Buttered Fern Tips
Buttered Fern Tips is a simple, elegant side dish featuring young, tender fiddlehead fern fronds sautéed in butter. The primary ingredients are the fern tips, butter, salt, and often a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten the flavor. This dish is a seasonal specialty found in regions where edible ferns, like ostrich ferns, grow wild, including parts of North America, Asia, and Eastern Europe.
🍽️ Nutrition at a glance
This dish is low in carbohydrates and protein but moderate in fat due to the butter. It is an excellent source of vitamins A and C, iron, and antioxidants, with a typical serving containing around 100-150 calories.
Nutrition breakdown
| Calories | 130 kcal |
| Protein | 2.5 g |
| Carbs | 4 g |
| Fat | 12 g |
| Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 1 g |
| Sodium | 200 mg |
| Vitamin A | 180 mcg RAE |
| Vitamin C | 25 mg |
| Iron | 2 mg |
| Potassium | 300 mg |
| Manganese | 0.5 mg |
| Copper | 0.2 mg |
| Magnesium | 25 mg |
| Antioxidants | High (e.g., kaempferol) |
Per 1 cup (150 g) · estimated, varies by recipe
💡 What's interesting
Fern tips, especially fiddleheads, are a foraged delicacy with a very short harvest season in early spring, making them a prized ingredient. Nutritionally, they are surprisingly high in omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants compared to many other vegetables.
