Best Fish Sandwiches In Minnesota
By Linda Cameron
The fish sandwich had plain and simple beginnings on a McDonald's burger bun. It was a fast food franchisee who introduced the non-vegan alternative to oversized beef burgers. On Fridays and during the Lenten season, fish was a meat substitute. The fish sandwich caught on with consumers. Fishwich became a moniker for the fish filet sandwich. Local sandwich shops, culinary experts, and restaurants are reinventing this breaded and deep fried fish classic.
The Local
931 Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis, MN 55402
(612) 904-1000
www.the-local.com
The Local does more than serve up wee indulgences. This restaurant pub packs a wallop of a tender and richly textured walleye sandwich. The fish is either deep pan-fried or baked until the potato crust is a crisp golden brown. It is then neatly placed on an egg hoagie and served with tartar sauce, pickled tomato, and onion slaw.
Brit's Pub
1110 Nicollet Mall
Minneapolis, MN 55403
(612) 332-3908
www.britspub.com
Within walking distance of The Local, Brit's Pub features two types of fishwiches: fish sarnie and fish tacos. A house special served daily, the sarnie is ale-battered cod covered in melted American cheese. A meal in itself, the sarnie is served with lettuce, tomato, onion, and house tartar sauce. The fish tacos are a trio of flour tortillas topped with grilled mahi-mahi, cilantro-lime, napa cabbage slaw, fresh lime crema, and queso fresco, a fresh Mexican cheese.
Fika Café
American Swedish Institute
2600 Park Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55407
(612) 871-4907
www.fikacafe.net
Open for lunch Tuesday thru Sunday and for dinner on Wednesday, Fika Café serves a Nordic style menu with contemporary twists. It's one of the most popular places to go on Wednesdays to enjoy popular Scandinavian fare and the Scandinavian version of the American happy hour. The café serves two types of open-faced fish sandwiches: salmon and ale-battered cod. Both can be optionally paired with complementary wines. The salmon, fresh and pink, is seared and placed over Danish rye and served with watercress, beet, and sweet mustard sauce. The cod, served over caraway rye, is garnished with green cabbage coleslaw, remoulade, red watercress, and cheddar.
Related: Best Fish For Fridays
Busters On 28th
4204 S. 28th Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55406
(612) 729-0911
www.web.busterson28th.com
The burgers and sandwiches at this gastropub are exceptional. The Walleye Rachel, a fish sandwich made with local ingredients, is a compilation of pan-seared walleye, baby Swiss cheese, crunchy prosciutto, crisp coleslaw, and 10K lake sauce on rustic rye. Busters also has a Minnesota version of the Southern Po-boy. This consists of seasoned shrimp,10K lake sauce, lettuce, tomato, onion, and jalapeno on a hoagie.
Obb's Sports Bar & Grill
1347 Burns Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55106
(651) 776-7010
www.obbsbar.com
Obb's Sports Bar & Grill serves its signature deep fried fish fillet on a hoagie. Listed as the Friday Night Fish Fry, hopefully this fish sandwich is available every day. If not, you can order the Texas tuna melt, a meaty sandwich of tuna and melted Swiss cheese over grilled Texas toast. On the other hand, you can spring for a plain and simple grilled cheese sandwich if the bar and grill is out of fish fillet.
