I first tried oyster mushrooms at Millennium Restaurant in San Francisco. They were amazing and a real eye-opener. Up to that point, I’ve just been cooking with the usual portobellos, shiitakes and white button mushrooms.
Years later, I spot a package of king oyster mushrooms at the grocery store. They look sorta like oyster mushrooms only super sized and figured they must kinda taste like oyster mushrooms too. I’ve been hooked ever since. And no, they’re not “magic mushrooms”, they just taste great.
King oyster mushrooms, Pleurotus eryngii also know as king trumpet mushrooms have a firm, meaty texture and a nutty flavor. Unlike so many other mushrooms, the stem is cooked and has the same flavor and texture as the cap. Wonderful when sliced and sautéed until the edges are golden and browned – my favorite way to prepare the mushrooms. Its texture becomes smooth, slightly chewy with a little crunch at the end.
King Oyster Mushroom Salad
Serves 2 as a first course
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small shallot, minced
6 ounces slender green beans
2 small Belgian endive heads
4 ounces king oyster mushrooms such as Trumpet Royale™
Salt
Wash and dry the endive then thinly slice on the diagonal. Combine the vinegar, olive oil and shallots in a small bowl. In another bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the dressing and the endive and toss, let stand for 15 minutes. Wash and trim the green beans and cook until tender crisp. Set aside to cool.
Wash the mushrooms and slice into 1/8″ rounds on the diagonal, for the smaller mushrooms, slice the whole mushroom vertically. In a wok or pan, heat until hot and add just enough olive oil to coat. Add the mushrooms and salt to taste, sauté until soft, slightly wilted and golden around the edges.
To plate, pile the endive mixture in the middle of each plate. Add the green beans next and drizzle a little of the dressing over the green beans, top with the mushrooms. Serve immediately.
No Croutons Required is a monthly food blogging event hosted by Lisa’s Kitchen and Tinned Tomatoes. Each month bloggers are invited to submit a vegetarian soup or salad recipe; this month’s theme is mushroom soup or salad. I’m submitting the King Oyster Mushroom Salad. Its got a fancy and elegant look about it but it’s actually easy to make and impressive looking to serve.
What an elegant salad! I’m loving this entry. Thanks for participating!!
Thanks Lisa! Mushrooms is a great theme, looking forward to seeing the rest of the entries.
Just gorgeous! Lovely photos! I love mushrooms, I must try the recipe!
I like this dish. It look so lovely and make me hungry.
Looks good! Last time I also had something similar to the king oyster mushroom, but it taste exactly like chicken – it scared me a little. But king oyster’s fine :)
Visited a fantastic Japanese Grocery story here in San Diego. Boy what great packaging technique. Went specifically for mushrooms which I’ve been told are very healthy for my old bod…83. Bought King Oyster, which are huge, Brown Beech, small but tasty, and Mitaki…not shitaki, yet. Sliced the King Oysters and sautee’d then with virgin olive oil..yum. They tasted a little firm…maybe I cooked them too long. I understand the health value are nice….any comments?
bill tosheff – King oyster mushrooms do taste firm so you probably didn’t overcook them. And they are healthy and may be helpful to reduce high cholesterol.
Thanks! Just found some at my local farmer’s market here in Paris, for 8 euro/ kilo! That’s about $5/lb! But didn’t know what to do with them, and your recipe looks like the ticket to a winning pic-nic this weekend.