‘Tis The Season For Fiddlehead Fern… But Hurry Up It’s Almost Over!

Fiddlehead Fern is a vegetable I simply loooove. If your main language is English, you might be thinking ‘what is that?’. If you speak French, you might know this vegetable under the name of Crosse de Fougère or Tête de violon. Basically, it’s the head of the fern that you cultivate before it grows out… which mean it’s only available in spring, before the plant becomes too big. Mid-April to June is the best time to buy this amazingly tasty vegetable.

If you’ve never prepared Fiddlehead Ferns, don’t be grossed out by their appearance. They can indeed put some people off. Instead, take the time to wash them out a few times in cold water, trying to clean out the dirt as much as possible. After that, prepare two small separate pots filled with salted water. Bring the water to a boil, throw the ferns in the first pot, and cook them for 3 minutes. Take them out and quickly throw them in the second pot. Cook for another 2 minutes. Once they’re done, rinse them out in cold water to stop the cooking.

Once the cleaning and cooking is done, you’re ready to eat these little gems (they can be quite expensive at the beginning of the season). I love them pan seared with butter, garlic and salt. Otherwise you can prepare a great vinaigrette and prepare the Fiddlehead Ferns as a salad. This is the recipe I’m suggesting to you… 

Pre cooked Fiddlehead Ferns

Twice cooked Fiddlehead Ferns

FIDDLEHEAD FERN SALAD

Makes 2 servings

INGREDIENTS

Salad

A nice bunch of cooked Fiddlehead Ferns

4 radish, finely sliced

2 lebanese cucumbers, finely sliced

A little bit of fresh baby arugula

Salad Dressing

1 tbsp Dijon Mustard

¼ cup Apple cider vinegar

¼ cup White balsamic vinegar

1 cup olive oil

1 garlic clove, pressed

Salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION

Salad Dressing

In a small bowl or jar, mix all the ingredients. Adjust seasoning.

Salad

In a bowl, mix all the vegetables and add the salad dressing. Mix well. Adjust seasoning.

This version of a salad is really simple but you can let your imagination go where you want it to go. You could add cheese, tomatoes, olives, etc. Go wild!!

STAYING ALIVE, STILL ALIVE!

Ok, so I’ve totally been neglecting this super blog. Have you forgotten about me? I sure haven’t forgotten about you! I just needed a little time off. After all, I'm still on maternity leave. And I have to admit I felt writing on this blog had become an obligation, like a job… I just wasn’t having as much fun with it as I used to. But I still cook and I still love doing it. So now I have to start sharing the goods again just maybe, a little differently this time.

I think I’m going to start adding a few things. If you agree with me, I’d love to start talking about restaurants, interesting articles I come about, things like that. And of course, I’m going to keep on feeding you some great recipes! How does that sound? That way I get to diversify myself but I’ll still be showing great recipes added to where I get my ideas, inspiration and what really make me flip as a foodie!!

I hope this will satisfy you (I think it’ll satisfy me!) and that you’ll keep on reading and supporting this little thing I do. I just love the idea of food so much, I can’t let it go! 


Lets keep going!