Fiddleheads are the coiled heads of young ferns. Fiddleheads can be found in the wild during the spring season. You can also buy fiddleheads in produce markets or some supermarkets. Some people claims that fiddleheads taste similar to asparagus with an earthier flavor. Some others describe the taste of fiddleheads as a cross between asparagus and broccoli. There are many ways to cook fiddleheads, depending on your taste. This page with teach you how to cook fiddleheads step by step,with four different fiddleheads recipes.

Before you cook fiddleheads, you need to clean the fiddleheads. First you need to remove the brownish chaff (which is the onion- like skin that clings to the fiddleheads.) You can do this by rubbing the fiddleheads under clear running water, or you can shake them in a paper bag before you rinse them. Clean them thoroughly before cooking the fiddleheads to remove bacteria or other contaminants that come from the soil. Discard any stem that is more than 2 inches below the fiddlehead’s head.

Some people eat fiddleheads raw as salad, but it is recommended to cook them thoroughly before you eat them to prevent food-borne disease.http://www.foodreference.com/html/artfiddlehead.html You need to boil or steam the fiddleheads before consuming. If you use frozen fiddleheads, you don’t need to thaw them, just steam or boil them for about 10 minutes.http://www.chefdecuisine.com/vegetables/fiddleheads/fiddleheadmain It is best to keep the recipes simple to fully taste the fiddleheads.

Boiling and steaming are the simplest way to cook fiddleheads. You can fully taste the texture and crispness of the fiddleheads this way. You can use any kind of steamer to steam fiddleheads.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound cleaned fiddleheads
• 1 tbsp butter
• Juice from 1 lemon
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 3 tsp Dijon mustard, optionalhttp://fresh-fiddleheads.com/recipe.htm
• Parmesan cheese

Method:

1. If you boil the fiddleheads, you need to boil it between 5 to 10 minutes.
2. If you steam the fiddleheads, you need to steam it from 15 to 20 minutes until the fiddleheads are tender.
3. Transfer to a serving plate. Add the butter and allow it to melt on the hot fiddleheads.
4. Sprinkle the fiddleheads with lemon juice, salt and pepper.
5. Grate some Parmesan cheese on top of the fiddleheads. Place the mustard beside the fiddleheads.

One of the most popular ways to cook fiddleheads is to sauté them. Fiddleheads are usually paired with wild leeks that are picked along with the fiddleheads. You can replace the wild leeks with ordinary leeks or you can omit the leeks altogether. Instead of oil, you can use butter, or if you are a vegan , you can also use extra virgin olive oil.

Ingredients:

• 1 pounds cleaned fiddleheads
• Few tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 or 2 cloves of garlic, chop finelyhttp://fresh-fiddleheads.com/recipe.htm#recipe5
• 2 stalks of white leeks, chopped
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)http://localfoods.about.com/od/spring/r/Fiddleheadsaute.htm
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

1. Blanch the fiddleheads for one minute. Boil some water in the pan and add in the fiddleheads for a minute. Drain and rinse with cold water.
2. Melt the butter or heat the oil in the pan. Add the garlic and the leeks. Stir fry until fragrant.
3. Add the fiddleheads, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.

Fiddleheads can also be used in savory pies or quiches. When you use the fiddleheads to make pies of quiches, you do not have to blanch or steam them before you sauté them. You can chop the fiddleheads or cut them into two.

Ingredients:

• 1 9-inch pie crust
• 1/2 pound cleaned fiddleheads
• 1 leek, chopped
• 1 tbsp butter or olive oil
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup creamhttp://www.fiddleheads.ca/shop/recipes.htm#3
• 1 cup shredded Vermont cheddar cheese or any cheese of your choicehttp://www.virtualcities.com/ons/vt/v/vtv35012.htm
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Saute the fiddleheads and leeks for about 6 to 8 minutes.
3. Lightly beat the eggs with the cream. Season with black pepper. Add in half of the cheese and all of the sautéed fiddleheads and leeks.
4. Pour the filling into the pie crust. Top with remaining shredded cheese.
5. Bake in the oven for about 50 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb fiddleheadshttp://planetgreen.discovery.com/food-health/fiddlehead-soup.html
• 2 leeks, chopped
• 2 potatoes, diced
• 1/4 cups thinly sliced carrotshttp://www.recipesource.com/soups/soups/07/rec0750.html
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tbsp butter
• 5 cups broth of your choice (vegetable, chicken, or beef stock all work well)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Croutons, for serving

Method:

1. Reserve some of the best looking fiddleheads for a garnish. Boil them for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.
2. Melt the butter on the pan. Add the leeks and stir fry for 3 minutes. Add the potatoes and fiddleheads and stir fry for 3 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Add the broth and bring to boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes until all the vegetables are tender. Puree in a blender with the cream.
4. Make some croutons from French bread, for serving. Garnish with the boiled fiddleheads.