Oyster mushrooms are widely used in cooking because of their high nutritional value and creamy and savory flavor. They taste like porcini mushrooms with hints of rye bread and anise. Chefs from all over the world love these mushrooms for their delicate texture and creamy umami flavor. Oyster mushrooms (king, golden, blue, pink, elm) can be fried, stewed, sauteed, boiled, grilled, and even dried. They are often added to meat dishes (pork, veal, chicken, beef) to give them an exquisite taste.
But how do you cook oyster mushrooms to reveal their velvet texture and umami taste?
Oyster mushrooms can be fried, stewed, boiled, pickled, and dried. Thanks to their high nutritional value, mild umami taste, and strong buttery aroma, oyster mushrooms can be added to salads, soups, and meat or eaten as a standalone dish. They do not lose taste and shape during cooking.
Oyster Mushrooms Cooking 101: Best Ways to Prepare Oyster Mushrooms
The best way to use oyster mushrooms is to serve them as a side dish with fried or baked meat (pork, veal, beef, chicken), add to pasta, risotto, soups, and stews. Oyster mushrooms sauce is added to potatoes, pasta, and risotto. Fried oyster mushrooms can be eaten as a standalone dish.
Only young mushrooms are suitable for cooking, as they become tough and tasteless with age. To fully reveal all the useful and taste properties of oyster mushrooms, it is better to combine them with game, poultry, or meat, but it is better not to mix them with fish.
The best way to cook oyster mushrooms is to fry them in a pan with olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and dried oregano and add to pasta, or risotto with veal. Fried oyster mushrooms also go well with chicken, beef, and pork. Try making an oyster mushroom-based sauce to add to potatoes, pasta, risotto, and scrambled eggs.
See also: Why Are Matsutake Mushrooms So Expensive? Matsutake Price 2022
How to prepare oyster mushrooms? To prepare oyster mushrooms, follow these tips:
- Rinse oyster mushrooms under cold running water (do not soak!)
- Wipe them with a paper towel before they absorb water
- Put oyster mushrooms in the pan
- Fry for 3-5 minutes to get rid of water
- Add oil, garlic, salt, and pepper and fry for 7 more minutes
How long does it take to cook oyster mushrooms? Oyster mushrooms take 7-10 minutes to fry to get rid of water and turn their spongy texture into velvet and soft. Oyster mushrooms can be eaten raw, but it is better to fry, grill, boil, bake, or stew them. Oyster mushrooms need 20 minutes to bake, 15 minutes to boil, or 25 minutes to stew. Here are some of the ways how you can prepare oyster mushrooms and surprise all your family.
Fried Oyster Mushrooms
Oyster mushrooms are great for frying with or without other foods. Before frying oyster mushrooms, wipe them with a towel, or rinse them under cold water for 30-60 seconds before they absorb the water. We advise using olive oil for oyster mushrooms to reveal their buttery and creamy flavor. You can add garlic, black pepper, dried oregano, or basil to make fried mushrooms even juicier and tastier.
Oyster mushrooms must be cooked over low heat without adding fat or with a small amount of it since they release a lot of water. Young mushrooms have a more delicate taste, so they can be cooked with oil and put the pan on high heat right away. If oyster mushrooms are grilled, sprinkle them with a little oil and fry for no longer than 10 minutes.
Stuffed Oyster Mushrooms
After a few minutes of boiling, add mayonnaise, parsley, and finely chopped green onions and bake for 15 minutes at 150°C. To boil oyster mushrooms for this recipe, add vinegar with salt and pepper to the water (1 tbsp of vinegar for 1 l of water). Use only young oyster mushrooms to prevent chewiness.
See also: Why Are Morel Mushrooms So Expensive? Morel Mushrooms Taste
Dried Oyster Mushrooms
Oyster mushrooms are great for drying and later adding to soups and pizzas. Wipe oyster mushrooms with paper towels. Separate the caps from the stems. Cut large caps into several parts. Put the mushrooms in one layer on trays of an electric dryer for vegetables and fruits. Dry the mushrooms until tender (approximately 8 hours at medium power dryer). Store ready-made mushrooms in a dry, tightly closed container in a cool place.
Oyster mushrooms are a very tasty and relatively inexpensive product. The useful properties of oyster mushrooms have a beneficial effect on the entire body as a whole. For vegetarians and those who follow strict diets, oyster mushrooms are a real find! The chemical composition of oyster mushrooms can replace animal protein, and their energy value is only 38 calories. Oyster mushrooms contain valuable amino acids like tryptophan, methionine, valine, etc. Regular consumption of oyster mushrooms normalizes cholesterol levels and prevents the formation of cancer cells.
See also: 9 Best Porcini Substitutes You Must Try Today
How Do You Cook Oyster Mushrooms? King, Blue, Pink, Golden, and More!
How to cook king oyster mushrooms? King oyster mushrooms taste better when fried on a pan with olive oil, garlic, dried oregano, and green onion. You can also saute king oyster mushrooms in sesame oil with minced garlic, soy sauce, and Sriracha hot sauce if you want it spicy. King oyster mushrooms should not be eaten raw.
How to cook blue oyster mushrooms? Blue oyster mushrooms can be used for making soups, sauces, added to pasta, risotto, porridge, scrambled eggs, salads, and meat (pork, beef, veal, chicken). Blue oyster mushrooms can be grilled, pickled, and dried. Try adding fried mushrooms to mashed potatoes or pizza.
How to cook pink oyster mushrooms? Pink oyster mushrooms are best suited for frying, roasting, and sauteing. They can be fried or sauteed with other vegetables (tomatoes, zucchini), added to salads, pizza, scrambled eggs, soups, or vegetable, and meat stews. Pink oyster mushrooms also make great sauces for fish, meat, and potatoes.
See also: 12 Best Cremini Mushroom Substitutes – Mushroom and Non-Mushroom
How to cook golden oyster mushrooms? Golden oyster mushrooms taste great on pizza, pork, or beef steaks, in chicken soups, salads, and scrambled eggs. Golden oyster mushrooms taste better when fried with olive oil or sauteed with sesame oil, garlic, oregano, basil, and green onion.
Cooked oyster mushrooms have a smooth, oyster-like texture, and some notice a slight seafood flavor. Gourmets believe that oyster mushrooms have a delicate aroma of anise. Both flavors are subtle and mild. To learn more about oyster mushrooms’ flavor, head over to What Do Oyster Mushrooms Taste Like? All You Need to Know
As you can see, cooking oyster mushrooms is easy as they can be added to any everyday dish. If you want to lower your meat consumption, oyster mushrooms would be an excellent substitute for it.
Cooking Oyster Mushrooms FAQ
Do I Need to Soak Oyster Mushrooms Before Cooking?
You should not soak oyster mushrooms before cooking as they, like any other mushrooms, will absorb a lot of water like a sponge and be less meaty and buttery when cooked. Oftentimes, oyster mushrooms won’t even need to be washed – just wipe them with a paper towel.
Can Oyster Mushrooms Be Eaten Raw?
We strongly advise against eating oyster mushrooms raw as they need to undergo heat treatment to reveal their velvet, delicate texture, and creamy flavor. If you want to eat oyster mushrooms raw, opt for fresh young ones. Oyster mushrooms taste better when grilled, fried, or pickled.
