Lion's Mane Mushrooms

[larry_stewart]

My Lion's Mane shrooms have been harvested. In the past I've pan fried them basted with BBQ sauce. I also made Lion's Mane ' Crab Cakes' ( which I'm actually in the process of making again since I have so many), but the other day I tried something else. I put them on a lightly oiled panini press, a little salt and pepper then pressed them to about 1/4 an inch. I then breaded them with Just egg and seasoned panic bread crumbs. Once coated, I pan fried them until crispy. They were like little mushroom nuggets. I made a mustard/ mayo sauce to dip in. Came out very well.

 

[taxlady]

Do you squeeze the moisture out of them before you start?

 

[larry_stewart]

Do you squeeze the moisture out of them before you start?

No. believe it or not, there is little moisture . They are very spongy, so they compress pretty easily. ive seen people press them by cooking them In a Cast Iron pan, with another on top. It's more convenient for me to just put it in a panini press. Takes a few minutes. Lightly oiled.

In my opinion, they need something else after the press. Their flavor is a mild mushroom with a hint of seafood flavor. Initial consistency is like a sponge. After pressing its gets more of a rubbery-mushroom texture, with layers. If fried( after pressing) they develop a slight crisp to them. If ripped into pieces (when fresh before pressing) it theoretically resembles crab meat cause of the flaky-ness , which I'm taking their word for as I've never had crab before.

 

[taxlady]

Hmm, I read about squeezing out the moisture, so I tried. I was startled by the amount of moisture that came out of the lion's mane mushrooms I had. It might have been because they had been in my fridge for a while.

 

[larry_stewart]

Possible. From my experience, it was minimal. Definitely significantly less than other mushrooms Ive dealt with. I grew them myself, so they couldn't have been any fresher. Not sure if that makes a difference or not.

 

[dragnlaw]

I thought so too Larry. The one (and only) time I grew and cooked them, they were not at all the same moisture content of others.

 

[Jade Emperor]

Lion’s Mane mushrooms are really important in Thai cuisine. I never have squeezed the moisture out of them, for reasons actually unknown. I just like them as they come.
They are quite expensive here in Australia

 

[blissful]

When I watched a video on frying mushrooms (not lions mane in particular), there was pressing going on. It was not for moisture reasons. I believe it was to compress the foamy texture and give it a more meat-like texture.
Tofu does the same. If you freeze it then thaw (even more than once), squeeze it out, it is quite foamy leaving room to suck up the marinade. If you press it for a long period of time it will be denser and more meat-like as well.
@larry_stewart I love seeing pictures of your mushrooms and all the step by step and environmental things you do for them! It's quite an art.

 

[larry_stewart]

When I watched a video on frying mushrooms (not lions mane in particular), there was pressing going on. It was not for moisture reasons. I believe it was to compress the foamy texture and give it a more meat-like texture.
Tofu does the same. If you freeze it then thaw (even more than once), squeeze it out, it is quite foamy leaving room to suck up the marinade. If you press it for a long period of time it will be denser and more meat-like as well.
@larry_stewart I love seeing pictures of your mushrooms and all the step by step and environmental things you do for them! It's quite an art.

With the lions Mane, pressing definitely is for texture purposes. Prior to pressing its like a pom pom, very soft and airy. After pressing, has more of a ' meaty' texture. Because of all the layers, it creates a flakiness when pressed .

 

[larry_stewart]

Just picked my second flush of Lion's Mane Shrooms. For those who have never heard of them, cooked with them, or even had them in your hands, I took a few pics so you can get a better idea of their consistency. The mushroom is not dense at all. It's like a pom pom. Each individual ' pom pom' could range from the size of a golf ball to the size of a small head of Cauliflower. The outer part is flakey, with thin fronds/ extensions that are anywhere from a mm to a cm. There is another variety similar where these extensions could get even longer. Mine are a little over grown, thats why the pics show them on the longer side. Just beneath these extensions are stems, which too me resemble the inside structure of a cauliflower, yet a lot less dense ( even less dens than the typical white button mushroom). Because they are so spongy, they can be compressed easily. And because of all these little extensions, when compressed they form multiple layers creating a firm, but flakey consistency. When they are torn apart, you kinda get a dual consistency. The light , flakey outside with a slightly more firm inside. They have a subtle mushroom flavor, some say with a hint of a seafood-like flavor. Last week I pressed them in the panini press ,coated with pano and make little mushroom bites. Today, I ripped them into little pieces, added mayo, egg, onions, mustard, panko bread crumbs, lemon, some other herbs and spices and made vegan ' crab cakes'. ( vegan mayo and just egg with a pinch of black salt). The outer part creates the flakiness and the inner part gives it a little bit of bite and chew.

 

[dragnlaw]

They look absolutely scrumptious. I would dearly love to try them again. Providing of course, I can find them "up here" at a reasonable cost. I know they will be expensive but Not going to pay an arm nor a leg.

 

[larry_stewart]

They look absolutely scrumptious. I would dearly love to try them again. Providing of course, I can find them "up here" at a reasonable cost. I know they will be expensive but Not going to pay an arm nor a leg.

I don't blame you. They're fun to play and experiment with, but all in all, just an expensive weird looking mushroom. The only place I have seen them for sale was at Whole Foods, and it was a ridiculous price.

 

[taxlady]

Thanks for the detailed descriptions, Larry.

 

[Jade Emperor]

@larry_stewart - they definitely give a beautiful umami. If you are wanting to create authentic Thai food, they are absolutely worth the effort to find.
A great many cookbooks about Asian food will tell you that you can substitute all kinds of ingredients, because Asian cooks themselves do this. That’s true. Food in Asian countries is dependent on what you can find, a lot of dishes are very regional due to availability of different ingredients.
For us, now in a “global village” a wide variety of ingredients are available to us with a bit of effort.