IMPORTANT!!! The Canadian Food Inspection Agency reminds consumers that fresh fiddleheads must be properly cooked before being consumed. Food poisoning can result from eating undercooked fiddleheads (and I speak from personal experience here!) - Rhiannon Schmitt, Owner

Fiddleheads.ca Recipes

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Last Updated March 5, 2008: Thank you for visiting

Due to numerous requests fiddleheads.ca is posting gourmet recipes for cooking these delectable tender spring ferns. More about the fiddlehead fern.

We encourage you to submit your favourite recipes to our site!

Fiddlehead Cashew Stirfry - Quick & easy

Chocolate Dipped Fiddleheads - A www.fiddleheads.ca original recipe

Fiddleheads Pie - A light quiche with greens

Cream of Fiddlehead Soup - Maine's Specialty

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Recipe #1: Fiddlehead Cashew Stirfry

Submitted by Violinist Rhiannon Schmitt, Salmon Arm, BC, Canada

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh or frozen fiddleheads
1 cup snow peas
1 cup diced carrots (coins)
1 cup fresh beansprouts
1/2 cup chopped brown mushrooms
1/2 cup raw cashews
1 Tbsp butter or oil (butter is richer)
1 tsp fresh ground ginger root
Garlic & Tamari soy sauce to taste

Wash and prepare the fiddleheads by removing the fuzzy fronds and cutting off any dry ends. Prepare other vegetables and ginger. Preheat butter or oil in wok or sautee pan, medium heat. Stir-fry the fiddleheads for 10-12 minutes (longer for frozen) until the fiddleheads take on a vibrant green shade and are soft (fully cooked, not crunchy!).

Cook longer if the fiddleheads are at all crunchy. Add carrots, peas, mushrooms, cashews, ginger garlic and soy sauce. Add beansprouts last. Cook another 1-2 minutes until all veggies are cooked but not too soft. Serve with rice or fine rice stick noodles and classical violin music.

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Recipe #2: Chocolate Dipped Fiddleheads: A Fiddleheads.ca original recipe!

Submitted by V. Jeffries, Bellevue, WA, USA

Ingredients:

Fully-Cooked Fiddlehead stalks
Parchment or wax paper
Wilton's dark chocolate candy melts: To be found at any  Michael's or similar craft store in the candy making supply area between $2.00 for $4.00 U.S. per 14 oz. (396.9 grams).

Once steaming the fiddleheads for 10 minutes (fully cooked, not crunchy!) dry each stalk.  Chocolate will not apply to wet or moist surfaces.

Place candy melts in a microwave safe bowl.   Use small amounts, 1/3 of the bag to start. Set microwave at 40% setting.  Microwave the first time for 30 seconds. Stir  melts and heat them again (now at 15 second intervals), stirring and mushing the chocolate pieces until they are melted.  Finished consistency should be like cooked pudding.

Holding onto the stalks by the cut end, dip them into the melted chocolate until all sides are covered and place on waxed paper on baking sheet.  Do this quickly as the chocolate cools pretty quickly. It takes a little practice and quick work to get a smooth shiny finish.

When finished, place the tray in refrigerator for about 10 - 15 minutes.  After they are chilled, surface should be shiny.  Trim the exposed ends of the stalks with kitchen shears.  Keep chilled until ready to eat. This recipe also works great with shortbread cookies, pretzels, cherries and plastic spoons for coffee.

*  If the chocolate gets hard during melting process, it's been overheated.  You can add a tiny bit of canola or vegetable oil to the chocolate and stir in.  Then heat for 15 seconds and stir again.  This will bring back workable consistency.  (It tastes fine as long as you keep to the ratio:  2 teaspoons oil per 14 oz. bag of candy melts.)

Serve to your violin teacher with brownies on the side.

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Recipe #3: Fiddleheads Pie

Submitted by Violinist Rhiannon Schmitt, Salmon Arm, BC, Canada (Originally Printed in the Gazette in 2002)

Ingredients:

1 frozen (or homemade) piecrust
2 cups chopped Fiddleheads
1 small onion
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 cup shredded cheddar
4 eggs
1 cup cream (or half & half)
1 Tbs. coarse mustard
2 Tbs. flour

Precook piecrust in a 350° oven. After preparing the Fiddleheads for cooking, sauté onions and Fiddleheads in olive oil for 6-8 minutes then place in crust. Sprinkle cheese evenly over the top. Blend eggs, mustard, flour, cream, and pour over other ingredients.

Bake at 350° for about 50 minutes (full cooked fiddleheads). Pie is cooked when a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. This dish may be served cold, warm, or hot and goes well with violin lessons! Serves 3-5

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Recipe #4: Cream of Fiddlehead Soup

Rhiannon's son, Ryan, with fiddleheads.

Chef Unknown

Ingredients:

1.5 cups cleaned fiddleheads, finely chopped
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 small onion, minced
2 tablespoons butter
3.5 cups milk
.5 cup thick cream
Spike seasoning and salt to taste

Melt butter and bouillon cubes in a sauce pan. Sauté onions and fiddleheads for 10-12 minutes (fully cooked!). Add milk and heat thoroughly; stir in cream and season to taste. Serve steaming hot with fresh rolls and Celtic fiddle music! Serves 6.

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All fiddleheads photos by Rhiannon Schmitt