1 of 5

Write now Article Tools

Little known Thanksgiving fact: There probably was no turkey at the first Thanksgiving.

What? You mean I've been eating this bland meat smothered in gravy every November since I was old enough to chew for no reason?

Yep.

According to Anthony Gauquier, a former guide at Plymouth Rock and author of Pilgrim Recipes, much of what was on the original Thanksgiving table was seafood in the form of clams, crabs, oysters, even eels.

"There were wild turkeys around, but they were hard to find, let alone shoot," he said.

In fact, in his book Fading Feast, author Raymond Sokolov writes, "The New England clambake has as much claim to the title of our national feast as Thanksgiving."

Who knew?

So, if you're tired of Turkey, but you still want to celebrate with meat, try something a little different this November and break with tradition. For your epicurean pleasure, we offer choices ranging from fish to fowl gathered from cooking websites and various chefs around the country.

Fish
"Whole, roasted salmon makes a stunning presentation, and it takes a lot less time to cook than turkey, says chef Sam Gugino, of SamCooks.com. A nice salmon, cleaned and gutted with the backbone and pin bones removed will weigh around six pounds and feed up to 12 people, he said. Gugino recommends cutting off the head and tail before roasting the fish. "My wife can't bear looking at fish eyes when she's eating," he says.

Gugino uses a recipe from Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything" as a rough guide. The recipe, which calls for lemon slices, garlic, celery leaves, fennel chunks, mushrooms and shallots, can be found on SamCooks.com. But make sure you leave enough preparation time. While the concoction takes less than an hour to cook, it needs to be marinated for a couple of hours. Gugino's creation even includes the obligatory vegetables and gravy-like sauce for a festive entre.

Roasts
Pilgrim expert Gauquier says the Indians probably brought cuts of venison (deer) to the first Thanksgiving feast so roasts of meat such as a standing rib roast of beef or leg of lamb would be perfectly acceptable alternatives to turkey probably even more authentic.

One year for Thanksgiving, I went to a small inn known for its lamb entrees, went a little crazy and ordered lamb for Thanksgiving dinner. Although some cuts of lamb are too strong for my tastes, this roast was delicious and just unusual enough to make me feel celebratory.

"A crown roast of lamb is positively elegant," says Gugino. "It also portions out neatly and

• 1
• 2
• 3
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Turkey alternatives for Thanksgiving?
We want to hear your view. Write now!