My first encounter with lion's mane mushroom was the McCarren Park farmer's market. I glanced at the John D. Madura Farm's table and spotted this white fluffy ball, not unlike a tribble.
The kind man at the stand advised me to slice it into steaks and cook it slowly with butter and pepper. That's it! This is totally optional and only because I want to complicate everything: I put the whole head in the smoker and it tinted the entire lobe a dirty brown. I sliced it and pan fried it. Minutes later, it was rich, sort of lobster-y and striated like a piece of chicken breast. I implore you to try it if you can find it!
| You'll need: | |
| 1 medium head of lion's mane (Or enough to constritute a head of cauliflower) |
2 tablespoons of butter Pepper Salt |
If you're going to smoke it. Try and smoke other vegetables like tomatoes or cauliflower so you don't fire up just for a little bit of mushrooms. I recommend 30 minutes with maplewood.
If you don't smoke the mushrooms, they still turn out great!
Brush off any dirt or black bits on the "fur" of the mushroom. Cut off the "foot", where it used to attach to the tree (it resembles the stalk of a cauliflower). Cut the mushroom into 1/2 inch steaks or as best you can, uniformly.
Place them in a dry pan on medium. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes and flip. When the mushrooms have released water and start to brown, add the butter. Make sure every piece gets a bit on both sides. Be delicate as you handle them and don't stir them around. Season with salt and generous amounts of fresh ground pepper. Bring the heat down to low and cook until both sides are golden brown.
The furry fronds will go from soft to crispy and soak up all that butter. MMMMPH. So satisfying as a side dish or garnish to a warm salad.
Love mushrooms? Check out these other posts.
Have you had lion's mane? How do you cook them? Tell me by tweeting to @Randwiches.