Whataburger Whatacatch

Today, we are reviewing the Whatacatch fish sandwich from Whataburger. This seasonal offering from Whataburger is available during the Lenten season. This article continues the series of fish sandwich reviews we are doing. During Lent, many Roman Catholics and some other Christians refrain from eating meat on Fridays throughout this period. This has led numerous restaurants to offer more meatless options during Lent, particularly various fish sandwiches.

Whataburger is an American regional fast food restaurant chain in the mid-South and Southeast U.S.. It’s headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. Harmon Dobson and Paul Burton founded the chain. Whataburger opened its first restaurant in Corpus Christi, Texas, in 1950. Whataburger remained family-owned by the Dobsons until 2019, when it was acquired by the private equity firm BDT & MSD Partners. Today, the Dobson family still holds a small stake. Whataburger’s focus was originally on hamburgers, but over the years, the chain has added non-beef offerings, including the seasonal Whatacatch sandwich.

For a while, the Whatacatch was a regular menu offering until 2022, but now it is seasonal. There is also a Whatacatch platter offering without a bun.

The Construction

Deep-fried Alaskan Pollack with/ panko breadcrumbs
Lightly toasted small bun (4″) (Default)
Lettuce (Default)
Tomato (Default)
Tartar Sauce (Default)
Length: n/a
Weight: n/a
Sandwiches Eaten: 1
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Price: $5.99

I went with the standard options above for this assessment, but plenty of other options are available. There is an option to choose a brioche bun ( I went with the standard bun). In addition, there are no-charge condiment options of pickle, diced onion, grilled onion, ketchup, and mustard. Premium (additional cost) condiment options include bacon, jalapeño, grilled jalapeño, and avocado. Finally, there is also an option for American or Monterey Jack cheese.

The Experience

For this assessment, the scoring was similar to what we did with the Arby’s Fish Sandwich Deluxe.

Fish: 4 points
Bun: 2 points
Condiments: 2 points
Intangibles: 2 points

Fish

The fish on the Whatacatch sandwich is Alaskan Pollock. It is coated with panko breadcrumbs and deep fried. The fish itself was quite tasty. The deep frying does make it a little oily. I pulled some of the inside fish, which had some (but not overpowering) fish saltiness. The breadcrumbs have a nice seasoning that doesn’t overpower the fish meat.

Score: 2.50 out of 4 points

Bun

The “small bun” on the Whatacatch is pretty much Whataburger’s hamburger bun. This is a lightly toasted bun. I appreciate that it is not a “limp” bun and it has an average taste.

Score: 1.00 out of 2 points

Condiments

First up, the tomato I had on the Whatacatch had a nice amount of ripeness and sweetness. It was the star of the three continents. As for the lettuce, I usually prefer it to be shredded on the thinner side. In addition, it was on the wilted side.

As I have done these fish sandwich assessments for the 2025 Lenten season, I’ve discussed my ambivalence about tartar sauce. I am not a fan of eggs or mayonnaise, but I have tolerated some tartar sauces. The key to a good tartar sauce for me is for the non-mayonnaise component to offset the mayonnaise taste in the tartar sauce. This one still had a little more mayonnaise than I prefer, but the sauce had a decent dill component. One nice thing is that the Whatacatch is not loaded with tartar sauce.

Score: 1.00 out of 2 points

Intangibles

One aspect that stands out to me is the fried fish filet in the Whatacatch sandwich—it is significantly larger than the bun. While I typically have weight and length measurements for various fish sandwiches, I completed this assessment remotely from Jacksonville, so that wasn’t possible this time. The small size of the bun creates the illusion that the fish filet is larger than it actually is. However, it is still a good-sized fish filet, especially compared to some of its competitors.

The fish filet is definitely the star here. The panko breading and seasoning are just right. The components of the Whatacatch all complemented each other well in terms of taste. I usually look for the sandwich experience to exceed the sum of the parts. The Whatacatch did not do that. Some of the competitors’ fish sandwiches have seen the sandwich experience work against them. That wasn’t the case with Whatcatch – it just didn’t deliver the elevated experience.

Finally, I was a little concerned that this sandwich would not hold together with the small bun. This was not the case as the Whatacatch held together nicely and did not create a messy experience.

Score: 1.00 out of 2 points

OVERALL ASSESSMENT

The fish filet is definitely the highlight of this dish. While some fish sandwiches aim to provide a traditional “old-school fish fry” experience, Whatacatch takes a different approach. However, the panko breadcrumb seasoning was quite enjoyable. Although I haven’t tried the Whatacatch platter option, I would consider it based on the quality of the fish alone.

Ultimately, I wouldn’t say Whatcatch is an elite fish sandwich, but it is still one of the better ones. It’s one I would go back to – and one I would consider trying with some of the many options on top of the base ones I went with for this assessment.