Ahead of Lent, which officially starts on 1 March, McDonald’s is testing a new crab sandwich in four San Francisco, California, U.S.A.-area restaurants. The fast food giant is just one of many restaurant chains in the United States that are featuring new seafood dishes for Lent.
A first for McDonald’s, known for its Filet-O-Fish, McDonald’s of the Bay Area rolled out a “Crab Sandwich” on 9 February, featuring snow crab blended with seasoned mayonnaise and diced celery, served with tomato slices and romaine lettuce atop a toasted sourdough.
“We wanted to test our own take on the beloved crab sandwich,” said Nick Vergis, co-op president for the Greater Bay Area at McDonald’s, in a statement. “We’re excited for our customers to try it and share their feedback.”
If customers like the sandwich, it may be added to the menus of all 250 restaurants in the Bay Area region later this year.
Other major restaurant chains also launched early Lent promotions, including:
- Del Taco is rolling out three shrimp dishes for a limited time. They include: Jumbo Shrimp Taco, an Epic Surf & Turf Burrito with batter-dipped and deep-fried jumbo shrimp and grilled carne asada, and a Jumbo Shrimp Burrito. “Our fans look forward to the return of our famous crispy shrimp, and this year we set out to give them even more of what they crave with our new, bigger, better jumbo shrimp,” said Noah Chillingworth, vice president of marketing for Del Taco.
- Long John Silver’s is launching Beer-Battered Cod for the first time. Made with wild Alaskan cod, it is served in a basket with natural-cut fries and hush puppies for USD 5.99 (EUR 5.62).
- Quiznos recently rolled out two lobster sandwiches, including the hot Lobster & Seafood Scampi Bake, which includes toasted garlic-baked lobster, melted mozzarella, tomatoes, sautéed mushrooms and onions. “Quiznos fans searching for a unique, meatless option can head into their nearest Quiznos restaurant to get their hands on the flavorful hot commodity,” the company said in a statement. Through mid-April, Quiznos is also featuring the Lobster & Seafood Salad Sub, and the Lobster & Seafood Fresh Salad.
- Among Pappadeaux’s Seafood Kitchen’s new limited-time items are Crab Fingers, available sautéed or fried, and Crispy Atlantic Salmon, which is a spicy, seared Atlantic salmon topped with grilled shrimp, crabmeat and a jumbo scallop.
- Joe’s Crab Shack added a “Build Your Own Boil” meal for a limited time. The chain’s “basic boil” includes a half pound of Dungeness crab, corn and potatoes. Then, guests can choose to add: a half pound of shrimp, a half pound of snow crab, one pound of clams, a whole lobster, one pound of crawfish, one pound of mussels and/or sausage.
