What better way to celebrate Spring than to gather all those gorgeous green veggies together and roast them with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper?  This fiddleheads recipe is really that simple and it combines some delicious wild vegetables that taste great in combination with each other!

How To Cook Fiddlehead Ferns

Have you seen fiddleheads and ramps (wild leeks) at your farmers’ markets and been wondering what to do with them?  Wondering what the heck they are and where they come from?  These are one of the rare rewards to those living in the cold weather of the northeastern US and Canada each Spring for surviving the long dark cold months of frostbite!  They grow wild in the forests and you’ll find the best ones at your local farmers’ markets.  Fiddleheads are the tender, coiled shoots of the ostrich fern.  These are only available for a few weeks so that makes them all the more delectable.  Fiddleheads are considered a delicacy but it’s important to remember that you cannot eat them raw or undercooked.  Follow these instructions for my fiddleheads recipe and you will not go wrong! Enjoy.

Cleaning

• Using your fingers, remove as much of the brown papery husk on the fiddlehead as possible.
• Wash the fiddleheads in several changes of fresh, cold water to remove any residual husk or dirt.

Cooking

• Cook fiddleheads in a generous amount of boiling water for 15 minutes, or steam them for 10 to 12 minutes until tender. Discard the water used for boiling or steaming the fiddleheads.
• Cook fiddleheads before sautéing, frying, baking, or using them in other foods like mousses and soups.

Fiddleheads Recipe: Combining Fiddleheads, Wild Leeks & Asparagus

Ramps (wild leeks) – Considered an ‘extreme’ food because they only grow in hardwood forests for one month in the Spring. Their sharp flavor is characteristic of a combination of garlic and onion.  Ramps are easily recognized by their 1 or 2 broad leaves measuring 1 to 2 1/2 inches wide and 4 to 12 inches long. Both the leaves and the bulbs of ramps can be eaten and both are delicious.  Clean them thoroughly making sure to cut off all the roots and add them to the recipe as instructed below. Also, if you are picking them to use over a period of time, they are very freezable and will tase just as fresh in a few weeks.

I’m so fortunate because Barrie Hill Farms carry these rare and scrumptious treats so I’m making the most of them!  I kept this recipe very simple because that’s all that is required.  When food tastes this good, you just want to enhance it, not overwhelm it.    If you want to dress it up though you could add a poached egg on top, lemon zest, some capers, burrata or Parmesan cheese.  Lots of options!

I’m such a big fan of asparagus and you’ll find more recipes for this nutritious veggie here. I was delighted to see freshly picked asparagus at the farm and decided to combine the asparagus with the fiddleheads recipe because I knew it would all go great together! I was right and definitely not disappointed.  If you enjoy eating fiddleheads, I’ll be sharing a delicious Spring Pasta with Fiddleheads coming soon.  If you’re out foraging in the woods for these beauties, take a shot and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #simplyfreshdinners.  Cheers!

Fiddle Heads Recipe

Robyn Gleason @ Simply Fresh Dinners

A celebration of Spring with the first of the veggies to sprout up in our gardens and in the wild. This fiddleheads recipe with wild leeks and asparagus is going to surprise you with its amazing flavors!

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Servings 4

Calories 237 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 cup Fiddleheads Using your fingers, remove as much of the brown papery husk on the fiddlehead as possible.
• 1 bunch Asparagus
• wild leeks
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt
• freshly ground pepper

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 400 F
• Wash the fiddleheads in several changes of fresh, cold water to remove any residual husk or dirt.
• Important -Cook fiddleheads in a generous amount of boiling water for 5 minutes, or steam them for 5 – 7 minutes until tender.
• Place fiddleheads and asparagus on baking sheet (line with parchment paper if desired) and drizzle with half the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 7 minutes.Remove from oven, flip asparagus and fiddleheads. Add ramps, drizzle with remaining oil, salt and pepper. Return to oven and roast an additional 5-7 minutes. Remove. Let rest for a couple minutes before serving.
• Additional Options: Add poached egg, lemon zest, capers and/or parmesan cheese.

Nutrition

Calories: 237kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 13gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 9mgPotassium: 1168mgFiber: 9gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 5935IUVitamin C: 43.8mgCalcium: 130mgIron: 10.5mg

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Recipe courtesy of Simply Fresh Dinners,  A partner with Barrie Hill Farms in bringing fresh recipes to your table.

More Asparagus Recipes from Barrie Hill Farms

Asparagus Appetizer with Lemon Butter

Asparagus Tomato Salad with Feta

When Is Asparagus Grown at Barrie Hills Farm?