Steps
Clean the fiddleheads. Rinse thoroughly, then place in a bowl of cold water. Remove any bits of the brown papery coverings, and rinse again until they look green and clean with no leftover papery bits. Caution. Do not eat fiddleheads raw like other vegetables! They must be cooked to be edible—there have been a number of reports of food-borne illness associated with eating raw or undercooked fiddleheads.
Cook one of the methods outlined below.
Serve with butter. If eating hot, season lightly and remember—the sooner you eat them, the better their flavor! Here are some other serving suggestions: Add a splash of vinegar to freshly-cooked fiddleheads. Serve as appetizers, on crostini or toast. Chill, and serve in a salad with onion and vinegar dressing. Almost any recipe calling for asparagus will work well with fiddleheads.
Steaming
Place fiddleheads in a steamer basket. Using a steamer will help preserve the delicate flavors of the fiddlehead ferns. Add water to the saucepan or steamer, but don't submerge the ferns.
Bring the water to a boil. Steam the fiddleheads for 10-12 minutes, until tender.
Boiling
Boil water. Fill a saucepan with enough water to fully cover the fiddleheads.
Add a pinch of salt. When the water has come to a full boil, add salt.
Stir in fiddleheads. Return the water to a full boil, then cook for 15 minutes.
Sautéing
Heat oil. In a skillet, heat a neutral oil such as grapeseed or vegetable oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. You can use butter as well, but lower the heat to medium—butter has a much lower smoking point.
Add prepared fiddleheads. These ferns should be steamed or boiled before adding them. Sautéing alone is not sufficient to prevent illness.
Sauté until they start to brown. Add salt to taste, and thinly sliced garlic or shallots if you like. Continue cooking for about another minute.
Serve immediately, and enjoy!
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