In 1986, Taco Bell began to serve the “Seafood Salad.” One of its earliest commercials seems to be slamming McDonald’s now iconic Filet-O-Fish (which hit menus just a year before after beating out the Hula Burger for a spot on the chain’s original menu) for being too burger-like, which caused Taco Bell to capitalize on fishy fast food items and promote a seafood-themed salad with shrimp, snow crab, white fish, and various vegetables in a bowl-shaped fried tortilla shell.
And while the Filet-O-Fish is still one of McDonald’s most successful items, selling an estimated 300 million sandwiches every year (and a whopping 25% during the Christian season of Lent which spans only 40 days), per Los Angeles’ Fox 11, Taco Bell’s Seafood Salad is nowhere to be found. The salad was allegedly taken off of the Taco Bell menu because of several cases of food poisoning and poor customer reception, meaning that it may have earned its spot on the list of discontinued fast food items that we may never see again.
Taco Bell did away with all salads, but you can make the Seafood Salad at home
Despite the fact that Mythical Kitchen’s Mythical Chef Josh Scherer (alongside fellow Mythical Crew member Trevor Evarts) made the dish based on its original recipe and deemed it the worst food in Taco Bell history, the duo’s recreation proves that any interested Taco Bell historians can make the Seafood Salad at home (via YouTube). The key to making a good Seafood Salad is focusing on making its titular seafood correctly and deliciously. Choosing between fresh and pre-cooked crab or thawing and cleaning shrimp properly can make or break the dish.
Taco Bell actually does not offer any salads on their current menu, with the closest item being one of their three options of vegetable-filled bowls. However, for three and a half decades, the chain offered the now discontinued Fiesta Taco Salad, which was taken off the menu in 2020 due to low sales and financial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
