Cape Cod Turkey Is A Thrifty New England Classic With A Misleading Name

In 2011, a particularly aggro wild turkey infamously attacked a Cape Cod mail truck. Then, a decade later, Cape Cod's wild turkey population saw an inexplicable surge in 2021, exceeding 30,000 birds. Today, we're exploring Cape Cod turkey — a traditional regional dish with a misleading title. Cape Cod turkey doesn't include any actual turkey at all. Instead, the star of the show is salt cod, which was once heavily salted as a preservation method before the advent of refrigeration. 

Cape Cod turkey was popular in New England kitchens during the 1700s and 1800s, and most American households didn't start owning refrigerators until the 1930s-1940s. In fact, codfish was a staple of New England foodies' diets years before America was even a country, with 8% of the male workforce employed as fishermen at the onset of the American Revolution, according to the New England Historical Society. To transform salt cod into "Cape Cod turkey," you need a spread of boiled potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, and a silky cream sauce complete the dish. Some preparations include other spoilage-resistant winter veggies that could be stored for long periods during lengthy New England winter months, like beets and turnips.

The dish's "turkey" name ostensibly comes from its elaborate, elongated presentation. To plate, salt cod fillets are arranged on an oval platter, flanked by boiled potatoes, and draped with a generous blanket of creamy white pan sauce, typically béchamel. The hard-boiled eggs are sliced into coins and arranged in a neat row along the length of the dish, on top of the sauce blanket, bringing a pop of cheerful color. To finish, some foodies sprinkle their Cape Cod turkey with savory chervil or parsley and crumbled bacon. The smokiness of the bacon brings dimensional intrigue to this relatively mild dish, but isn't always part of its standard prep.

Foodies across America have New England's iconic food scene to thank for lobster rolls, Boston cream pie, and the oldest restaurant in the entire country. But, this lesser-known traditional dish's influence has even reached high-end Oceana restaurant in Midtown Manhattan. In 2012, executive chef Ben Pollinger served an experimental reimagination of Cape Cod turkey for a seafood take on Thanksgiving. The elevated cod fillet was stuffed with crab meat, Chinese finger chilis, mayo, shallots, chervil, tarragon, and lemon, and served with a side of sauteed baby spinach. Hungry for more crave-worthy cod recipes? We've got you covered. Bonus points if you wash 'em down with a cold Cape Codder bevy.