The Popeyes Chicken Sandwich set a high bar. Whether the Louisiana-style necklace likes it or not, all of its new and future sandwiches will be measured to the golden brown standard set by the original. So, when Popeyes’ first fish sandwich – the Cajun Flounder Sandwich—When it arrived on the menu last week, it was greeted with sky-high expectations. Has the company achieved the same fast food alchemy as it did with its poultry offering?
We found out.
The sandwich
Nothing new to report here. Popeyes makes this sandwich with the same toasted brioche sandwich he uses for his chicken sandwich. The buttery sheen on the outside and a touch of toasted brown on the inside. The sandwich is meant to give a richness to the sandwich, and also serves as a vehicle for the fish and accessories. It does a good job.
The Sauce & Pickles
Most fish sandwiches are added with tartar sauce, and Popeyes is no exception. It is basically necessary. Unlike most fish sandwiches we’ve seen, it also comes with pickles – the same thickly sliced pickles that are taken with age and that make the chain’s chicken sandwiches so good. We suggest they are here for extra balance. The sharp taste of both the tartar sauce and the pickles combines in most bites to be a good contrast with the fish’s greasy flavor and the fatness of the fried bread. The fact that they are generally good pickles is also a big plus.
The fish
Popeyes could only call this thing the Popeyes Fish Sandwich, but he chose to put the type of fish it uses in the sandwich right in the name – in front and in the middle. We can see why. Plunder is a soft, abundant pleasant fish that is not too moist or oily. It is delicate and flake delicious, which is conducive to a pleasant experience with sandwiches. It also absorbs other seasonings well, this is where this sandwich really shines.
Instead of adding a spicy sauce to the outside of the fried bone, Popeyes places a bunch of spicy Cajun seasoning in the pan. And while you can’t go wrong with a good spicy sauce, Popeyes’ approach may be even better here. Because the bread is so well seasoned, you end up getting a constant level of spice and flavor in each bite, rather than a little here or a lot there, based on how the sauce is spread over the sandwich. The result is a fish sandwich that is just as spicy – if not a little spicy – as the spicy version of the chicken sandwich. We are all for it.
The verdict
With the limited temporary launch of the Cajun Flounder Sandwich, Popeyes is now one of many fast food chains trying to capitalize on the growing demand for seafood during Lent, when Catholics like to eat meat. If you can not eat a fried chicken sandwich, a fried fish sandwich is the most logical best thing. But Popeyes’ fish sandwich is delicious enough to be a first choice – far more than the temporary ‘Plan B’ it’s apparently designed for all the Catholic people out there. In other words, it’s good enough to be on the menu all year long.
But if we go back to our original question, is it as good as Popeyes’ chicken sandwich? Nope. Nothing is.
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