100 Favorite Dishes, No. 48: Fish and Chips (and Cole Slaw) at 20 Feet Seafood Joint

You know what the fish and chips are like at 20 Feet Seafood Joint? They’re an ocean doughnut. Fresh, flaky cod is encrusted like golden rectangles or bronzed oblong orbs. Whatever shape they arrive in, 20 Feet’s fish and chips dunk magically and brilliantly into malt vinegar-loaded tartar sauce. Fries...

By Nick Rallo

July 30, 2017

20 Feet Seafood's crispy cod fish & chips ($14) both use the golden, beautiful, crispy fried cod. Catherine Downes

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Leading up to September's Best of Dallas® 2017 issue, we're sharing (in no particular order) our 100 Favorite Dishes, the Dallas entrées, appetizers and desserts that really stuck with us this year.

You know what the fish and chips are like at 20 Feet Seafood Joint? They’re an ocean doughnut. Fresh, flaky cod is encrusted like golden rectangles or bronzed oblong orbs. Whatever shape they arrive in, 20 Feet’s fish and chips dunk magically and brilliantly into malt vinegar-loaded tartar sauce. Fries — the frozen kind, for crispy consistency — are amped up with roasted garlic and rosemary.

There are a few strategies for good eating at 20 Feet. One is to immediately add 20 Feet's slaw ($4) to your order to cut through the fat. This shredded cabbage mix is unlike any you'll find in in the city: It's altogether crunchy and salty and vinegary. Refreshingly, it doesn't include gobs of chemical-tasting mayonnaise. Another strategy: Sandwich two french fries with roasted garlic, then swipe the mini sandwich through tartar sauce. Another strategy: Scoop the coleslaw directly onto the fried fish, cut and eat. Anything you want; it’s casual at 20 Feet Seafood Joint. The fish and fries are delivered in a big basket. Forget plates and make a french fry slaw salad. Bring your own ice-cold beer in a cooler. A few bites in, and you may imagine yourself eating right next to some seaside harbor. It's transporting without stepping out of White Rock.

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