Fried mushrooms are coated in flour or batter and cooked in hot oil until crispy. They can be made with various types of mushrooms and served as an appetizer or part of a larger meal. The batter can include ingredients like beer, breadcrumbs, and spices. The mushrooms are typically served with dipping sauces and can be added to salads or used with other fried ingredients.
Fried mushrooms are any of many varieties of edible mushrooms that have been coated in flour or batter and cooked in hot oil until the coating is crisp and the mushrooms have lost some of their moisture and become slightly thick. Such mushrooms are popular as an appetizer and as part of a larger meal or salad. They are often served with some type of dipping sauce which can be heavy with ingredients like horseradish or mayonnaise. The outer coating of fried mushrooms can be a light dusting of flour or it can be tempura or beer-based batter that has been allowed to sit for some time before using. For most recipes, white mushrooms are called for, though almost anything can be used, from older cremini mushrooms to shitake or chopped oyster mushrooms.
The mushrooms are prepared for frying with a vigorous cleaning to remove any dirt or other particles, especially from the gills under the cap. The stems don’t need to be removed, although many chefs do cut them down to match the base of the cap to create a solid, compact shape. Recipes sometimes call for the gills to be removed from the cap, although this is mostly a cosmetic choice and won’t make much difference with fried mushrooms, unless you need more room for the breading.
The batter used to fry the mushrooms varies from recipe to recipe. The simplest version involves just flour, eggs and water which are mixed together until well blended. Beer is sometimes used to add extra freshness. You can make lighter coatings by increasing the amount of water for an airy tempura-like texture. Other ingredients may include breadcrumbs, cornmeal, crushed corn flakes, and spices such as cayenne pepper.
Once the mushrooms have been dipped in the batter, they can be allowed to sit for a few minutes on a baking sheet so that the excess batter rolls off the surface and the batter dries out a bit. The oil used for fried mushrooms should be in the range of 350° Fahrenheit to 375° F (about 176° Celsius to 190° C) to cook the batter. As each batch is added, the temperature is monitored, as cooking too many fried mushrooms at once can cause the oil temperature to drop too low.
After drying on a paper towel when they are done cooking, fried mushrooms can be served. When used as a snack or appetizer, they can be accompanied by sauces such as marinara, Russian or ranch dressing, or horseradish dip. Mushrooms can be sliced or added whole to a green salad or can be used with other fried ingredients, such as fried mussels, oysters, or greens.
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