---
title: This Is Why March Is McDonald's 'Filet-O-Fish Season'
description: The fast-food giant sells nearly a quarter of the year's Filet-O-Fish sandwiches during Lent alone, a McDonald's spokesperson said
authors:
  - name: Aric Jenkins
    url: https://money.com/author/aric-jenkins/
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published: '2017-03-01T16:49:41.000Z'
modified: '2024-04-17T05:20:09.000Z'
section: Lifestyle
tags:
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word_count: 151
canonical: https://money.com/mcdonalds-filet-o-fish-ash-wednesday-lent/
type: Article
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![General Images From Inside A McDonald's Restaurant](https://img.money.com/2017/03/mcdonalds-filet-o-fish.jpg)
*Filet-O-Fish sandwiches are displayed for a photograph on a tray at a McDonald's Corp. restaurant in Little Falls, New Jersey, U.S., on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2012. Photographer: Emile Wamsteker/Bloomberg via Getty Images*

There's something fishy that happens at [McDonald's](https://money.com/mcdonalds-sodas-mccafe-drinks-april/) every March — Filet-O-Fish sales skyrocket.

McDonald's said its fish sandwich becomes the most popular menu item every March because of Lent, a month-long religious observance that involves participating Christians forgoing meat on Fridays. Lent begins on [Ash Wednesday](https://time.com/4685462/ash-wednesday-ashes-lent-easter/) and runs for 40 days, ending just before Easter Sunday this year.

The fast-food giant sells nearly a quarter of the year's Filet-O-Fish sandwiches during Lent alone, a McDonald's spokesperson said.

Many fans of the seafood sandwich have dubbed March "Filet-O-Fish Season" on social media.

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The Filet-O-Fish, which is made from wild-caught Alaskan pollock, is the only consistent [seafood item on McDonald's menu](https://money.com/mcdonalds-snow-crab-sandwich/). The sandwich was created in 1962 by Lou Green, the first McDonald's franchise owner in Cincinnati, and beat out former McDonald's CEO Ray Kroc's meat alternative — a pineapple and cheese "burger" — for a regular spot on the menu.

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