Name: Fiddlehead Panzanella
Total time: PLACEHOLDER
Ingredients: 1 pound fiddleheads , trimmed and cleaned; ½ teaspoon table salt , divided, plus salt for blanching fiddleheads; 6 ounces ciabatta or sourdough bread , cut into ¾-inch pieces (4 cups); ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil , divided; 1 garlic clove , minced to paste; ½ teaspoon pepper , divided; ¼ cup red wine vinegar; 5 ounces grape or cherry tomatoes , halved; 2 ounces goat or feta cheese , crumbled (½ cup); ¼ cup chopped fresh basil or mint

Why This Recipe Works

We wanted to create a dish to showcase their showstopping spiral look and unique flavor and texture. We envisioned a bread salad like Italian panzanella but with bright-green fiddleheads. Since fiddleheads should not be eaten raw, blanching before any further preparation ensures that they are edible and fully clean and also keeps their color a vivid green. We tried sautéing them with aromatics after blanching, but that turned our ferns an unappealing shade of brown green, and the aromatics masked their fresh asparagus-like flavor. So we returned to simply blanching them before tossing them with rich, chewy-crispy croutons; grape tomatoes; a simple vinaigrette; fresh basil; and creamy goat cheese.

Before You Begin

A rasp-style grater makes quick work of turning the garlic into a paste. Be sure to set up the ice bath before cooking the fiddleheads; plunging them into the cold water immediately after blanching retains their bright-green color and ensures that they don't overcook.

Instructions

Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Fill large bowl halfway with ice and water. Add fiddleheads and 1 tablespoon salt to boiling water and cook until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain fiddleheads in colander and immediately transfer to ice bath; let sit until cool, about 2 minutes. Transfer fiddleheads to platter lined with triple layer of paper towels and dry well.

Toss bread, 3 tablespoons water, and ¼ teaspoon salt together in large bowl, squeezing bread gently until water is absorbed. Add ¼ cup oil and bread mixture to 12-inch nonstick skillet and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until browned and crisp, 7 to 10 minutes.

Off heat, push bread to sides of skillet. Add 1 tablespoon oil, garlic, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook using residual heat of skillet, mashing mixture into skillet, until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Stir bread into garlic mixture, then transfer croutons to bowl to cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

Whisk vinegar, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, remaining 3 tablespoons oil, and remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper together in large bowl. Add fiddleheads, croutons, and tomatoes and toss gently to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to serving platter and sprinkle with goat cheese and basil. Serve.