Mushroom magic
A punchy salad for all summer days
I wasn’t always a mushroom lover. My mom used to chop them up into really fine pieces and hide them in the casseroles she often made. I was none the wiser and dove happily into the creamy, noodley creations. It was a texture thing. I have since changed tune, having found all the pleasing textures that make mushrooms marvelous. Because they really are amazing.
Whether you hunt wild mushrooms or buy them at the grocery store, this recipe is sensational if you want another way to enjoy them in volume. Seared hard in the pan, they turn crispy in parts and deliver a fantastic savory chew. I like to sauté each type individually, since based on their variation in size and meatiness, they cook differently. It isn’t essential to incorporate a number of different types of mushrooms here, but it does add further textural contrast. Shiitakes impart more chew. Oysters, with their delicate fan edge, crisp up wonderfully in the pan. The savory nuttiness of chestnut mushrooms is a delight.
The dressing is everything: slightly sweet and spicy, big salty tang. It is a loose riff on Nuoc cham, the Vietnamese dipping sauce, and should be made in bulk, so you can easily drizzle it onto many things, adding instant oomph. When brought all together, your mouth will sing high praise at all the zippy-crispy-savory-crunchy-bright goodness.
Umami mushroom salad
for the dressing
3 tbsp sunflower or other neutral oil
1 1/2 tsp fish sauce
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 garlic clove, finely grated on a microplane
1/4-1/2 Fresno chile, finely sliced (gauge for how spicy you like)
1 tsp honey
for the salad
3 oz shiitake mushrooms, stems removed (save for making stock) and sliced
3 oz chestnut mushrooms, ends trimmed
3 oz oyster mushrooms, peeled or cut into thick strips, small ones left whole
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1 head gem lettuce, sliced in half
2 small sweet peppers, sliced into rings
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
extra virgin olive oil, for sautéing
kosher salt
optional additional toppings
1/4 cup sunflower sprouts
1/4 cup basil leaves
2 tbsp crispy shallots or 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
In a small bowl, whisk all dressing ingredients together until uniform. Taste and adjust as needed.
Transfer the lettuce halves and peppers to a mixing bowl.
Get a cast iron skillet hot over high heat. Generously drizzle olive oil and swirl to coat, then add the shiitakes. Lay them flat to the surface of the pan and sear undisturbed for 1 minute. Drizzle the soy sauce onto the mushrooms, agitating the pan as the mixture vigorously bubbles. Drizzle a little more oil if the pan looks dry. Lower heat to medium and cook them for another minute.
Scoot the shiitakes to the coolest zone of the pan and add the chestnut mushrooms. Cook them for 2 minutes, turning their caps down to touch the pan after the first minute for best results.
Scoot them to join the shiitakes and toss them together, add another drizzle of oil, and add the oyster mushrooms. Season lightly with salt and sauté the oyster mushrooms for a minute undisturbed. Move any larger ones to the hottest zone and scoot any smaller crispy ones towards the shiitake-chestnut mushroom pile. Cook for one more minute, until the largest of the oysters is crispy around the edges and burnished in parts.
Use tongs to transfer all the mushrooms onto the lettuce and pepper mixture. Pour the dressing onto all and toss to coat. Add the fresh herbs, toss again, then divide between two plates and eat immediately. As we happily devoured this dish, it occurred to me that another crispy item to bring the dish officially over the top would not be a bad idea. So, I’ve included suggestions above as optional. Add as you like and feast!
For more delicious - and garlicky! - of-the-moment eating forays, make these grilled shrimp, this steak salad with avocado and juicy cucumbers, and the fermented green garlic in my book, page 89. I add the fermented green garlic to just about everything - it delivers a pickley, garlicky pow to beans, eggs, toast, grilled foods, pasta, salads, you name it.
We’ve sold out our in-person July date, however, there are still a few spots available for our June 24 and August 26 hillside pop-up dinners! Join us for an unforgettable feast amidst the cottage gardens - reserve here. Last week, I spent an afternoon making a new extra-savory duxelles with oyster mushrooms, scored on a recent foraging jaunt (always feels like Christmas with a haul like this). I have a feeling they will make an appearance in some of the menus… thinking of a new pasta dish… Let me know in the comments if you’ve had an epic mushroom pasta dish, and what yours was like!
