Today at work, the Chef asked me if there were any Fiddleheads to be found on the property. My helper and I went out and picked him a few. When we brought them in he was busy so I didn't get to ask him how he prepares them. Does anyone here eat Fiddleheads? How do you cook them?
Yes I did ate it once when I was a teenager. My neighbour cooked it and I was there for lunch. It was a bad experience for me because it did not agree with me and I suffered food poisioning. Ever since then I never dare take another bite of this fern and I did not like it anyway. Fiddleheads is a very commonly eaten fern among the Malay community here and they called it "pucuk paku". It is also sold in the market.
Fiddleheads are the emerging fronds of the Ostrich fern, and they are delicious! KK, I'm sorry you had a bad experience with them. Eaten raw, they can cause stomach upset in some people. Cook fiddleheads as you would asparagus--lightly and quickly. I used to steam them briefly and shave some parmegiano over the fiddleheads. They also go well with a hollandaise sauce. I don't fix them anymore because they grew in upstate NY, but not here in Texas.
Boiled for around 6 to 8 minutes starting off in cold water,..but to prevent bitterness trim off the end,..as some are more bitter than others,..strain and add olive oil and a clove of crushed garlic,..a dash of lemon,..and its a tasty dish,..the Fiddleheads are only available for a week or two in spring.
You lucky people can enjoy this fern, me is still a no no, still can remember my experience too clearly!!
Oh shame!,..its worth trying them,.. as i mentioned earlier they are only available for a few days,..after that they will become fern leaves if not picked,..never take too many,..they warn us that toxics build up in your system.
I'm still just amazed at how much I learn here. Fiddleheads? To me that would be a bunch of good ol' boys sittin' around playing Bluegrass music!
The Fiddleheads are there but without knowing which ones to pick, they will remain there and enjoy their summer of sun. On the other hand I have lots of daylilies to eat. Jerry
There's there ferns that have been growing out from underneath the house "forever". And today I noticed this. Is this a Fiddlehead????? fiddlehead? ( photo / image / picture from cherylad's Garden )
Hard to tell from the photo Cheryl, but it sure looks like one. They are picked just as they emerge and are still curled up. A word of caution to anyone wanting to try fiddleheads...they can NOT be eaten raw as they will cause symptoms similar to food poisoning (as member KK Ng will attest to!)
There are a couple more that look like this... and then there's some that have un-curled and just look like new growth. I wouldn't have even considered them as anything but new growth until I read about "Fiddleheads" here. I've said it before... and I'm sure I'll say it again... I'm just totally amazed at how much I'm learning here! And no worries... I won't be eating them!
Last year i had a few snacks of Fiddleheads,..but those i picked were from ferns i came across when visiting one of the islands,..i wanted my own ferns to grow,..so left them alone. Here are some internet shots of Fiddleheads. ( photo / image / picture from Philip Nulty's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from Philip Nulty's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from Philip Nulty's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from Philip Nulty's Garden ) The nearest i can get to similar taste is Artichokes,Asparagus,Avocado.
