andrejthechef
USABurgerLunch

Bubble Bass's Complicated Burger

An elaborate, tall burger built to a famously specific order, no pickles included, inspired by Bubble Bass's unforgettable Krusty Krab request in SpongeBob SquarePants.

prep
20 min
cook
12 min
total
32 min
serves
2
level
medium
Bubble Bass's Complicated Burger, from SpongeBob SquarePants

Bubble Bass gives an absurdly specific, multi-part burger order in SpongeBob SquarePants, then becomes furious to discover a pickle in it that he explicitly asked to leave off, in one of the show's most quoted and most referenced scenes about picky eating.

Leaving the pickles out, and actually double-checking that they're gone, is the whole joke here, so build this one tall and deliberate, and treat the order like a genuine checklist rather than a rough guideline.

Part of our 60 famous foods from movies and TV list.

method

  1. Shape the beef into 2 thick patties, season with salt and pepper.

  2. Cook the bacon in a pan until crisp, and set aside.

  3. In the same pan, cook the patties for 3 to 4 minutes per side, adding cheese to melt in the last minute.

  4. Fry the eggs if using, keeping the yolks a little soft.

  5. Toast the buns.

  6. Build the burger tall and specific: bun base, sauces, lettuce, tomato, onion, the cheesy patty, bacon, a second layer of cheese, a fried egg, and the bun top, double-checking that no pickles have been added.

  7. Serve immediately, and ask the person eating it to confirm every detail is exactly as requested.

chef's tips

  • Leaving the pickles out entirely, and double-checking it, is the entire joke behind this burger; in SpongeBob SquarePants, Bubble Bass gives an absurdly specific, multi-part order and then becomes furious that it includes a pickle he explicitly asked to leave off.
  • Build this one genuinely tall, since the humor of the scene comes partly from just how elaborate and over-specified a "simple" burger order can become.
  • Toast the buns and keep each component separate and visible as you build, rather than mashing everything together, so every requested layer is actually identifiable.
  • This is a good burger to make when you want to have a little fun matching a very specific order, course by course, the way a kitchen actually would.