Brook trout and fiddleheads

[Fish Farmer]

If there's a better springtime meal I am not aware of it. Though some friends prefer small freshwater smelts.
However, today is more of a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup kind of day.
What is your favorite table fare this time of year?

[gseries69]

Trout opener up here in VT for us begins with venison, smoked salmon, eggs, english muffin, and Guinness :-%

[Frankie G]

Any idea where one might find them on the south shore of Boston? Are they just baby ferns?

Frank

[captmike]

Yeah I'm interested in these too. Trout or perch fried up is pretty fantastic this time of year. I love to get some oysters or littlenecks on the half shell. They're awesome this time of year although I love them all year.:-%

[Fish Farmer]

We used to buy them from folks selling on the roadside when we lived in Bangor. Down here in MA my wife got them flash frozen last year.
I'll post when I find the local source.

Took this off the UMaine Cooperative Extension website...
"Fiddleheads are the young coiled fern leaves (about an inch in diameter) of the ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris). Nearly all ferns have fiddleheads, but those of the ostrich fern are unlike any other."

Fiddleheads are a Maine delicacy that appears in the early spring during April and May. Harvest the tender little rolls of fern almost as soon as they appear within an inch or two of the ground. Carefully brush out and remove the brown scales. Wash and cook the “heads” in a small amount of lightly salted boiling water for ten minutes, or steam for 20 minutes. Serve at once with melted butter. The quicker they are eaten, the more delicate their flavor. They may be served, like asparagus, on toast. Cooked, chilled fiddleheads can be also served as a salad with an onion and vinegar dressing.

"The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has investigated a number of outbreaks of food-borne illness associated with fiddleheads. The implicated ferns were eaten either raw or lightly cooked (sautéed, parboiled or microwaved), which was what caused a food-borne illness outbreak in British Columbia in 1990. Although a toxin has not been identified in the fiddleheads of the ostrich fern, the findings of this investigation suggest that you should cook fiddleheads thoroughly before eating (boil them for at least 10 minutes). "

Enjoy!

[jbrumberg]

Years ago I could actually pick fiddleheads at one of the places I fished. Nothing goes better. Right now in my area it is still too cold for the ferns and apparently (for me) trout so far this season :p. Jay (Trout 5 Jay 0) :rolleyes:

[K'sDad]

It's important that you pick the right fern. If you snap a fiddlehead stalk, you'll see that the snapped end forms a very distinct 'U'; they are also a darker green than most others. One reason to only pick these ferns is that, though all fern heads have some degree of brown covering over them, the fiddleheads covering comes off relatively easily and is not excessively fuzzy if you don't get it all. Another reason is the others can be carcinogenic. That said, next to wild leeks and certain mushrooms, they're a favorite wild food of mine.

[ronr]

Amen brother!