Five great fish sandwiches for Good Friday in the Twin Cities

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.