You probably know this by now, but we love mushrooms. We like regular store bought ones, and ones we Forage. So, the other day, when we were out to dinner, when my wife and I saw “Vegan Scallops,” we were naturally intrigued. She ordered them, and they turned out to be sliced and seared king oyster mushroom stems…and they had a texture and flavour similar to Sea Scallops. Of course, with that knowledge, we decided to try to recreate them at home!
We started by cutting our mushroom and then soaking it in an old bay infused liquid to ensure the mushrooms would have a nice plumpness as they cooked. Once they had soaked enough, we patted the exteriors dry, made some cross cuts, and seared in butter to brown. The result was exactly as we’d hoped!
These little morsels would be great as a dinner component or as an appetizer. We served ours as a main over pearled couscous alongside steamed cauliflower.
Time: 20 Minutes (+60 minutes soaking time)
Ingredients:
- King Oyster Mushrooms
- Old Bay Seasoning
- Water
Method:
- Cut the very bottom, woody parts of your mushroom stalks off, and discard.
- Cut your stalks and tops into cross sections, between 1/2 and 3/4 inch thick.
- Slice cross-cuts into the top and bottom of each mushroom piece.
- Sprinkle some old bay seasoning over your “scallops,” and place in a baking dish. Cover with water, and soak for an hour in the fridge.
- When ready to cook, heat some butter in a cast iron pan.
- Use a kitchen towel or paper towels to pat your “scallops” dry.
- Sear your “scallops” in your butter until they turn golden brown on both sides.
- Plate, devour, and enjoy!
I find that intriguing – if I can muster up the energy I might try that. Btw these mushrooms are called “Kräutersaitlinge” or Herb(al)sidelings in German. They are one of 4-6 most popular mushrooms and are readily available in supermarkets and farmers markets. The other popular mushrooms are a bit more elusive and cannot be found everywhere. 1. In spring, the only mushroom – very expensive the morel. We are talking about more than 10 Euro for 10 grams -35 $ for an ounce. 2. Cepes (Steinpilze) My favorite with a meaty umami flavor, very good with Italian pasta and risotto dishes. Also not cheap, about 6 Euro for 100 grams. We have an orange mushroom whose season is a bit earlier than the typical autumn mushrooms called the Pfifferling (Chanterelle). This one is more affordable at about 3.50 Euro for 100 g. After that there are the aforementioned Kräutersaitlinge, the somewhat exotic Shitake mushrooms and then the brown champignons. One speciality I find on markets from time to time are a dark brown version of the chanterelles (actually two) one called the Herbsttrompeten – Autumn trumpets for their shape and color and the Totentrompeten, the trumpets of the dead which are almost completely black and have a very pungent flavor (and are good for stews or meaty dishes with a certain funk).
We love morels and chanterelles too! But, to your point, they aren’t very “buyable.” So far, I’ve never found morels on my foraging expeditions, but we have found oodles of chanterelles. Alas, we had such a drought this year, that we didn’t find a single one! Tragedy!