All 10 fast-food fish sandwiches, ranked — for Lent, of course.

Consider my trust in my editor tested.

His bright idea? Ranking every fast food fried fish sandwich I could find in New Jersey, in honor of Lent during which Christians abstain from eating meat but can eat fish. Lent begins Wednesday.

Now, I have made plenty of questionable food decisions in my life. But fast-food fish was one I’ve always avoided. Deep fried white fish from a drive-thru window? Typically covered in tartar sauce. What is tartar sauce, anyway? Some sort of fancy fish mayo? I still don’t know. I don’t think I want to know.

But hey, I did it. I tried nine different fish sandwiches, and you know what? Some sandwiches were surprisingly good! Then again, some will have you questioning your religion.

One note: I didn’t include Long John Silver’s since there is only one left in New Jersey (in Mantua) and it’s two hours from my home. I’m not that crazy.

10. Roy Rogers Beer Battered Cod Sandwich

Roy Rogers is still a thing? Apparently. I had to drive to the Molly Pitcher Travel Plaza in Cranbury to find one, and regretted it immediately. Whoda thunk a fish sandwich from a rest stop wouldn’t be good?!?! (laughs turn to sobs) It tasted like those crappy fish sticks you used to get at the school cafeteria. Stick to curly fries, Roy.

9. Wendy’s Crispy Panko Fish Sandwich

Wendy’s is my favorite national burger chain. I love pretty much everything Dave Thomas ever made — especially their Frosty. But man, this was the single worst food item I’ve ever had at a Wendy’s. The fish was weirdly tough, making it difficult to chew and thus enjoy. The pickles were a nice touch, but that couldn’t save the sandwich from becoming a massive disappointment.

8. Arthur Treacher’s Fried Fish Sandwich

There are only a handful of Arthur Treacher’s franchises left in the United States. I somehow ended up at two of them in one day. Who says journalism isn’t glamorous? You’d think a fried fish sandwich from a place that specializes in fish would be great, but it wasn’t. I tasted more fried batter than fried fish. Sorry, Arthur.

7. McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish

I was most excited for this one! If there’s such thing as a “famous” fish sandwich, this is it, baby! It even had a catchy commercial! The sandwich was also at the center of a running bit for comedians Desus and Mero! There’s some spicy language in that video, fair warning. But there’s nothing spicy about the sandwich. And there’s nothing flavorful. I was really, really disappointed. Give you back that Filet-O-Fish? Sure. You can keep it.

6. White Castle’s Panko Fish Slider

I love White Castle unconditionally. I’ve spent multiple Valentine’s Days there. Hell, I would get married at one. But can they make a good fish sandwich? Surprisingly, kind of. The panko fish slider was added to the menu in recent years, and it kind of just tastes like a fish stick on a bun. Can’t be mad at that.

White Castle does offer this “surf and turf” behemoth, which pretty much just tastes like a cheeseburger with a fishy aftertaste. If it qualified for this list, it would be near the top. But it doesn’t. So as soon as Lent is over, you have my permission to run to the nearest White Castle and demolish 10 sliders.

5. Burger King’s Big Fish

Tastes like chicken! No, for real, had you told me this was just a chicken sandwich I probably would have believed you. Which is a good thing.

4. Arby’s King’s Hawaiian Fish Deluxe

A sweet King’s Hawaiian bun? Wild-caught Alaskan Pollock? Arby’s really brought it with this one. Color me impressed. The bun wasn’t as sweet or soft as I was expecting, but the fish was hot and fresh.

3. Arby’s Crispy Fish Sandwich

I know this isn’t as fancy as the King’s Hawaiian Fish Deluxe, but it somehow tasted better. Maybe simplicity is the way to go with fish sandwiches? The tartar sauce really shined through with this one and the fish was nice and crispy.

2. Checkers Crispy Fish Sandwich

This sandwich had the best tartar sauce of all the sandwiches, and that was the dominant taste. The fish was hot and surprisingly fresh-tasting. Fish from Checkers is good? Fish from Checkers is good.

1. Burger King’s Fiery Big Fish

I have a confession to make. Believe it or not, I did not finish every sandwich on this list. Shocker, I know. But man can consume only so much fast food fried fish. But the Fiery Big Fish? I could not put this thing down. I crushed it. A new item from Burger King that first came to stores last year and will be back on March 6 of this year, it’s their Big Fish sandwich with a spicy glaze. Spicy enough to add heat without becoming scorching your palate (let’s be honest, fast food never is that spicy even when it tries to be), it was far and away my favorite fish sandwich I tried for this story. Burger King doesn’t make the best burger, but it does make the best fish.

Related coverage:

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• I tried Wendy’s Thin Mints Frosty so you don’t have to. Here’s my review.

• I tried Taco Bell’s chicken nuggets so you don’t have to. Here’s my review.

• I tried the Wendy’s Krabby Patty Kollab meal so you don’t have to. Here’s my review.

• I tried Chick-fil-A’s banana pudding milkshake so you don’t have to. Here’s my review.

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Jeremy Schneider may be reached at jschneider@njadvancemedia.com and followed on Twitter at @J_Schneider and on Instagram at @JeremyIsHungryAgain.