Day 106: fiddleheads
***Cool new veggie alert!
Fiddleheads or (fiddlehead greens) are the curled leaf of an ostrich fern that grows wild in most Canadian provinces. If you uncurl them, you’ll see the very beginnings of a fern leaf. They’re found fresh at the grocery store at the beginning of May, but I’ve also seen them frozen. They have the crispness of asparagus and taste sort of like green beans but “greener”.
If you’ve never tried them before, I’d recommend sautéing them (like the recipe below) with very little seasoning that way you really get the full impact of the flavour. You could also use fiddleheads as a substitute in any dish that calls for vegetables like asparagus, green beans, broccoli, or snap peas.
One thing I love about them is how high they are in protein. The macro split for fiddleheads is 57% Carbs, 33% Protein, 10% Fat. They are also high in Vitamin A (20% RDI) and Vitamin C (12% RDI).
Sauteed Fiddleheads
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1lb fresh fiddleheads
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- Pepper to taste
- Juice of half a lemon
Directions
Wash fiddleheads and remove any papery brown scales.
Heat the oil in a sautee pan until it begins to smoke. Add the fiddleheads, salt, garlic, thyme, and pepper. Sautee on medium heat for about 5-7 minutes or until the fiddleheads are tender, but still slightly crisp.
Squeeze lemon over the fiddleheads and serve.
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Yum. I love fiddleheads — had no idea they were so high in protein.
i’ve heard of these but never even seen them. They look so cool though!
Seen these on the net for a few years now but never have seen them around here. Guess they’re not popular around here.
I love the name of these!! I actually had some at Candle 79 a few weeks ago and had no idea what they were, so I’m glad I know now!
Ohhh that veggie sounds awesome! I’ve never seen it in my area though…
I’ve never heard of them, but they look good
I have to go look for them!
now this is the second blog i have read with fiddleheads! they are so funny….do they taste good?
I’ve eaten fiddleheads (yum!), but haven’t prepared them at home. You’re so exotic.
I’m also surprised by their protein content!
I’ve never heard of these, but they sound great!
I have never ever heard of those. How cool is that?! I’m going to check the market for them.
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