Small Pacific flatfish, floured and pan-fried whole with lemon butter, an old Monterey coast grill order that Carmel's seafood houses still honour.
Where to eat it: 1 restaurant across 1 city.
Pacific sanddabs school on the sandy bottom of Monterey Bay, and for over a century they were the workaday fish of the California coast grill: too small and delicate to travel well, so they stayed a regional treat. The classic treatment survives almost unchanged, lightly breaded, pan-fried and finished with a lemon butter. At Flaherty's in Carmel they arrive dusted in sourdough crumbs under a lemon tarragon beurre blanc, one of the village's most local plates.
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Common allergens: Fish, Gluten, Dairy
Tip from the editors. If you can only find whole sand dabs, cook them on the bone and eat like a small sole; the fillets lift clean once cooked.
Flaherty's Seafood Grill & Oyster Bar anchors 6th Avenue in Carmel with freshly shucked oysters, its famous clam chowder and wild-caught sand dabs.
OrderWild-caught sand dabs with lemon tarragon beurre blanc.
TipChowder and the raw bar carry the menu; lunch is the easier seat, and the crispy calamari makes the best table-opener.
Not on this list, but among the highest we score in this city. Every one is in our guide with its address, hours and what to order.
More cities are in research. Want sand dabs covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.
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