How to Cook Fiddleheads | Easy Fiddleheads Recipe

What is it about fiddleheads that attracts so much excitement? On their own, they’re a fine vegetable, with a flavor that hangs somewhere between green beans and asparagus. Is it the novelty of eating ostrich ferns, in their coiled, newly-hatched form? I think it’s partly their striking appearance, which indeed resembles the neck of a fiddle. And most importantly, they’re among the first local edibles, a sure sign that spring has truly sprung.

And the good news is that they’re best served simply, sautéed with a bit of butter and an allium, such as garlic, shallots, or minced onion. Here’s a favorite fiddleheads recipe that’s both easy and flavorful.

When buying fiddleheads, look for fresh, bright green, tightly coiled plants. Browning is a sure sign of age, so avoid ones that look like this.

How to Cook Fiddleheads

To prepare them for cooking, wash about 1 1/4 pounds of fiddleheads in cold water, rub off any papery “scales,” and trim the ends. Because the plants are wild, it’s wise to make sure they’re thoroughly cooked before serving to avoid the risk of foodborne illness. The best method is to boil them in salted water for about 10 minutes, then sauté them.

While the fiddleheads are boiling, I like to brown some butter in a skillet. I like the nutty flavor that browning imparts, and the method couldn’t be simpler: Melt 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat and let it cook until the milk solids turn a nice chestnut brown.

For an oniony flavor, I like to add another wild spring edible: ramps, also known as wild leeks. The finely chopped stems from 5 plants are sufficient (the leaves have a more vegetal flavor, so I leave those out).

Sauté the ramp stems in the browned butter for 4 to 5 minutes.

Drain the cooked fiddleheads and add them to the skillet with the butter and ramps. Sauté for 3 or 4 minutes to blend the flavors, then serve.

To turn this side dish fiddleheads recipe into a full meal, you can sauté 2 chopped portobello mushrooms in 3 tablespoons olive oil over high heat until they begin to caramelize.

Add the cooked fiddleheads to these mushrooms and stir in the zest of 1 lemon and 2 tablespoons of sour cream or crème fraîche. Top with a piece of roasted salmon and you have dinner.

Do you have any tips for how to cook fiddleheads?

This post was first published in 2016 and has been updated.

Get the Recipe:
Sauteed Fiddleheads

Learn More:
New England Wild Edibles | Secrets of the Spring Foragers

Amy Traverso

Amy Traverso is the senior food editor at Yankee and cohost of the public television series Weekends with Yankee, a coproduction with GBH. Previously, she was food editor at Boston magazine and an associate food editor at Sunset magazine. Her work has also been published in The Boston Globe, Saveur, and Travel & Leisure, and she has appeared on Hallmark Home & Family, The Martha Stewart Show, Throwdown with Bobby Flay, and Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. Amy is the author of The Apple Lover’s Cookbook, which was a finalist for the Julia Child Award for best first-time author and won an IACP Cookbook Award in the “American” category.

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