Blanching fiddlehead ferns allows them to be frozen better or used in quick-cooking preparations (en papiotte, sautéed, etc) where they wouldn’t otherwise have enough time to cook.

Directions: 
1.  Trim the brown parts off the cut ends.

2.  Discard any fiddleheads where the inside of the coil is very dark/black. 
Note: Any slightly-purplish fiddlehead stems are fine for consumption.

3.  Rinse the fiddleheads under cool water.

4.  Blanch in boiling water for one minute, then immediately drain and shock in an ice-water bath to set the color and stop the cooking process.

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Fiddlehead Fern Recipes
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