More Fiddlehead Recipes

Cream of Fiddlehead Soup

Serves 6

• 2 shallots chopped
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 1/4 cup finely diced carrots
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced leeks (white part only)
• 1 1/2 cups fiddleheads (reserve 1/2 cup for garnish)
• 2 qt. chicken stock
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 egg yolks or egg substitute

Melt butter and sauté shallots. Add carrots, leeks and fiddleheads and sauté. Add chicken stock, salt and pepper to taste and boil. Cook for 30 minutes. Mix cream and egg yolks in blender and pour slowly into soup. Heat slowly, and do not boil. Garnish with steamed fiddleheads.

Fiddlehead Fern Souffle

Serves 6

• 1/4 cup butter
• 6 Tbsp. flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• pepper and cayenne pepper to taste
• 6 egg yolks or egg substitute
• 1 cup chopped cooked fiddleheads
• 1 cup grated cheddar
• 6 egg whites (bring to room temp)
• 1/8 tsp. cream of tartar

Melt butter on low and stir in flour until well blended. Remove from heat and add milk slowly, whisking constantly. Add seasonings and return to heat to a simmer, stirring until thickened.

Beat egg yolks and 1/2 cup of sauce, then slowly add to remaining sauce, whisking to temper the eggs. Stir in fiddleheads and cheese.

Beat the egg whites and the cream of tartar until stiff. Slowly fold the egg whites into the mixture.

Heat a 2 quart souffle pan at 350º until hot. Do not brown butter. Add the fiddlehead mixture and cook for 45-50 minutes or until wooden pick comes out clean.

Fiddlehead Fern Quiche

Serves 6-8

For crust, use any non-sweet pie crust or a homemade crust

For the filling:

• 6 slices bacon, crisped
• 3 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 Tbsp. minced scallion or onion
• salt, pepper
• 1 cup grated Swiss cheese
• 1 pint fiddlehead ferns

Cook crust according to directions. Combine eggs, milk and cream in a bowl. Add scallion and seasonings. Sprinkle half the cheese in the bottom of the shell, lay bacon and pour egg mixture over. Sprinkle rest of Swiss cheese, arrange fiddlehead ferns on top and grate nutmeg over top. Bake at 375º for 30-40 minutes until set. Cool slightly and serve. 

Marinated Fiddlehead Ferns

Serves 4

• 4 cups fiddlehead, cooked until slightly tender
• 2 Tbsp. vinegar
• 1/3 cup salad oil
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. dry mustard
• 2 Tbsp. each chopped fresh parsley and chives (or 1 Tbsp. each if dried)
• Pinch of tarragon

Combine all ingredients and pour over hot, drained fiddleheads. Marinate in a refrigerator for a few hours. Drain before serving.

Fiddlehead Fern and Lettuce Salad

Serves 6

• 1 lb fiddleheads
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 6 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. wine vinegar
• 1 head each Boston lettuce and Romaine lettuce
• 1 bunch watercress
• 3 hard boiled eggs, chopped

Simmer fiddleheads until just tender. Place in cold water to stop cooking and set color, then pat dry with paper towels. Combine chopped garlic, olive oil and vinegar. Add salt and pepper to taste. Whisk until smooth. Add fiddleheads, lettuce and watercress and toss. Top with chopped eggs.

Wild Fiddlehead Ferns and Morels

Serves 6

• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 cups fresh morel mushrooms, halved
• 2 cups fiddlehead ferns
• 4 Tbsp. butter
• Lemon juice to taste

In a bowl, combine 4 cups cold water, salt and morels. Swish bowl gently to rinse out any sand from morels; drain, dry and set aside. Cook fiddleheads in 4 Tbsp. butter over low heat for 8-10 minutes; set aside. Sauté morels in remaining butter over medium-high heat until tender. Add fiddleheads, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Toss together and serve.

 Fiddleheads with Shrimp

 Ingredients:

•  1 pound of fiddleheads
•  6 ounces of uncooked linguine
•  6 cups of water
•  2 pounds of fresh shrimp
•  1 teaspoon of butter
•  2/3 cups of chopped onion
•  1/2 cup of diced green pepper
•  1/2 pound of fresh sliced mushrooms
•  1 teaspoon of thyme
•  1/8 teaspoon of pepper and salt
•  1/8 teaspoon of celery seed
•  2 tablespoons of lemon juice

Bring a saucepan of water to a boil and add the shrimp. Boil for five minutes then drain and set the shrimp aside. 

While the shrimp is boiling, remove the ends of the fiddles, removes the scales and wash extremely well. Place the fiddleheads in a pan of boiling water and cook for about 10 minutes then drain. 

Coat a large skillet with cooking spray. Add the butter and heat it until it melts. Then add the onion and green peppers, sauteing until tender. Stir in the fiddleheads and simmer. 

While the fiddleheads are simmering cook the pasta.  

Add the mushrooms, celery seeds, pepper, salt, thyme to the fiddlehead. Stir well. 

Cook over a medium heat for another four minutes, stirring often. Mix in the shrimp and lemon juice and heat completely. 

Place the pasta on a large platter and spoon the Shrimp & Fiddleheads on top to serve. 

Fiddlehead Dijon

1. 1-1/2 pounds fresh fiddleheads
2. 1 tablespoon cornstarch
3. 1 cup nonfat buttermilk
4. 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
5. 3/4 teaspoon lemon juice
6. 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
7. 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Clean and prepare fiddleheads. Remove scales and wash thoroughly. Place fiddleheads in a vegetable steamer over boiling water. Cover and steam 20 minutes or until tender, but still crisp. Set aside, and keep warm.

Combine cornstarch and buttermilk in a small saucepan; stir well. Cook over medium heat until thickened and bubbly, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in mustard, lemon juice, tarragon and pepper.

Arrange fiddleheads on a serving platter. Spoon sauce over fiddleheads. Serve immediately. Makes 6 servings.