Just in time for National Salad Day: As promised, this is Part II of my ingredient expedition adventure. The “find”- Pleurotus eryngii- better known as King Mushrooms, French Horn, King Oyster, Boletus of the Steppes or Trumpet Royale. They are from the Oyster mushroom family, or otherwise known as pluerotes.
Mushrooms are often the accent of the salad, or a null addendum to a bright flavor base. These regal beauties have enough oomph to stand up on their own, and you’ll want to let them. So gorgeous and plump- they command attention. They also have a hearty shelf life, so if you find them, you can stock up a week of treats and they’ll hold up fine.
The flavor is fairly neutral which makes them a great platform for any handling. Sliced as planks their sturdiness also makes them great for grilling.
I decided to fry up some slices of garlic and some of my purple sage leaves and leave it at that. The earthiness of the mushroom is a nice pairing to nutty browned butter. The garlic became caramelized and the sage added a crunch and herbacious hit that was simplistic perfection.
I like to serve these as a small plate with wine or cocktails.
- 10 stems of King Mushrooms, approx 8 ounces
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced
- 20 leaves of purple sage, rinsed and dried
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- salt and pepper to taste
- Trim and slice mushrooms in to 1/8" slices and arrange on a plate.
- In a frying pan, warm the butter over medium low heat and add the garlic and sage. Cook until the garlic and butter turns golden and the sage crisps. 4 minutes.
- Remove the sage and set aside.
- Add the olive oil and the wine and cook for 3 minutes over medium low heat.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Spoon dressing while still warm over the mushrooms and finish with the sage.
Willow says
May 1, 2013 at 9:53 pmThis salad looks gorgeous! Your photos are incredible – the shot of that sage frying away in the pan has my mouth watering. I adore mushrooms, and with spring finally here I can’t wait to get my hands on some. Yum!
Gail Watson says
May 2, 2013 at 5:50 amThank you for your sweet words- enjoy your spring!
Lokness @ The Missing Lokness says
May 3, 2013 at 3:34 pmWhat a beautiful presentation! I love the nutty flavor of the brown butter and the sage. The only thing is that I am not sure about the raw mushrooms. How were they? I don’t think I have ever eaten mushroom raw.
Gail Watson says
May 3, 2013 at 4:56 pmMushrooms are delicious raw- this recipe also works nicely if you would prefer to grill your mushrooms first though. Thank you for your compliment and comment- G
Mushrooms Canada says
May 6, 2013 at 8:24 amAbsolutely beautiful salad! King Oyster mushrooms are so versatile and great for grilling, but this salad is a must-try! Thanks for sharing!
-Shannon
Gail Watson says
May 6, 2013 at 3:05 pmThank you Shannon- The buttery richness of the dressing makes this raw salad awesome.
Phil says
May 6, 2013 at 7:15 pmYour photos and presentation are always spot on! This would make for a nice appetizer or nibbler with some wine as you said.