You know those funny looking mushrooms that are all stem with a tiny little cap? Aptly named the king trumpet mushroom; they are surprisingly easy to cook with this basic technique.
Have you ever tasted one?
Recipe Snapshot
Star Ingredient: king trumpet mushroom
Flavor Affinities: CORN + ONION SPROUTS + RED PEPPER FLAKES
Function: cooling
Tastes: bursting with umami with sweet and spicy garnish
Textures: meaty and juicy
Ease: easy
Method: grilling
Wisdom: Grill until the mushroom develops a wet appearance, so you know it will be juicy and meaty.
Don’t let the gourmet appearance fool you into thinking these are fussy. If you can heat a grill, then you can cook these tasty little guys – no doubt about it.
As you can see, I made mine on a stove-top cast iron griddle. Yes, I set off the smoke alarm, but it was well worth it. To get started, I’ll show you my favorite way to cut and garnish the stem…
Start with a crosswise cut – about an inch thick. With this cut, they are surprisingly similar to scallops (in terms of appearance and texture).
One of my favorite vendors at the farmer’s market is the mushroom stall (mushroom nerd right here). I bought this behemoth yesterday — weighing in around 1 pound! — along with some corn on the cob and onion sprouts. Turns out, both are fantastic with this grilled mushroom.
How to Cook King Trumpet Mushrooms
Preheat a cast iron griddle (grate side up) or light some coals for some good ol’ fashioned barbecue. You want the grates to be screaming hot so the mushroom goes sizzle.
Before grilling, dunk the slice (front and back) into a high heat oil (olive oil, refined coconut oil, ghee). Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place directly on the grates.
Sear for a few minutes to get a deep dark char. When you see the juices coming to the surface and the mushroom shrinking, you know you have mastered the technique.
Garnish each bite-sized piece with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes. They taste best hot and always impress people as appetizers. To make these into a meal, you could serve over polenta with some basil vinaigrette.
I know from hosting lots of parties, that people love mushrooms, but don’t like to experiment until they’ve tried something. For all you trumpet mushroom first timers, you simply have to tell me if this technique wins you over. I have a good feeling about this one.
Do you love the simplicity and flavor of grilled foods? You will love these firecracker grilled yams or this grilled lemongrass chicken satay.
Meaty Grilled Trumpet Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 2 wide trumpet mushrooms cut crosswise into 1" thick slices
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- salt
- ground pepper
- red pepper flakes for garnish
- corn optional, for garnish
- onion sprouts optional, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat a grill or cast iron griddle over medium high heat.
- Dip the mushroom slices in the oil, coating both sides and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on the screaming hot grill grates. Sear both sides for several minutes until the mushroom develops a char and releases its juices.
- Serve with a small pinch of red pepper flakes. Garnish with fresh corn and onion sprouts. See notes for other suggestions. Serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition
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