Turn your precious find of fresh wild mushrooms into a wonderful little snack. When tossed in seasoned flour and sautéed in sizzling butter, these pan fried morels become crispy and chewy - a special culinary delight to savour and enjoy with a drink before dinner, or any time! Each mouthful is a delicate taste of the dappled forest. (Skip to recipe.)
A few weeks ago I got the call again, 'Wanna come morel hunting?'
'You bet!'
One of my joys in spring and summer is tromping through the forest and inhaling that wonderful woodsy fresh scent as the birds twitter in the trees and the leaves rustle around me. And chasing after that elusive little wrinkled treasure of a morel mushroom while forest bathing makes it all a great adventure as well. My friend Alex is my mushroom guide, and I always get a thrill when she calls to invite me along on one of her forays.
Our haul this year wasn't big, but it still gave a few handfuls of these delicate beauties to enjoy for a snack.
Pan Fried Morel Mushrooms
Once I got them home I gave them a good rinse and then laid them out to air dry a bit.
Then I rolled them in seasoned flour and fried them in butter. Simple, but oh, so delightful.
I served the pan-fried morel mushrooms as appetizers with white wine around the campfire to friends who came for an outdoor cook-along at our firepit. They were chewy, crispy little morsels of mushroom heaven - a wonderful way to enjoy the rare treat of freshly picked morels.
* * * * *
Kitchen Frau Notes: The discarded morel stems can be added to any mushroom stir fry, or turn them into a dip: finely chop the mushroom stems and sauté them in butter with some finely chopped onion until lightly caramelized. Season well with salt and pepper and your favourite dried herbs. Let cool and stir them into about 4 ounces of softened cream cheese thinned with yogurt or mayonnaise Add a squirt of lemon juice and voilà.
The recipe calls for morel mushrooms, but you could substitute with button mushrooms cut into halves (or quarters, if large), for an equally tasty treat.
Pan Fried Morel Mushrooms
- ½ to 1 lb (250-450 gms) fresh morel mushrooms, or other mushrooms
- ½ cup sweet rice flour (or regular flour for non gluten free)
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 to 4 tablespoons butter, for frying
Wash the mushrooms in several changes of cold water. Drain them and lay them out in a single layer on a towel to air dry for 1 to 2 hours.
Stir together the flour, salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder in a flat bowl.
Trim the stems of the mushrooms to about ¼ inch (.5 cm) below the caps. Reserve the stems for another use. Cut large mushrooms in half lengthwise through the cap. Toss the mushrooms, a few at a time, in the seasoned flour and turn them to coat all surfaces and into the crevices. Shake excess flour out of the centers.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add a handful of floured mushrooms in a single layer - don't overcrowd the pan. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes on one side, until golden brown, then flip the mushrooms to cook the other side until it is also golden brown. Remove the fried mushrooms to drain on paper towel. Repeat frying the remaining mushrooms in batches.
Serve as a delightful snack with your favourite drink (they go especially well with white wine or beer).
Serves 4 to 6 as an appetizer or snack.
Guten Appetit!
Want to receive new Kitchen Frau recipes directly to your email? Sign up here and you’ll get a handy and useful kitchen tip along with each recipe, too. (No spam ever.)
If you like my recipes, follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook. You’d make my day!
PIN IT HERE to save the recipe for later:
You might like these other morel mushroom recipes:
Leave a Reply