What are fiddleheads?
Fiddleheads are the tightly coiled, young fronds of certain ferns, harvested in early spring before they unfurl. The kind sold for eating in North America is usually the ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris). They taste green and nutty, a little like asparagus or green beans, and they are a seasonal treat in the northeastern United States and Canada.
Pickling is one popular way to extend the short season. Fiddlehead recipe roundups often feature pickles alongside sauteed, tart and pasta dishes, because the brine keeps the fronds firm and tangy.
Safety first: identify and cook thoroughly
Two points matter before any recipe.
Identification. Not all ferns are safe to eat. Only forage fiddleheads if you can positively identify ostrich fern, ideally with a local expert, and follow regional guidance. If you are not completely sure, buy them from a market.
Cooking. Fiddleheads should never be eaten raw or lightly cooked. Raw or undercooked fiddleheads have been linked to outbreaks of foodborne illness. Health authorities such as Health Canada have advised boiling fiddleheads for about 15 minutes, or steaming for 10 to 12 minutes, and discarding the cooking water, before using them in any recipe. Check the current guidance from your country’s health agency, because recommendations can be updated. Some pickle recipes cook fiddleheads for shorter times, so follow the more careful guidance.
Do not skip the precook just because the pickle brine is acidic. Pickling is not a substitute for cooking.
Cleaning and cooking
- Rub off the brown, papery husk. Place the fiddleheads in a large bowl of cold water and agitate them, then change the water until it is clear.
- Trim any brown cut ends from the stems.
- Boil in plenty of unsalted or lightly salted water for the full time recommended by your health authority (see above). Discard the water.
- Drain and cool them quickly, in ice water or under cold running water.
Basic pickle brine
Many readers ask for a simple pickle brine. For refrigerator pickles, a standard starting point is:
- 1 cup white or apple cider vinegar, 5% acidity
- 1 cup water
- 2 teaspoons fine pickling salt (about 12 grams)
- 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar, optional
This is enough for roughly one pint to one-and-a-half pints of packed fiddleheads. Multiply as needed, keeping the vinegar-to-water ratio at about 1:1.
Refrigerator pickled fiddleheads
Makes one pint.
- About 1/2 pound cleaned, fully cooked fiddleheads
- 1 recipe brine (above)
- 1 clove garlic, smashed
- 1/2 teaspoon peppercorns
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds or dill seed
- Optional: a sprig of thyme, a pinch of red pepper flakes, a few coriander or fennel seeds
- Wash a pint jar and lid in hot, soapy water and rinse well.
- Put the garlic and spices in the jar and pack in the cooked fiddleheads.
- Bring the brine ingredients to a boil, stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar.
- Pour the hot brine over the fiddleheads, leaving about 1/2 inch of headspace, and make sure they are covered.
- Cool, cover and refrigerate. Wait several days for the flavor to develop; a week is common advice.
Keep them refrigerated and under the brine. For best quality, eat within about a month.
Flavor variations
- Dill and garlic: classic, and easy to pair with eggs and smoked fish.
- Pickling-spice style: peppercorns, coriander, fennel, thyme and garlic.
- Spicy: add dried chiles or crushed red pepper.
- Lemon and herbs: add a strip of lemon peel and a bay leaf. Keep the vinegar as the main acid, because lemon juice has a variable acidity.
Can pickled fiddleheads be canned?
Shelf-stable pickled fiddleheads require a tested recipe and processing time, and I could not point to a National Center for Home Food Preservation recipe for them. Some blogs and videos show a 10-minute water bath, but that is not a substitute for a recipe tested for fiddleheads, jar size and altitude. If you want to can them, look for a recipe from a university extension service in a fiddlehead-growing region, and follow it exactly. Otherwise, store pickled fiddleheads in the fridge or freeze the cooked fronds.
What about frozen fiddleheads?
Commercially frozen fiddleheads vary, and fresh-frozen ones at home have usually been blanched. To use frozen fiddleheads in a recipe, follow the package directions, and cook them thoroughly before eating. If you plan to pickle frozen fiddleheads, cook them completely first according to the package and local health guidance. The texture will be a bit softer than fresh.
Using pickled fiddleheads
- Serve on a snack plate with cheese and cured meats.
- Chop them into potato or egg salad.
- Add them to grain bowls or sandwiches.
- Use as a garnish for a Bloody Mary or martini.
If you have many jars of pickles on hand, they also pair well with other refrigerator pickles, such as the pickled cauliflower, carrots and celery mix.
Troubleshooting
- Bitter or tough: they were likely under-cooked or too mature. Stick to tightly coiled fronds.
- Soft: boiled too long, or the jar was stored too long.
- Cloudy brine: from garlic, spices or table salt. Smell and texture are better signs of spoilage than clarity.
- Any doubts about safety: throw it out.