Rinse the fiddleheads, remove any papery brown skin from the tops, and then slice off as much of the brown parts on their ends as you can. Fill a large bowl with cold water and put the fiddleheads in there for a few minutes, swishing them around with your hands to remove any dirt. * I rub the coils to loosen any dirt as well. Discard the water and repeat this process
Add fiddleheads to a pot of cold water.
Bring to a boil and boil for at least 10 minutes, but not longer than 15 minutes.
đź’Do NOT eat fiddleheads raw!*if you eat fiddleheads raw, you could end up with food poisoning or some serious gastrointestinal distress!🌡️How to Freeze FiddleheadsBecause fiddleheads only come around once a year and the season is short, I like to buy a lot and freeze them. However, they require blanching (quick cooking, then plunging into cold water prior to freezing).
To prepare fiddleheads for freezing:
Follow the above steps 1 and 2,
When you get to step 3, only boil for 2 minutes (not 10).
Immediately put into a bowl of ice cold water.
Remove with a slotted spoon onto paper towel and pat dry with more paper towel.
Freeze in freezer bags for up to 6 months.
*IMPORTANT: When you remove them from the freezer you MUST BOIL FOR at least 10 MINUTES BEFORE EATING (OTHERWISE THEY ARE NOT SAFE TO EAT)