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The Best & Worst Menu Items at Long John Silver's

If you're craving fish from this fast-food staple, a registered dietitian analyzed the menu so you know what you should and shouldn't order.

Long John Silver's is known for its seafood experience. In 1969, the first Long John Silver's restaurant opened in Lexington, Kentucky. By 1979, there were more than 1,000 Long John Silver's restaurants, and in 1980, they became a national brand.

Long John Silver's offers many combo platters from the individual ingredients they offer. The nutrition information is not provided per the platter, which can make ordering a bit confusing, especially if you're looking to watch your waistline. If you choose to order a combo, your best bet is to use the best and worst info listed below as a guideline on what to order.

Now, here are the best and worst items on the Long John Silver's menu so you know what to order during your next trip.

Alaskan Pollock and Seafood

Best: Baked Shrimp

long john silvers baked shrimp
Bruce K./Yelp

Per 3 pieces: 25 calories, 0 g fat (0 g saturated fat), 105 mg sodium, 0 g carbs (0 g fiber, 0 g sugar), 5 g protein

Shrimp is a very low-calorie fish and filled with good-for-you nutrients. Because it is baked, there is very little fat added, making this the best choice when dining at Long John Silver's.

Worst: Crab Cake

long john silvers crab cake
Long John Silver's/Yelp

Per 1 cake: 280 calories, 15 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 880 mg sodium, 26 g carbs (1 g fiber, 3 g sugar), 10 g protein

Although seafood is rather healthy, it's all about the prep and cooking method. Crab cakes are fried and have other higher-calorie ingredients added. One crab cake has close to 40 percent of the daily recommended max of sodium. Certainly, that makes it one seafood item on this menu to skip.

Worst: Battered Alaskan Pollock

long john silvers battered alaskan pollock
Courtesy of Long John Silver's

Per 1 piece: 200 calories, 10 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 810 mg sodium, 16 g carbs (1 g fiber, 0 g sugar), 10 g protein

Pollock is a healthy fish, but when it's breaded and fried, the nutrition of the seemingly good-for-you fish is sabotaged. Many options at Long John Silver's are combo platters with numerous pieces of fish, which means that the battered and fried Pollock would add many more calories and artery-clogging fat than necessary.

Sandwiches and Tacos

Best: Crispy Fish Sandwich

long john silvers crispy fish sandwich
Long John Silver's

Per sandwich: 400 calories, 16 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 1,230 mg sodium, 44 g carbs (1 g fiber, 7 g sugar), 14 g protein

Although breaded and fried anything isn't an optimal choice, this fish sandwich has the fewest calories and sodium of the bunch. Your best bet is to order it with a healthful side to keep both calories and sodium under control.

Worst: Chicken Sandwich

long john silvers chicken sandwich
Andrew B./Yelp

Per sandwich: 480 calories, 23 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 1,290 mg sodium, 46 g carbs (2 g fiber, 6 g sugar), 22 g protein

The fried chicken sandwich is certainly one to skip on the menu. The sodium is quite high, providing 56 percent of the daily recommended max. That's without any side dish, too, which will add many more calories, saturated fat, and sodium to the meal.

The easy way to make healthier comfort foods.

Sides

Best: Seasoned Green Beans

long john silvers green beans
Courtesy of Long John Silver's

Per individual order: 25 calories, 0 g fat (0 g saturated fat), 600 mg sodium, 4 g carbs (1 g fiber, <1 g sugar), 1 g protein

This is certainly a winning side on the menu. The green beans are seasoned with a higher sodium seasoning instead of butter or other forms of saturated fat, which other restaurants may use.

Best: Broccoli

plain roasted broccoli in white bowl
Shutterstock

Per individual order: 40 calories, 0 g fat (0 g saturated fat), 35 mg sodium, 7 g carbs (3 g fiber, 2 g sugar), 3 g protein

Good old broccoli is certainly one of the healthiest choices on the menu. Order this side for your individual dishes or when you're going the family-style route, too.

Worst: Battered Onion Rings

long john silvers onion rings
Daniel G./Yelp

Per individual size: 480 calories, 35 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 1,330 mg sodium, 39 g carbs (2 g fiber, 3 g sugar), 3 g protein

Another battered and fried choice that adds 21 percent of the total daily recommended calories to your meal (based on a 2,000 calorie diet). It contains the same amount of carbs found in close to three slices of bread and close to 60 percent of the recommended daily maximum of sodium.

Worst: Fries

long john silvers fries
Courtesy of Long John Silver's

Per individual size: 350 calories, 17 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 500 mg sodium, 44 g carbs (4 g fiber, 0 g sugar), 4 g protein

As you can tell by now, most everything on Long John Silver's menu is battered and fried. Why add more fried food to your platter when there are certainly better-for-you side choices available? Skip the fries this time around.

Desserts

Best: Chocolate Chip Cookie

long john silvers chocolate chip cookie
Long John Silver's/Twitter

Per cookie: 190 calories, 11 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 170 mg sodium, 22 g carbs (1 g fiber, 13 g sugar), 2 g protein

Although there isn't much nutrition in this dessert, the calories are under 200 calories, and you can always share it with a friend, which would make it fewer than 100 calories each—totally worth it!

Worst: Pecan Pie

long john silvers pecan pie
Long John Silver's/Facebook

Per 1 slice: 384 calories, 21 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 184 mg sodium, 47 g carbs (1 g fiber, 20 g sugar), 3 g protein

The calories in this pecan pie are close to 50 percent from carbs, much of which are empty-calorie carbs and added sugar. It's best to say "no, thanks" to this sweet treat.

Toby Amidor, MS, RD, CDN
Toby Amidor is an award winning dietitian and Wall Street Journal best-selling cookbook author who believes healthy and wholesome can also be appetizing and delicious. Read more about Toby