Thursday, May 24, 2007

THE ESSENCE of SPRING in MICHIGAN ~ LAKE SUPERIOR WHITEFISH with FIDDLEHEAD FERNS & MORELS

Gardener's Note: Fiddlehead fern fronds emerge from the soil coiled into tight pinwheels and are edible only before they begin to unfurl into their mature form.



LAKE SUPERIOR WHITEFISH with FILLDLEHEAD FERNS & MORELS
~ adapted from numerous recipes

*

1 1/2 - 2 lbs. fresh Lake Superior whitefish fillets
1/2 cup Michigan white wine
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. white pepper
pinch of sea salt
1 Tbsp. fresh chopped thyme
1 cup Fiddlehead ferns plus 1/2 cup for garnish
1/2 cup chopped wild leeks (or green onions)
a heaping handful or more of morel mushrooms
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
chive blossoms
  • Preheat oven to 375-degrees.
  • Place fish in baking dish. Whisk together wine & mustard and pour over fish. Sprinkle with salt, white pepper, and fresh thyme. Cover fish with wild leeks , morels, and fiddleheads. Cover loosely and bake for 20 minutes.
  • Carefully remove fish and keep warm.
  • Pour fishing liquid into saucepan and heat on high. Reduce heat and whisk in butter. Add remaining fiddleheads and chive blossoms. Cook 1 minute.
  • Arrange fish on hot serving dish. Pour rich sauce over fish.
(4 servings)

1 comment:

Ki said...

There is some evidence that comsuming fiddleheads causes stomach and esophageal cancer. As a kid we ate fiddleheads regularly but I don't anymore because of the link to cancer.

Here's a link to a site that explains which ferns are suspect.

http://www.innvista.com/health/foods/
vegetables/fiddle.htm