense with the pretense and eat fish balls, I say...
Fish_Cake_0022.jpg
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I actually like that type of fish ball, thank you.
 
Hank S said:
Mmmmm . . . . Arby's curly fries and horsey sauce . . . ..
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Horsey sauce is indeed good. The last time I remember eating at Arby's as a kid, it was in a squeeze bottle. I didn't recall if those were present the other day.
 
Sac Arrow said:
Horsey sauce is indeed good. The last time I remember eating at Arby's as a kid, it was in a squeeze bottle. I didn't recall if those were present the other day.
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No, it's in big pumps along with ketchup and alleged "barbeque" sauce. Right next to straws and little paper things to put sauce in.
 
According to Arby's own documentation, it's pollack.
 
I used to like Arby's. The one here is just absolutely filthy. The carpet is well worn out, torn and the loose ends held down with duct tape, plus stained. The table tops are usually cleaned a couple times a day, and the building smells moldy. Plus the prices are at almost double from other Arby's I have been to. I really don't understand why it is allowed to stay in business.

The Dairy Queen shut down. One of the better fast food places in town. The owner could not find anyone that wanted to manage the place. (I suspect pay had something to do with it)
 
Thanks OP. Tried the Arby's fish sandwiches and they were actually pretty good. We don't observe Lent, but do realize that the freshest fish can be had this time of year.

Cheers!
 
Ben Diss said:
Thanks OP. Tried the Arby's fish sandwiches and they were actually pretty good. We don't observe Lent, but do realize that the freshest fish can be had this time of year.

Cheers!
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Maybe true, but any fish found at a fast food chain isn't going to be fresh, no matter what time of year it is.
 
Ryanb said:
Maybe true, but any fish found at a fast food chain isn't going to be fresh, no matter what time of year it is.
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Yea, fresh. I meant that it's not as old, not that it's not ever frozen.
 
I watched a Discovery channel show on the making of fish patties. On this HUGE ship, they hauled in the fish in a net that was cylindrical and easily ten feet across full of fish. The fish went through an assembly line of being cleaned and mushed and squirted into squares then flash frozen, wrapped and boxed. The whole thing took like 20 minutes from sea to freezer.
 
cgrab said:
I watched a Discovery channel show on the making of fish patties. On this HUGE ship, they hauled in the fish in a net that was cylindrical and easily ten feet across full of fish. The fish went through an assembly line of being cleaned and mushed and squirted into squares then flash frozen, wrapped and boxed. The whole thing took like 20 minutes from sea to freezer.
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I've seen that too. Quite interesting to say the least. Going to a fast food chain for fresh(er) fish during lent is backwards thinking. The turn over might be higher, but it certainly isn't fresh. Heh!
 
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