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    Home » Stalks and Shoots

    Fiddlehead Recipes

    About

    Fiddlehead ferns, also called fiddle ferns, are the young, uncoiled fronds of a few select, edible ferns. They're one of the most famous spring wild foods and are easy to identify in theory, but often mis-identified which leads to a lot of confusion with them.

    Quick Links

    If you're new to them please read Sam Thayer's article Fern Fiddles: Succulent Stalks of Spring, as well as my article: The Forager's Guide to Fiddlehead Ferns.

    Edible ostrich fern fiddleheads

    Species

    Generally speaking, 3 species of ferns are considered safe to eat, with precautions involved with one. I do not recommend eating any other species of fern.

    Lady Ferns (Athyrium filix-femina)

    The lady fern is harvested in the Pacific Northwest and often sold around the country in coops and high-end grocery stores.

    lady fern fiddleheads

    Lady Ferns.

    Ostrich Ferns (Matteuccia struthiopteris)

    The most well-known fiddle, these are harvested on the East Coast and in the Midwest.

    edible ostrich fern fiddleheads or Matteuccia struthiopteris

    Ostrich ferns.

    Bracken Fern (Pteridium aquilinium) 

    Found across the country, these are sold dried in large quantities in Asian markets and are a traditional Korean food, but have come under fire for some of the compounds they contain. They're fine to enjoy in moderation after processing.

    young bracken fern fiddles on a board.

    Bracken ferns should probably be eaten in small amounts, occasionally.

    Cooking

    Fiddleheads must be cooked-always. The exact length of time varies a bit with personal preference, but serving them raw will inevitably lead to some people getting stomach upset.

    To par-cook fiddleheads, blanch them in boiling water for 2 minutes, then drain, spread out on a tray and allow to cool naturally.

    fiddlehead salad in a bowl

    Fiddleheads are best used fresh, as a vegetable and can be used in sautés, stir-frys, soups and side dishes. One of my favorite things to make with them is a Simple Fiddlehead Salad. If you want to preserve some, my Crunchy Pickled Fiddlehead Ferns are very popular.

    • Vignarola: Italian Spring Vegetable Stew
    • Rainbow Trout with Fiddleheads and Pheasant Backs
    • Pheasant Back-Spring Vegetable Soup
    • Simple Fiddlehead Fern Salad with Mint
    • Fiddlehead Soup with Vegetables and Pesto
    • Dried Fiddlehead Ferns (Gosari)
    • Lacto-Fermented Fiddlehead Ferns
    • Wild Shoot Salad with Dryad Saddles and Wild Mint
    • Japanese-Style Day Lily Shoots (Gomae)
    • Sauteed Asparagus and Mushrooms
    • Bread and Butter Fiddlehead Pickles
    • Fiddleheads with Spruce Tips and Lemon Agrumato
    • Crunchy Pickled Fiddlehead Ferns

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    Chef Alan Bergo

    HI, I'm Alan: James Beard Award-winning Chef, Author, Show Host and Forager. I've been writing about cooking wild food here for over a decade. Let me show you why foraging is the most delicious thing you'll ever do.

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