Fiddlehead Ferns

I've never made these before, and was a little nervous after reading this.  I have eaten them at restaurants though.  I saw them in this ad below so ordered ($12).  They were local too which was a big bonus.  They have a very short season so it's a grab 'em while you can.

I decided to do a 10 minute blanch in salted water.  Then I decided I'd roast them.  I usually roast all my veggies with "Everything Bagel" seasoning so today would be no different.

I washed and rinsed them a few times picking off any brown pieces I saw.  I used a few rinses of fresh water.  I trimmed them while I was waiting for the water to boil.

I proceeded with the blanch.  I saw that the water was brown and it did seem like a long time to boil.  They lost their vibrant green.  I followed by an ice bath and then dried them well.  I preheated the oven to 425°F.  I lined a sheet pan with parchment paper.

• 1 lb fresh fiddlehead ferns
• Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed
• Fresh cracked pepper and kosher salt, to taste
• Crushed chili peppers, to taste
• Everything bagel seasoning, to taste
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced

I tossed everything together and poured onto the baking sheet.  These went in the oven for 15 minutes and I stirred/flipped once halfway through.  

I took them out and served with pan-fried sockeye salmon and roasted yellow potatoes.  

Well, I think my instinct was correct in knowing the boiling did nothing good for these greens.  They tasted waterlogged and soggy.  The flavors were good with the seasoning and the veggie itself was very tasty.  I need another try and maybe some courage not to boil the crap out of them.  😉  Maybe next year...