Cape Fear Sandwich
The Cape Fear Sandwich is both filling with smoked turkey and bacon, yet refreshing with crunchy cucumber and fresh rosemary. Nothing does the trick for a hot summer’s day lunch than this sandwich! After being satisfied with this meal, you will be ready to walk along the Cape Fear River watching boats sail by and listening to seagulls calling overhead on their way to the ocean…or one can dream ;).
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Cape Fear Sandwich Love Story
Is there a special dish or meal that you have fond memories of? Then you know that’s what makes the food itself even more delicious! Well, the Cape Fear Sandwich is one of those foods for me, and yes, I’m going to share my love story about it with you. No, You aren’t allowed to scroll down past this, you’re committed now and obligated to listen to me explain why this sandwich is special to me. (cue the nostalgic music and slowly fade away into my memories with me…)
When I was a kid, my family went on vacation to North Carolina and we spent a day trip away from the beach to visit Wilmington, NC. What a cool city! Visiting the battleship, imagining pirates sailing up the murky Care Fear (I loved and still love maritime history so that was a big deal), and seeing the old buildings and learning bits of the city’s history here and there. I hope to return one day and write you all a travel post about Wilmington!
For lunch on our day trip, we went into a very, very old riverfront building with rustic exposed wood beams and every floorboard creaked as you walked. I have no idea what this restaurant was called and failed to find it by memory when I searched online, but I remember the sandwich! (And the cute waiter, Wyatt, but not the restaurant’s name haha). Smoky turkey and crisp bacon, crunchy cucumber, and aromatic fresh rosemary piled underneath melted cheese on grilled bread! how could something be filling and light at the same time?! It was so good! Over the years, I would make this sandwich on summer days for myself and still do as an adult. It takes me to Wilmington and the Cape Fear River that I hazed upon as I ate.
There it is…think my sandwich love story could be made into a movie?
What You Need:
Bread: I love sourdough, but will use regular old sandwich bread if that’s all I have. Feel free to use your favorite bread!
Turkey: Important! You need smoked turkey! smoked turkey lunchmeat will do but if you like to smoke meats and happen upon some leftover smoked turkey then have gold for this sandwich.
Bacon: I like to cook mine in the oven. Lay the strips out on a baking sheet and cook at 425 for maybe 10-15 minutes until crisp. then drain it on a paper towel until ready to use.
Cheese: Any white cheese will do. I love provolone on this sandwich but I have resorted to pepperjack and even white American cheese before from the deli and it’s still wonderful.
Cucumber: Slice it as thin as you can, but you’ll layer them up a bit on the sandwich. The subtle crunch and clean taste are excellent! This and the rosemary are the game changers!
Rosemary: Please use fresh rosemary! If you aren’t growing it then it is worth buying some sprigs from the store to use. You can do a rough chop or leave the leaves whole and just scatter them in the sandwich. The aroma and flavor the rosemary gives this sandwich is necessary for my beloved sandwich!
Condiment?: Nope. I know, I always like mayo, mustard, or some kind of sauce or aioli on my sandwiches but this one didn’t have one and I still never put anything on it and love it. It just works somehow, so please try it without any condiments first.
Cooking the Cape Fear Sandwich
Go ahead and assemble your sandwich: bread, cucumber, turkey, rosemary, bacon, cheese, bread. Good, you’re almost ready to eat. Now heat up your skillet. I like to use a cast iron skillet because nothing will produce crispy grilled bread as a cast iron skillet will! If you don’t have a cast iron skillet then you should make the purchase! When the skillet is hot, drop in a Tbsp of butter and melt it over the entire bottom of the skillet. Place your sandwich carefully into the melted butter and cook over medium heat. Not too hot so it doesn’t scorch the bread and leave the fixings inside cold. Once the bread is golden brown, give it a flip. Now plate that sammie up and enjoy!
Enjoy!
I hope you try this Cape Fear Sandwich and love it as much as I do! I wish I could remember or find where I first had it in Wilmington, NC as a kid. If you know, please comment below. If you are Wyatt (the cute waiter who served my family that day), I am happily married now, but you were a young girl’s summer vacation crush 😉
Looking for another great meal for a hot summer day? Check out my Best Frittata with potatoes and Goat Cheese!
Cape Fear Sandwich
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp Butter
- 2 Slices Bread your favorite bread for grilled sandwiches
- Smoked Turkey lunchmeat or shredded smoked turkey, use however much you want
- 4 Slices Cooked Bacon
- 1 Slice White Cheese Provolone, Monterey, White American, Pepperjack are all good choices
- 1/3 cup Sliced Cucumber slice as thinly as you can
- 1 sprig Fresh Rosemary Use your preferred amount, but definitely use at least a Tbsp
Instructions
- Assemble your sandwich: bread, cucumber, turkey, rosemary, bacon, cheese, bread.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add 1 Tbsp of butter and melt.
- Add your sandwich to the hot, melted butter in the skillet and grill until golden brown on one side. Feel free to press the sandwich down with a spatula to compress the sandwich, more like a panini.
- Once golden brown, flip and cook the other side until golden brown.
