Sautéed Fiddleheads
By Yankee Magazine|May 23 2016|
Spring fiddleheads are delicious sautéed with a bit of butter and an allium, such as garlic, shallots, or minced onion. This flavorful, easy fiddleheads recipe goes great with salmon.
Ingredients
2 cups of fiddleheads, trimmed
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 ramp bulbs (about 1/2 pound), finely chopped (see Note)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 portobello mushrooms
2 tablespoons sour cream or crème fraîche
Zest of 1 lemon
Instructions
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Wash the fiddleheads in cold water and rub away any papery “scales,” then trim the ends. Boil for about 10 minutes.
While the fiddleheads are boiling, melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium-heat and cook until browned, but not burned. Add the ramps and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes.
Drain the cooked fiddleheads and add them to the skillet. Sauté for an additional 3 or 4 minutes to blend the flavors. At this point, you may serve the fiddleheads as a simple side dish (pictured).
For a full meal, sauté the mushrooms in the olive oil over high heat until they begin to caramelize. Add the cooked fiddleheads, then stir in the sour cream or crème fraîche and the lemon zest. Top with a piece of roasted salmon, and serve!
Notes
In place of the ramps, you may substitute the same amount of onion, spring onion, or garlic.
This is a delicious recipe! Just a note: According to the World Health Organization,a water temperature of 158°F (70°C) will kill 99.999% of bacteria, protozoa, and viruses in less than 1 minute. If you want extra soft fiddleheads, go ahead and boil for 10 minutes, but blanching for one minute will kill the creepy crawlies!
Thanks! I’ve always just steamed or boiled/simmered fiddleheads. The idea of sauteing them in a browned butter & Green onion sure makes a difference.
LOVE LOVE LOVE fiddleheads! I’ve been eating fiddleheads my entire life (62 years), pick them every year as well. I highly recommend unfurling the fiddlehead, moving it sideways as you unfurl. Since they grow by rivers and forested areas, they can be pretty dirty, even if they don’t look it. Unfurling exposes all of it when you clean them in cold water. I also began to boil them once, throw out the water (it will be brown),
and then steam or saute them. It’s worth the extra cleaning steps, and they’ll be sweeter as well.
Can I grow Fiddleheads in the garden?
i am a 85 year old lover of wild greens agood tonic in the spring.but cannot gather any longer.to my dismay.i love them but no one to gather for me.my mother taught me as a 5 year old and continued till i knew all of them.my 3 children did not and would not eat them.i am waiting for poke greens,my 10 year old great grand son will gather for me i can’t wait my husband enjoys them and all greens as i do ,he was raised in salyersvile ky,maggofin county, thank you LENORE MAE ALSEPT, MRS, ROY LEE ALSEPT,
I dont know how I came across this recipe–I have no idea what fiddleheafs are. I too was raised in Salyersville. I’m from the Middle Fork area-across the Lark Arnett Hill. I’m definitely gonna research now & try out this recipe(if fiddleheads grow in my location haha)