In honor of Good Friday, Burger Friday is setting aside its beef obsession, and concentrating on five fish sandwich lunch ideas.

1. To borrow a phrase from the Mercury Dining Room and Rail menu, the kitchen's fish sandwich (pictured, above) is a "handheld" version of a fish fry. And there's nothing wrong with that. Picture two hefty chunks of flaky cod, beer-battered and deep-fried, then laid out on a sesame-studded hoagie and garnished with pickles, chopped lettuce and a lively tartar sauce. There are fries, of course (and tasty ones) although other options include a kale coleslaw or cottage cheese. Price? $13.99. Downtown Minneapolis.

2. For the past 27 years, it has been all-things-walleye at Tavern on Grand, so it's hardly a shocker that the fish sandwich is walleye, and it's prepared three ways: simply grilled, battered and deep-fried, or pan-fried and blackened. The sturdy ciabatta-style bread stands up to the old school-style tartar sauce (the adventurous can opt for a jalapeno-laced version) or, for a slightly fancier take, béarnaise sauce. Fries? Included; substitute coleslaw or cottage cheese for a buck. Love the idea of a walleye BLT ($16), but there's the whole bacon-Good Friday issue. Grand Avenue in St. Paul.

3. During lunch at good-looking Cov, fish sandwich choices abound. There's a traditional walleye version (potato-crusted and fried, and topped with a bright pickle relish, $23), and a slab of blackened mahi mahi on a crusty French roll ($15). But this is a place that turns out a memorably delicious crabcake, so there's little choice but to go with the slider-sized crab cake sandwiches, sold two to a serving ($18). Drop into the bar during happy hour (3 to 6 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday), and they're $7. Wayzata.

4. It's tough to visit the Smack Shack and not order the kitchen's signature lobster roll. There are two versions, both excellent (and both $19.95) and shareable. One is a simple, tarragon-scented lobster salad served on toasted brioche-style bread, the other is warm lobster tossed in butter and lemon and piled into a toasted bun. Fries included. A close second (or is that third)? The spiced-up blue crab po' boy ($17.95). Minneapolis' North Loop neighborhood.

5. Take a seat at the bar at Cafe Alma and dig into one of the city's great locavore fish sandwiches, a tartine (pictured, above, in a Star Tribune file photo) made using the kitchen's fine sourdough and topped with wonderfully smoky Lake Superior whitefish, a simple (and herbaceous) potato salad and a fried egg. Sooooo good. Early birds (8 to 11 a.m. weekdays, 8 to 10 a.m. weekends) pay $10, brunchers/lunchers (11 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekends), are charged $12. Southeast Minneapolis.

Quick and cheap: Go here for my 2016 rundown on the inexpensive fish sandwiches at six fast-food outlets: McDonald's, Arby's, Dairy Queen, Wendy's, Culver's and, my favorite, My Burger.

Looking ahead: Burger Friday will resume its regularly scheduled programming next week.