Fiddleheads, or the furled fronds of a young fern, might be one of the most alluring of vegetables, available only fleetingly every spring. The taste is strong and distinctive—some say it’s like a cross between asparagus and spinach, others that it’s more like grass or nuts. Most say that the fiddlehead tastes like springtime. See for yourself by trying one of the following recipes, or another that you come across, but for proper levels of enchantedness, be sure to clean and cook your fiddleheads— boil them for at least fifteen minutes before sautéing or otherwise preparing them.
FIDDLEHEAD EDAMAME SALAD WITH ORANGE AND HAZELNUTS
Add some protein to make a meal of this hearty salad. The oranges, cheese, and hazelnuts help balance the fiddleheads’ unique, fairy-friendly flavor.
FIDDLEHEAD EDAMAME SALAD WITH ORANGE AND HAZELNUTS
(serves 4)
¾ lb. fiddleheads
1 cup edamame, cooked and shelled
2 oranges
¾ cup toasted hazelnuts
¼ cup crumbled feta or goat cheese
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Trim the fiddlehead ferns, discarding any brown ends and mushy parts. Rinse and cook in lightly salted boiling water for about 15 minutes. Drain, mix with edamame, and set aside.
Combine juice of half an orange and the olive oil in a small bowl, whisk together, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Reserve.
Peel and slice the other orange, removing the white pit and the inner segments, and set aside. Coarsely chop the hazelnuts.
Toss fiddleheads and edamame with orange juice dressing just before serving. Place on a serving dish and top with orange slices, toasted hazelnuts, and feta cheese.
SAUTÉED FIDDLEHEADS WITH TOASTED BREADCRUMBS
The toasted bread crumbs add crunchiness and lemon adds a freshness to this simple yet delectable springtime side dish.
SAUTÉED FIDDLEHEADS WITH TOASTED BREADCRUMBS
(serves 4)
1 lb. fiddleheads
2 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¾ cup panko breadcrumbs
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Zest of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper, to taste
Trim the fiddlehead ferns, discarding any brown ends and mushy parts. Rinse and cook in lightly salted boiling water for about 15 minutes. Drain and keep aside.
Prepare the breadcrumbs: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet, add breadcrumbs, and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes until lightly golden brown, stirring constantly. Add 1 garlic clove, minced, and cook for an additional minute. Take off the heat and season with ¼ cup parsley and lemon zest. Stir and set aside.
Peel and slice the other garlic clove. In a large frying pan,
heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat, add garlic, and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add blanched fiddleheads, season with salt and pepper, and cook until they start to brown on the edges, about 5 minutes.
Place fiddleheads on a serving dish, top with seasoned bread crumbs, and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley.
Serve immediately.
FLATBREAD WITH KALE PESTO, GREEN PEAS, AND FIDDLEHEADS
This recipe calls for lavash bread, but you can also use pizza dough or focaccia. Regular lemons are fine too. The many flavors here can temper the wild taste of fern for those less enamored.
FLATBREAD WITH KALE PESTO, GREEN PEAS, AND FIDDLEHEADS
(serves 4)
1 sheet lavash bread, 16 x 10 in. 15 to 20 fiddleheads
1 cup fresh green peas
1 leek
2 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil For the kale pesto
2 cups baby kale leaves, chopped 2 cups kale leaves, chopped
¼ cup sunflower seeds
¼ cup cashews
1 Meyer lemon, juice and zest ½ teaspoon chili pepper
½ cup chopped parsley Salt and pepper, to taste
¾ cup kale pesto 2 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons olive oil Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Prepare the pesto: In a food processor, add sunflower seeds and cashews and process for about 30 seconds on high, until broken into crumbs. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until combined. Adjust seasoning if needed.
Trim the fiddlehead ferns, discarding any brown ends and mushy parts, rinse and cook in lightly salted boiling water for about 15 minutes. Drain and keep aside.
Thinly slice the leek, removing the dark green leaf and the root end. Peel and slice garlic. Heat olive oil in a large skillet, add chili pepper, garlic, and leek, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add fiddleheads and green peas, and season with salt and pepper. Stir and cook for 5 minutes. Add half the parsley and the juice of the Meyer lemon, and cook on high heat until it’s evaporated. Turn off the heat and set aside.
Place lavash bread on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 3 minutes, turn over, and then spread it with pesto and top with the fiddlehead-peas mixture. Sprinkle with zest of the Meyer lemon and the remaining parsley, and bake for another 5 to 6 minutes until the edges of the flatbread are nicely browned.
Serve immediately.
FAQs
When are fiddleheads in season? The spring plant peaks in May and the sprouts are generally foraged or picked from late April to early June before the plant grows into a fiddlehead fern.
What happens if you don't boil fiddleheads before eating? ›
Fiddleheads should never be eaten raw and should always be properly handled and thoroughly cooked. Symptoms of illness from eating raw or undercooked fiddleheads usually appear within 30 minutes to 12 hours of consumption and typically last for less than 24 hours but may last as long as three (3) days.
How do you get bitterness out of fiddleheads? ›
Fiddleheads before being cleaned and blanching don't look appetizing. But after rubbing off the papery brown scales, soaking them, and blanching them in boiling water (which will turn dark like tea), you'll remove all bitterness and be left with sweet sprouts that rival asparagus in flavor.
What do you eat fiddleheads with? ›
After being cleaned and peeled, fiddleheads are boiled for 10-15 minutes before being sauteed with butter, garlic, and lemon. Serve your fiddleheads alongside chicken, salmon, or steak.
What month do you pick fiddleheads? ›
Fiddlehead Ferns are best picked from late April to early June just as the snow begins to melt. They can be harvested from the time they emerge until the stem is about 15 cm tall, and should only be picked while still tightly coiled.
Can you eat raw fiddleheads? ›
Cooking Fiddleheads
Under no circ*mstances should fiddleheads be eaten raw. To ensure they are safe for consumption, follow these steps: Cook them in a generous amount of boiling water for 15 minutes or steam them for 10 to 12 minutes.
What makes fiddleheads poisonous? ›
Below is information specifically about bracken fern, Pteridium aquilinum. Handbook of Poisonous and Injurious Plants by Lewis Nelson et al. (New York Botanical Garden, 2007) says that all parts of the plant are toxic. The toxin is thought to be ptaquiloside, a sesquiterpene.
Is it better to steam or boil fiddleheads? ›
As a result of these cases, safety standards recommend boiling fiddleheads for 15 minutes or steaming them for 10 to 12 minutes prior to use in recipes.
How can you tell if a fiddlehead is edible? ›
The Ostrich fern fiddleheads are edible, and can be identified by the brown, papery scale-like covering on the uncoiled fern. Fiddleheads are approximately 1 inch in diameter, have a smooth fern stem (not fuzzy), and also a deep “U”-shaped groove on the inside of the fern stem.
Why do fiddleheads turn black? ›
Gangrene is the most important disease of ostrich fern. It is frequently observed in the spring when wet soil, night frosts and low temperatures favor disease development. Infected fiddleheads are unsaleable. Symptoms Small black patches appear on the frond rachis as it emerges in the fiddlehead stage.
The Canadian village of Tide Head, New Brunswick, bills itself as the "Fiddlehead Capital of the World."
Why do you boil fiddleheads? ›
Health risks. A number of foodborne illness outbreaks (also known as "food poisoning") from eating raw or undercooked fiddleheads have been reported in Canada and the United States since 1994.
How do you prepare fiddleheads to eat? ›
Cook fiddlehead ferns in the boiling water until barely tender, 7 to 10 minutes. Drain. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in prepared fiddlehead ferns, garlic, salt, and pepper.
How long does it take to boil fiddleheads? ›
Once your fiddleheads have been cleaned, fill a pot with a generous amount of water and bring it to a boil. Cook fiddleheads in boiling water for approximately 15 minutes. If you prefer to steam the fiddleheads, do so for 10 to 12 minutes to ensure they are fully cooked.
Do I need to soak fiddleheads? ›
Step 1: Clean Fiddleheads
I take a two-step cleaning process before I start cooking them—first, I rinse them a few times through running water, then I soak them in a bowl of water for at least 10 minutes before rinsing again. You can also choose to cut off any browned or very long ends.
Do ferns come back in the spring? ›
There are evergreen ferns that keep their foliage all winter and replace old fronds with fresh new ones in the spring, whilst others are deciduous, dying back completely following the winter cold before bursting into life again in the spring.
When can you get fiddlehead ferns? ›
If players enter during the summer, Fiddlehead Ferns will be the most common forage item there. There are two more places where players can find Fiddlehead Ferns, but they are not limited to summer. These would be the Skull Cavern located in the Calico Desert and the jungles of Ginger Island.
Do ferns grow in the spring? ›
With their interesting foliage and textures, ferns are easy to grow and require little maintenance. Some species are evergreen, giving year-round interest, while others die back in autumn and produce new shoots (also known as croziers) in spring.
Can I move ferns in the spring? ›
Dividing and transplanting ferns is best done in the early spring before the season's growth has begun, but it can be done in late spring if watered frequently. Dig the ferns up, preserving as much of the root mass as possible.
