Cooking Faux Scallops with King Trumpet Mushrooms
One of our favorite things about gourmet mushrooms is their uncanny ability to imitate the flavor and consistency of different meats when cooked properly. Whether it be mushroom burger patties, Lion’s Mane crab-cakes, faux scallops, mushroom “pulled pork”, or a mushroom “steak” – cooking with mushrooms is a fun and delicious experience!
For those wishing to cut down on meat consumption, our gourmet mushrooms are high in protein, fiber, and essential vitamins and minerals (while low in carbohydrates and calories). There are so many ways that everyone, even hardcore meat-lovers, can add gourmet mushrooms into their day-to-day diet.
King Trumpet Mushrooms (Pleurotus eryngii), also called King Oysters, are a choice edible mushroom and are widely cultivated around the world. They are prized for their meaty consistency and rich umami flavor, as well as a long shelf life compared to other gourmet mushrooms.
One of our favorite ways to prepare King Trumpets is to make them into faux scallops, and serve on top of a pasta with a butter sauce or light vinaigrette.
Our Recipe for King Trumpet Scallops:
We use 8-10oz of fresh mushrooms for this recipe, but it is easily modified to use more or less! This makes a good sized serving for 2 hungry people. We find the scallops go best on a pasta with a white sauce, but are also delicious to eat all by themselves!
Ingredients:
8-10oz Fresh King Trumpet Mushrooms
1 Cup Vegetable Broth
1/4 Cup White Wine
2 Tbsp Butter (vegan or regular)
1 White Onion, thinly sliced
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 Sprig Fresh Rosemary
2-3 Springs Fresh Thyme
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Cooking Instructions:
Cut king trumpet stems into 1-2″ rounds (looks like a scallop), and soak in water for 1-2 hours. Set mushroom caps aside (they can also be cooked the same as the stems if you would like)
Drain water. Add “scallops” to a pan on medium high heat with vegetable broth and white wine. Bring to a light boil and simmer until all liquid is absorbed (this will take 10-15 minutes).
Optional Step: If you set the mushroom caps aside in Step 1, slice them now and add to the pan, removing the simmered scallops. Cook caps for 5-10 minutes until all excess water cooks off and caps begin to brown on the edges. Add “scallops” back into pan.
Add butter, onion, garlic, and herbs. Sauté on medium/high heat for another 5-10 minutes, until onions are translucent and mushrooms brown on the edges.
Add to your favorite pasta dish, or enjoy on their own garnished with fresh parsley!
