How to Cook Fiddlehead Ferns

Fiddlehead ferns are a springtime favorite of many wild food foragers. The ferns get their name from the curled heads of the fronds before they fully open in the spring, in that they resemble the head of a violin or fiddle. Fiddleheads should be cooked before eating, as the raw ferns have a bitter taste. Fiddleheads can be found near creeks and springs in wooded areas and meadows all over the United States.

Things You'll Need

• Stockpot
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Heavy skillet
• Butter

Instructions

Boiled Fiddleheads

1. Wash and clean fiddlehead ferns, removing any browned or damaged leaves.

2. Place the clean ferns into a stockpot and cover with water.

3. Boil the fiddleheads until soft and tender. Drain if desired.

4. Serve with salt and pepper to taste as a side dish with any type of meat dish.

Sautéed Fiddleheads

1. Wash and clean the fiddlehead ferns.

2. Melt 3 tbsp. of butter for every 1 lb. of ferns in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat.

3. Toss the fiddleheads into the melted butter and cook, stirring constantly, until the ferns are wilted and tender.

4. Remove from the heat and serve as soon as possible.

Tips & Warnings

• Fiddlehead ferns can also be cooked with other wild lettuces and greens, including ramps, poke and dandelion leaves. The tighter the fiddlehead, the more desirable the fern is for eating. Fiddleheads have a taste that is similar to tender asparagus. In some parts of the country, fiddlehead ferns are available at grocery stores and farmers markets when the ferns are in season. Fiddlehead ferns can be cooked in sauces or soups or any recipe calling for poke, turnip or mustard greens. In most cases, fiddlehead refers to any fern plant that is curled before opening into the full fronds. Fiddleheads are often harvested and cooked along with morel mushroom in a white cream or wine sauce.

References

• Wild Harvest, Fiddleheads
• Foxfire 2, edited by Eliot Wigginton, Anchor Books, 1973