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Make this homemade Pickled Fiddleheads recipe and easily turn this fun and curly wild vegetable into a tasty treat, all without having to go to the store!
If you’re looking for a new pickled snack, and you have a lot of fiddlehead ferns in your area, this recipe is a must-try!
Take these wild ferns and easily preserve them in brine for a nice crunchy result. They’re great to eat on their own, fantastic when added to salads, and more.
Pickle fans will love this unique and slightly rustic treat. Not only is it delicious, but it has some great health benefits as well!
So break out your mason jars (we use pint jars), mix up a pickle brine, pick some young ostrich ferns, and get ready to enjoy a brand new snack or topping.
WHY YOU’LL LOVE PICKLED FIDDLEHEADS
Whether you purchase your fiddleheads from a local farmer’s market, a specialty grocery store, or forage them yourself, these tasty edible plants are perfect candidates for pickling.
With a unique delicate flavor and super crunchy texture, pickling fiddleheads is an excellent way to take this natural treat and take it to the next level.
Pickling fiddleheads is an easy process, and the pickling brine can be customized to your taste for results you’ll love. This recipe is great to make impressive edible gifts, as a snack for yourself, or as a way to preserve any fiddlehead fronds you may find foraging.
Once you discover how easy it is to pickle your own foods, the options become endless! We love pickling eggs, brussels sprouts, beets, and asparagus, but the sky is truly the limit.
EDIBLE FIDDLEHEADS INGREDIENTS
- Fiddleheads – These unfurled fern fronds have a distinctly “green” flavor with a sought-after crunch.
- Rice Vinegar – Acts as the base for your pickling brine.
- Water
- Granulated Sugar – Helps balance out the acidic and salty flavors of the brine and bring out a subtle sweetness.
- Sea Salt
- Garlic – I recommend using fresh garlic cloves for best results.
- Coriander Seed – Brings a spicy warmth to your pickled fiddleheads as well as a bit of a citrus-like undertone.
- Peppercorns – You can use rainbow or white peppercorns, depending on what you have or what you prefer.
- Lemon Peel – Doubles down on the citrus flavor and gives your fiddleheads a refreshing zing of lemon flavor.
HOW TO MAKE PICKLED FIDDLEHEADS
- Thoroughly wash them in a large bowl of cool water, agitating to get all the loose dirt and papery coating off. Trim the ends off.
- In a medium saucepan, heat about 1 quart water with 1 tsp of the salt until boiling. Add the cleaned fiddleheads to the pot and blanche for 60 seconds. Drain and rinse with ice water to stop the cooking.
- Place drained fiddleheads in 2 clean 8 to 12 ounce glass jars with tight sealing lids. To each jar, add 1 clove garlic and 1 strip of lemon peel. Divide the peppercorns and coriander seeds between the jars.
- In a medium saucepan, combine vinegar, ¾ cup of cold water, sugar, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to simmer over medium heat, swirling until dissolved.
- Pour the hot brine over them until just covered and there is ½ and inch of space at the top of the jar. Place lids on and tighten. Set the jars on a towel to cool.
- If planning to store in your pantry at room temperature for a longer period, process in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes. After pickling, they can also be stored in the fridge for up to 1 month. Allow to cure for 5 days before eating.
SUBSTITUTIONS AND VARIATIONS
- For a simplified version of this recipe, you could just use the water and the rice vinegar. All of the other ingredients are technically optional and just there for a bit more flair.
- If you want to add some heat, add some red pepper flakes to your brine.
- Additional ingredients to mix in include onions, thyme, mustard seed, ginger, bay leaf, fennel, or dill.
- You can use white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar if you like, but rice vinegar has the mildest flavor and will let the taste of the fiddleheads shine through the best.
- Orange peel could be substituted for the lemon if you want a slightly different flavor profile.
EXPERT TIPS
- Rainbow peppercorn mixes typically contain pink peppercorns, which can be an issue for some people with tree nut allergies. Opt for the white peppercorns or black peppercorns if you’re not sure.
- If processing in a water bath, the vinegar solution does not need to be hot when poured in the jars.
- Regardless of what process you use, I recommend giving them a little bit of time to settle and for the flavors to develop.
- Especially if you’ve foraged your own fiddleheads, be sure to really give them a good rinse to get rid of debris and dirt before you boil them.
What do Fiddleheads Look Like When Ready to Harvest?
You need to pick fiddleheads at a particular time in the Spring. They are ready to be picked when they are still tightly coiled. You can find good information about harvesting fiddleheads here in this article.
You can read about identifying the different kinds here.
FAQs
What do fiddleheads taste like?
They have been described to have a naturally “green” flavor, a bit like biting into a forest! Some familiar flavors that fiddleheads are sometimes compared to include broccoli stems, asparagus, green beans, and spinach.
Are fiddleheads healthy?
Yes, there are lots of health benefits to eating them! They’re high in antioxidants and fatty acids, some of which are common in fish. (They might be a good source of those fatty acids if you don’t eat fish.) They are also loaded with potassium and are low in calories and cholesterol.
How to eat pickled fiddleheads?
You can serve and eat these any way you might regular pickled cucumbers, pickled garlic scapes or even pickled onions. Eat them right out of the jar with a fork, toss them in salads, add them to sandwiches and burgers, or use them for some extra flair on your next charcuterie board or appetizer spread!
Pickled Fiddleheads
Pickled Fiddleheads Recipe
Make these pickled fiddleheads for a unique treat with a crunchy texture and a delicate, pickled flavor. Great for snacking, salads, sandwiches, and more!
Ingredients
- 12 oz/340g fiddleheads
- 1 ¼ cup/295ml rice vinegar
- ¾ cup/177ml water (plus more to blanche)
- 2 tbsp/25g granulated sugar
- 2 tsp/12g sea salt, divided
- 2 cloves/15g garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
- 1 tsp/1g whole coriander seed
- ½ tsp/1g rainbow or white peppercorns, lightly crushed
- 2 – 2”/5cm strips of lemon peel (yellow zest only)
Instructions
- Thoroughly wash fiddleheads in a large bowl of cool water, agitating to get all the loose dirt and papery coating off.
- Trim the ends off.
- In a medium saucepan, heat about 1 quart/480ml water with 1 tsp/6g of the salt until boiling.
- Add the cleaned fiddleheads and blanche for 60 seconds.
- Drain and rinse with ice water to stop the cooking.
- Place drained fiddleheads in 2 clean 8-12 oz/236-355ml glass jars with tight sealing lids.
- To each jar, add 1 clove garlic and 1 strip of lemon peel. Divide the peppercorns and coriander seeds between the jars.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the vinegar, ¾ cup/177ml water, sugar, and 1 tsp/6g salt.
- Bring to simmer over medium heat, swirling until dissolved.
- Pour the hot solution over the fiddleheads until just covered and there is ½”/12mm of space at the top of the jar.
- Place lids on and tighten.
Notes
- If planning to store at room temperature for a longer period, process in a water bath for 10 minutes.
- Can also be stored in the fridge for up to 1 month. Allow to cure for 5 days before eating.
- Rainbow peppercorn mixes contain pink peppercorn which some people with tree nut allergies have issues with.
- If processing in a water bath, the vinegar solution does not need to be hot when
poured over the fiddleheads.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 24Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 585mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 0gSugar: 3gProtein: 0g