Crabmeat Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms Help?!!

[Skittle68]

Would it be a waste to get whole crab legs and cracking them myself for something like crab stuffed mushrooms? I looooooovvveeee crab legs and I think I would be sad chopping up nice meat like that, but I always think store bought lump crab meat has a fishy flavor you don't get from the meat you take out of the shell yourself.

I suppose I could just pick the meat out of the knuckles to use for the mushrooms and eat the leg meat as dinner... Yum!!

 

[Margi Cintrano]

@ Addie,

I have never worked with Portobello ... I work with Ceps at home ( boletus eduli or niscalos and trompetas ), and I discard the stems ...

Perhaps, Bacardi 1 has some secrets ... Bacardi uses the stems in a mushroom stock ---

Mushrooms in Castilla La Mancha and Madrid zones have their seasons too, in Spain: Mid November through February ... Further north, October through March ...

In Italia, it is fairly similar, October through March, in Valle d´Aoste and Piemonte.

Margi.

 

[Margi Cintrano]

Bacardi 1: Wild Uncultivated & Cultivated Farmed

Good Morning Bacardi,

Firstly, there is an enormous difference in Spain and Italia, between wild handpicked mushrooms which are predominately found in high altitude of great Forests by experts in Funghi-ology; and a farm raised cultivated mass product for export into other EU countries which are packaged in plastic.

Boletus Eduli = Ceps in English & French
Niscalos = Milk Caps
Trumpetas de Muerto = Trumphets

The above 3 wild mushrooms, are rare in arid, sunny climates at 646 metres above sea level. They are seasonal ( Autumn: November - February ) in the northern Pyrenees and in Catalonia, the northeastern provinces of the Peninsula.

Chantarelles, originally from France, are a Spring variety, and are not nearly ( my viewpoint ) as wonderful as the 3 Autumn varieties in wild state.

Champigñones in Spanish and Champignons in French, the typical white mushroom variety that is cultivated are available at: For Euro Dollar 1.00 a kilo, however, I would not utilise this variety for a Brushetta ... They are okay for a Nicoise salad or Spinach salad or a stew --- however, they have little flavor.

In Italia, in Valle D´ Aoste on the Swiss and French borders, one has quite a longer seasonal choice. The best funghi I have ever had are from this region and Piemonte ... Piemonte´s border --- Valle D´Aoste, also home to the white truffle = tartufo bianco.

The difference in Italia or Spain ( than USA ): we do not go often to mega supermarkets like in USA ... Our fish monger, butcher, fruit man or lady, all know our names ... a bit different ! Most of us, go to local neighborhood Central farmer´s markets and whatever it is that day, and that season it is --- We have such vast climatic differences from zone to zone ... Madrid is extraordinarily dry and arid, like Alburquerque, New Mexico or Tuscon, Az. It rains once in 6 months ... very very dry ...

if you want PLASTIC FREE products grown locally or fresh products in other words, that are grown here. Our fruit basket is Almería, and we supply the largest amount of fruit to all of the EU = European Union.

Italia also has a large fruit and veggie harvest in southern regions. However, not as large as Spain.

You can obtain mushrooms IN PLASTIC WRAP or anything from almost any Eu country and Switzerland at a mega supermkt., 10 times the square metres of a Publix. However, anything in plastic wrap has an expiration date ... However, traditionally Mediterranean speaking, we buy fresh daily ... Spaniards prefer their Spanish foods and Italians their Italians ... RESTAURANTS: this is where Spaniards are flexble for tasting, however, in their kitches, they cook their traditional recipes, and Italians as well ... Greeks too ...

Different food culture ...

Thank you for your note.
M.C.




*** ( French Spring Variety) Chantarellas = Chantarelles

 

[Addie]

Margi, a lot of folks here don't realize that 99% of all our salable mushrooms are grown in caves in Pennsylvania. There were some mushrooms that were not friendly to being grown in controlled conditions. But after years of trying they succeded.

But as everyone knows, (or should know) mushrooms can kill you. Picking wild ones is an art. And unless you know what you are doing, is best left to the experts.

About forty or more years ago I was working in a hospital. A man came in with mushroom poisoning. He was so sick. He ended up with kidney damage. And these were mushroom he had eaten at a restaurant. Having been a witness to this, today I am very careful of what mushrooms I will eat. I NEVER order a dish at a restaurant that has mushrooms.

 

[taxlady]

Margi, a lot of folks here don't realize that 99% of all our salable mushrooms are grown in caves in Pennsylvania. There were some mushrooms that were not friendly to being grown in controlled conditions. But after years of trying they succeded.

But as everyone knows, (or should know) mushrooms can kill you. Picking wild ones is an art. And unless you know what you are doing, is best left to the experts.

About forty or more years ago I was working in a hospital. A man came in with mushroom poisoning. He was so sick. He ended up with kidney damage. And these were mushroom he had eaten at a restaurant. Having been a witness to this, today I am very careful of what mushrooms I will eat. I NEVER order a dish at a restaurant that has mushrooms.

There are a few wild mushrooms with which I am sufficiently familiar, that I will pick them for eating. I used to have a book for identifying mushrooms and I had black paper and white paper, so I could leave the 'shrooms on them overnight and see what colour the spores were. But the ones I trusted the most were the ones that friends had already survived eating.

 

[Margi Cintrano]

Wild Mushroom Experts ( Fungi-ologists )

Several years ago, I had taken an intensive 3 day course, just to learn a little " wee bit " about Wild Spanish Setas, or Funghi ( mushrooms ). It was amazing. We studied photos of the most common, their terroirs, their history, their uses, how to use culinary wise and numerous other facts about the 24 that we had an opportunity to watch the Experts gather. This course was given by the Government of Castilla La Mancha, as a cultural and gastronomic awareness course in Cuenca ... It was most valuable ...

I am quite a fan of the wild varieties, especially Ceps ( Boletus ) and Black Trumphets ( Trompetas Negras ) and I have several brilliant Vegetable sources for purchasing properly.

It is quite a science ... I wish I had more time to study the complex subject more indepthly. It was truly worthwhile and had published a lovely article on the event and the 24 I personally came into contact with.

Have a nice Tuesday.
Margi.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

I don't want to have anything to do with mushrooms unless they come from a commercial mushroom grower.

 

[Addie]

I don't want to have anything to do with mushrooms unless they come from a commercial mushroom grower.

+1 Amen!

 

[Bacardi1]

Am I the only one who finds portabello stems too tough even if chopped up for eating? I only use them when making stock and strain them out after the stock is done. No amount of cooking tenderizes them. It is like chewing on tree trunks.

No, you're not the only one. I don't know of anyone who eats Portabello mushroom stems (or Shitake mushroom stems either). If I'm making stuffed mushrooms, I remove the stems & add them to the mushroom-blanching water. If I'm making something else, I just save the stems in a Ziploc bag in the freezer until I'm going to be making stock.

 

[Harry Cobean]

let's not forget the dried mushroom.deep flavour,keep forever in a jar so you are never out of mushrooms & the soaking water makes a fabulous stock base.
a local grower sells a dried mixed pack,the mix varies according to availability but usually includes a mix of morels,porcini,girolle & trompette noir etc.
fabulous in rissotto & the trompette noir works well & looks beautiful with seafood

 

[taxlady]

let's not forget the dried mushroom.deep flavour,keep forever in a jar so you are never out of mushrooms & the soaking water makes a fabulous stock base.
a local grower sells a dried mixed pack,the mix varies according to availability but usually includes a mix of morels,porcini,girolle & trompette noir etc.
fabulous in rissotto & the trompette noir works well & looks beautiful with seafood

I have a large jar of dry, mixed, wild mushrooms. I have also dried mushrooms myself. But, I am never quite happy with using them. Other than soaking them in hot water, do you know any tricks that make them better?

 

[Andy M.]

I have a large jar of dry, mixed, wild mushrooms. I have also dried mushrooms myself. But, I am never quite happy with using them. Other than soaking them in hot water, do you know any tricks that make them better?

Dried mushrooms don't really replace fresh in many applications. There is a texture issue. They are great flavor enhancers. I toss a handful into a tomato sauce to boost the flavor. As Harry said, even the soaking water is good for flavor.

 

[Harry Cobean]

I have a large jar of dry, mixed, wild mushrooms. I have also dried mushrooms myself. But, I am never quite happy with using them. Other than soaking them in hot water, do you know any tricks that make them better?

Dried mushrooms don't really replace fresh in many applications. There is a texture issue. They are great flavor enhancers. I toss a handful into a tomato sauce to boost the flavor. As Harry said, even the soaking water is good for flavor.

dead right andy,dried would be out of bounds for a lot of dishes such as stir fry etc due to texture but they are knock out in casseroles & stews where they do hold their texture & boost flavour,particularly if you use the soaking water as a stock base.dried porcini in rissotto with the soaking water used as the stock...........heavenly!

 

[taxlady]

Dried mushrooms don't really replace fresh in many applications. There is a texture issue. They are great flavor enhancers. I toss a handful into a tomato sauce to boost the flavor. As Harry said, even the soaking water is good for flavor.

Thanks Andy. So, you don't try to let them dry and then sauté them? I guess you're right that they work better as flavour enhancers than as a substitute for fresh mushrooms.

I know about the soaking water, but DH isn't crazy about the flavour of 'shrooms. I would have to make separate stock for me and DH. I have tried saving 'shroom water in the fridge, figuring I would add a little to something, but it always goes bad before I get around to using it.

 

[Andy M.]

...I have tried saving 'shroom water in the fridge, figuring I would add a little to something, but it always goes bad before I get around to using it.

You could freeze it. Then if you add it to a sauce, it can enhance the flavor without making it taste like mushrooms.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

... I have also dried mushrooms myself. But, I am never quite happy with using them. Other than soaking them in hot water, do you know any tricks that make them better?

I've dried mushrooms too! It started out by accident but now I willingly let the accident happen sometimes.

Here's a tip I discovered myself although there's no reason to believe others haven't discovered it too, or maybe it's even in all the best cookbooks... The best way to keep common store bought white mushrooms is to take off the plastic wrap and dump them into a brown paper bag, and keep the bag in a crisper drawer in your refrigerator. Don't wash them until you're ready to use them. I avoid touching them too on the theory that germs or other things on my hands might contaminate them, but maybe not.

Anyway white mushrooms last for up to two weeks in a brown paper bag, which is a lot better than maybe 3 days in the original container. As they age they slowly lose moisture and if you forget them for a month you end up with dried mushrooms. Reconstitute and use in any recipes you would use other dried mushrooms in.

Dried mushrooms don't really replace fresh in many applications. There is a texture issue. They are great flavor enhancers. I toss a handful into a tomato sauce to boost the flavor. As Harry said, even the soaking water is good for flavor.

I agree. Some places are okay for dried mushrooms, but IMO in most situations fresh are always better. I doubt anybody could get good results reconstituting dried mushrooms and trying to saute them with the intention of getting a nice mushroom butter saute like is good on steaks.

dead right andy,dried would be out of bounds for a lot of dishes such as stir fry etc due to texture but they are knock out in casseroles & stews where they do hold their texture & boost flavour,particularly if you use the soaking water as a stock base.dried porcini in rissotto with the soaking water used as the stock...........heavenly!

Actually not so quick Harry! Many Thai and Chinese stir fries call for dried (and reconstituted) Shitaki mushrooms. The recipes are just not right with anything else, or certainly they wouldn't be traditional.

I agree with the casseroles, stews, risotto and certainly rice is a good application of reconstituted dried mushrooms too.

And #1 bad place to use dried mushrooms: In a salad!

 

[kitchenmagician]

portabello's

Portabello's r great for grilling not so for stuffing (unless they r small),if big take out stem,dont throw away,saute all in white wine butter garlic salt pepper COVERED. cook till half done then cool in fridge ,grind up mush stems,add to crabmeat,and panko,do not add sherry,maybe some parm chz,and butter,cook @375 for 20 to 25 min.

 

[Addie]

Portabello's r great for grilling not so for stuffing (unless they r small),if big take out stem,dont throw away,saute all in white wine butter garlic salt pepper COVERED. cook till half done then cool in fridge ,grind up mush stems,add to crabmeat,and panko,do not add sherry,maybe some parm chz,and butter,cook @375 for 20 to 25 min.

Crabmeat is very delicate. Parm cheese will overpower the flavor of the crab. There are very few instances where Parm or Romano cheese is used with seafood They are just too strong. The crab is the star here.

 

[Skittle68]

Portabello's r great for grilling not so for stuffing (unless they r small),if big take out stem,dont throw away,saute all in white wine butter garlic salt pepper COVERED. cook till half done then cool in fridge ,grind up mush stems,add to crabmeat,and panko,do not add sherry,maybe some parm chz,and butter,cook @375 for 20 to 25 min.

Why are portobellas not great for stuffing? What type of mushroom would you use?

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I love portabellas and baby bellas for stuffing. They have a fantastic flavor, they just need a little help with pre-cooking before you stuff them so they don't dry out.