Oyster Mushroom Recipe

Oyster mushrooms are one of the first mushrooms we pick. Steve can spot them 15 feet up a birch tree when he’s driving 50 mph down Route 6. I’m not that good. I’m usually too busy bobble-heading for wildlife and anything else I can find. I forget about the mushrooms. Such is life. I’m better at finding them when I’m on foot, and then I bring home enough to make this oyster mushroom recipe. Fresh mushrooms, butter, olive oil, sage, a little minced garlic – spectacular!

oyster mushroom recipe, sage, garlic

This oyster mushroom recipe is done in three steps. They’re all simple and none of them take much time. Mushrooms cook up quickly.

oyster mushroom recipe, where do oyster mushrooms growLook up for oyster mushrooms. They’re growing on dead or dying hardwoods. Look down for fallen trees, but don’t bother looking on the forest floor. They don’t grow in the duff. Our general rule of thumb for picking oysters is to leave one-third of the mushrooms to reproduce. It’s convenient to leave the top third when the tree is standing, and pick the lower mushrooms.

oyster mushroom

Clean the mushrooms well. They won’t be dirty because of where they grow but they will have bugs. Dead and dying wood is home to a lot of beetles. Clean them well and then look again. These little beetles are good at hiding in the gills. Use water only if absolutely necessary, and then dry well to avoid a lot of splattering oil when you add the mushrooms to the hot pan.

You don’t need to chop these mushrooms. They tear easily. Tear the gills into larger pieces and the denser part nearest the stem into smaller pieces to help even out the cooking time.

Oyster mushrooms dehydrate well. I powder some of them to use as a thickener in mushroom soup. They’re great on pizza, in ravioli and many other dishes.

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oyster mushroom recipe, sage, garlic
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Oyster Mushroom Recipe - Pan Fried

Course Side Dish
Cuisine American

Ingredients

Getting Started

  • 4 cups oyster mushrooms torn into pieces
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Adding Flavor

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon sage, fresh finely chopped (OR 2 tablespoons dried sage)
  • 1-2 cloves garlic minced

Sage & Garlic Mushroom Gravy

  • 1-2 tablespoons all purpose flour

Instructions

Getting Started

  • Tear the cleaned mushrooms into pieces using the instructions above. Heat the olive oil in a 10" fry pan. When a small drop of water in the oil sizzles, add the mushrooms and stir. It might seem at first that the mushrooms are going to stick. Give them another stir, turn down the heat to medium-high, and wait. The mushrooms will release a lot of moisture. When you notice the liquid in the pan is decreasing, drain the liquid into a dish and set aside. You can use this liquid later for mushroom gravy.

Adding Flavor

  • After the liquid is drained from the mushrooms, return the pan to the heat and add 2 tablespoons each olive oil and butter. When the butter has melted, add the sage and minced garlic. Saute until the sage is soft and the garlic becomes shiny, about five minutes. If you removed the mushrooms from the pan, add them back. Remove the pan from the heat and let the flavors combine.

Sage & Garlic Mushroom Gravy

  • Push the mushrooms aside in the pan (or remove if you won't have enough room) and add 1-2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour to the pan. Stir to make a roux with the butter, olive oil and flour. Cook on low heat about five minutes, then add the liquid you drained earlier. Stir until the gravy is the right consistency.

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