Fiddleheads are the still-curled young shoots of certain ferns. They are harvested for a brief time in early spring, so, like shad roe they are known in New England as a sign that spring has arrived. Fiddleheads are especially associated with the cuisine of Maine.
We celebrated a bounty of excellent new fiddleheads in April 2013 with our Fiddleheads Feast.
To prepare fiddleheads, just snip off the tips of the stems, rinse in cold water, and steam them for a few minutes. Stop the cooking by plunging them into ice-water. They should be al dente, still with some snap to them.
Serve hot or cold, as a side dish or in a salad.
I see it's almost ten years since I first wrote this post. Fiddleheads are more readily available these days, and often made badly. I had some fiddleheads just last Tuesday, at a fine restaurant near Central Square in Boston. They were delicately battered and deep-fried, then served with a sort of salad of arugula and some frilly greens, and grated cheese, and some gunky white sauce... they're a fine restaurant, but those fiddleheads could just as well have been green beans. IMO your best bet is to make them yourself, bought fresh from a reputable greengrocer.