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fiddlehead-pasta

Classic Canadian Dish: One-Pot Fiddlehead Pasta

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This simple one-pot fiddlehead pasta recipe is a fresh taste of spring with a hit of zesty lemon and herbaceous basil — and a great way to enjoy the fleeting fiddlehead season.

fiddlehead-pasta

Classic Canadian Dish: One-Pot Fiddlehead Pasta

This simple one-pot recipe is a fresh taste of spring with a hint of zesty lemon and herbaceous basil.
5 from 1 vote
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Course: Main Course
Preparation: Boiling
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes minutes
Servings: 4
Author: Gabby Peyton
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Ingredients

  • 1 lb fiddleheads, cleaned and pre-boiled
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
  • zest and juice of one lemon
  • 1 clove garlic, grated
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 lb dry pasta, rigatoni, penne or elicoldali
  • salt
  • lots of fresh basil (at least a handful of leaves)
  • fresh cracked pepper to taste
Imperial – Metric

Instructions

  • Safety first: never eat fiddleheads raw! They have natural toxins in the little furry part, so make sure to clean the fiddleheads using your fingers to remove as much of the brown papery husk as possible. Then rinse them several times with cold water.
  • Boil fiddleheads for 15 minutes. Discard the water and set cooked fiddleheads aside.
  • In a small bowl, mix canola oil, cheese, lemon juice, grated garlic and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Set aside.
  • Bring a large pot of well-salted water to boil (like really salty — the water should taste like the ocean).
  • Add the pasta, cooking to al dente, according to the pasta’s package directions.
  • Reserve one cup of pasta water, drain the pot and toss the pasta back in with the fiddleheads. Put in the cheese mixture and stir vigorously while slowly adding the pasta water, allowing the mixture to emulsify and make a light silky sauce that coats the noodles and fiddleheads (you might not need the whole cup of pasta water). Add basil and stir well.
  • Portion pasta into bowls and finish with fresh cracked pepper and more grated parmesan. Enjoy immediately.

Notes

What’s great is that this recipe also works well with other greens like broccoli, peas or another spring favourite: asparagus! Instead of pre-boiling your green veg, simply toss them into the boiling pot with the pasta five minutes after you put the pasta in and cook to package directions.
Nutrition Facts
Classic Canadian Dish: One-Pot Fiddlehead Pasta
Serving Size
 
1
Amount per Serving
Calories
704
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
24
g
37
%
Saturated Fat
 
6
g
38
%
Trans Fat
 
1
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
5
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
11
g
Cholesterol
 
23
mg
8
%
Sodium
 
479
mg
21
%
Potassium
 
734
mg
21
%
Carbohydrates
 
95
g
32
%
Fiber
 
4
g
17
%
Sugar
 
3
g
3
%
Protein
 
28
g
56
%
Vitamin A
 
4481
IU
90
%
Vitamin C
 
30
mg
36
%
Calcium
 
297
mg
30
%
Iron
 
3
mg
17
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Gabby Peyton

Gabby Peyton

Gabby Peyton is a food writer, culinary historian and award-winning author based in St. John’s, NL. Her writing on travel, food and history has appeared in Canadian Geographic, The Globe and Mail, EnRoute Magazine, Chatelaine, CBC and Eater, and she was the restaurant critic for The Telegram for five years. Gabby’s first book Where We Ate: A Field Guide to Canada’s Restaurants, Past and Present was published in 2023 and became a bestseller. Where We Ate won the Gold award in the Culinary Narratives category at the Taste Canada Awards in 2024.

Contributor PostsGabby Peyton

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Bob

    May 26, 2025 at 1:28 pm

    5 stars
    Good

5 from 1 vote

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