🇨🇦 Canadian Cuisine

Sauteed Fiddleheads

Ostrich Fern Fiddleheads

Prep Time 20 min

Servings 4

Difficulty Easy

Calories 93 kcal

Tightly coiled young fern fronds, blanched and sauteed in butter with garlic — New Brunswick's treasured spring delicacy foraged from river banks.

Ingredients

500g fresh fiddleheads, cleaned and trimmed
2 tbsp butter
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tbsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper
Lemon wedges

Instructions

1 Remove any brown papery husk from fiddleheads. Rinse thoroughly in several changes of water.
2 Boil fiddleheads in salted water for 10-12 min (important — they must be fully cooked). Drain.
3 Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat.
4 Add blanched fiddleheads and garlic. Saute 3-4 min until lightly golden.
5 Squeeze lemon juice over the top. Season with salt and pepper.
6 Serve immediately as a side dish with lemon wedges.

Did You Know?

Fiddleheads must always be thoroughly cooked — eating them raw can cause food illness. Their short 2-week harvest window makes them a prized seasonal treat.