4 Magic Words Get You The Hands-Down Best Fish Sandwich At Culver's

Culver's has expanded to 26 states and more than 1,000 locations, so it must be doing something right. Or even many things — like, for instance, its cheese curds, ButterBurgers (if there's butter in the name, it has to be good), and the signature Midwestern touch it puts on every item on its menu. In an if-it-ain't-broke-don't-fix-it kind of world, what can you do to improve what's already awfully delicious? Try these four magic words the next time you order the fish sandwich at Culver's (or five magic words if you throw in a please): extra sauce and pickles.

The North Atlantic Cod Sandwich is hand-filleted, battered, and "fried to perfection," the menu explains. It's then topped with lettuce, tartar sauce, and cheese straight from Culver's home state of Wisconsin (which is also the dairy capital of the United States, so they know how to do cheese). All of this is served on a toasted hoagie roll that's been lightly buttered. In other words, the bar is already pretty high with this sandwich.

The tartar sauce is based on an old family recipe, so doubling up on the sauce is a surefire way to double up on the flavor. As for the pickles, the tang is the perfect complement to the fried fish breading. Add that to the fact that there are already pickle bits in tartar sauce and you have one harmonious, well-balanced sandwich.

Culver's fried fish sandwich is essentially a longstanding tradition served on a bun. One thing that makes this sandwich so good is the story and history behind it; when you take a bite, you're getting a mouthful of Midwestern heritage.

In Wisconsin, fish fries are a big deal. This began during Lenten Fridays, when devout Catholics would forego meat and instead have fish. Wisconsin has a sizeable Catholic population, and ever since the first Catholics settled in what is now America's Dairyland they began pulling fish out of Lake Michigan for Friday supper. This Friday fish fry soon grew into a weekly affair during Lent, and ultimately became giant fried fish parties. Today, fish fries are big to-dos that every Wisconsinite takes part in (whether Catholic or not) all year-round.

The traditional fish fry was the inspiration for Culver's fried fish sandwich. Though the restaurant uses ocean fish rather than lake fish now, not much else has changed. It took the food and atmosphere of the Midwestern fish fry and brought it to the restaurant. The batter is still homemade, the fish is still made to order, and Culver's North Atlantic Cod Dinner (one of the best items on Culver's menu) comes with two fillets of freshly battered and fried fish, two sides, coleslaw, a dinner roll, and a lemon wedge; all of which you'd find at a communal fish fry table in Wisconsin. It's your own little fast food fish fry for one, but share it with your pals for the full fish fry effect.