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Fiddleheads with garlic butter
New Brunswick spring fern shoots, boiled, then sautéed in butter with garlic and lemon
For a few weeks in May, the riverbanks of New Brunswick, along the Saint John River, and parts of Maine and Québec sprout fiddleheads: the tightly coiled young shoots of the ostrich fern. Locals forage them or buy them by the bag at roadside stands and farmers' markets, and eat them simply, with butter, garlic and lemon, tasting somewhere between asparagus and green beans with a grassy snap. They're a true taste of Atlantic Canadian spring. Chef's tip: fiddleheads must be boiled for a full 15 minutes before sautéing; undercooked fiddleheads can cause stomach upset, so this step is not optional.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 16 oz ostrich fern fiddleheads
- 1 tbsp saltfor the cooking water
- 1 oz butter
- 2 cloves garlicthinly sliced
- ½ lemonjuiced
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp flaky salt
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Trim the brown ends off 16 oz ostrich fern fiddleheads and rub off any papery brown scales. Wash in several changes of cold water until the water stays clean.
Step 2: Bring a large pan of water to the boil with 1 tbsp salt. Boil the fiddleheads for 15 minutes until tender, then drain. Common mistake: cooking them briefly like asparagus; they must have the full 15 minutes.
15 minStep 4: Add the fiddleheads and toss for 2–3 minutes until glossy and hot. Finish with ½ lemon juice, ¼ tsp black pepper and ¼ tsp flaky salt and serve straight away.
3 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 100 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 7 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does fiddleheads with garlic butter take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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