The Fishy McDonald's Menu Item That Was Discontinued After Only Three Months

The Filet-o-Fish has been a McDonald's mainstay for decades, debuting nationwide in 1965 after a Cincinnati branch created it because of sales tanking on Fridays during Lent. The iconic cheese- and tartar sauce-topped fish sandwich has stood the test of time, but it isn't the only seafood menu option McDonald's has ever had. The fast food giant has tried out others over the years, including fried fish nuggets called Fish McBites that disappeared after only three months.

McDonald's was looking for ways to rev up sales amid a decline when it put Fish McBites on the menu in the U.S. in February 2013, also coinciding with Lent, when Catholics can't eat meat on Fridays. It had tested the bite-sized fish in a few markets a year earlier, after the success at the time of its Chicken McBites. Small pieces of Alaska pollock (the same real fish used for the Filet-o-Fish) were breaded and fried, with a seasoned coating that included dried garlic, dried onion, and spices. You could buy a 10-McBite snack size, 15-piece regular, or 30-piece shareable, and they came in a carton that fit in a car's cupholder, with a slot on top to hold the tartar sauce mini-cup. There was also a Fish McBites Happy Meal for kids, with company research showing moms wanted more seafood from McDonald's.

Fish McBites were introduced as a limited-time item, but that can always change if a product takes off. However, despite the ad campaign's catchy "Fishy Fishy!" jingle, customers didn't warm up to them, and they came off the menu in April 2013.

Despite Fish McBites never becoming popular, there are still fans who want McDonald's to bring them back. A Change.org petition launched in 2019 that called for a return of the "really delicious" fish nuggets garnered 965 signatures. Supportive comments were posted as recently as 2024, including one calling them "delicate, delectable delicacies." McDonald's never responded.

McBites may be long gone in the U.S., but a close copy surfaced in the U.K. and Ireland in 2024, available only at some locations. Called Fish Bites — minus the "Mc" — they're very similar, if not quite identical. They're also breaded, fried fish nuggets made with Alaska pollock, however the coating appears to be plain, with no dried garlic, onion, or spices among the ingredients.

A few McDonald's fans also remember a super-obscure seafood item from around the same time called Shrimp McBites. A Redditor posted about them looking for information after coming up empty in online searches. One respondent said they emailed McDonald's, and the company answered, saying they were breaded, fried whole shrimp with mild salt and pepper flavor that came with cocktail sauce. But if you blinked, you missed them. They were only sold in three Illinois McDonald's locations for less than five weeks, from March 25 to April 29, 2013. Anyone really interested in trying a McDonald's shrimp offering, however, could always hop a plane to Japan, where Mickey D's serves an unbeatable shrimp burger.