How to Cook Lion’s Mane Mushroom
Cooking lions mane mushrooms is incredibly simple, and well worth the time you spend learning more about this puffy, white mushroom. It is believed to taste seafood-like, like crab and lobster, but I would dispute this description. Because of mushrooms unique flavors, cooking them as simple as possible is best. The dense texture of Lions Mane Mushrooms means they are excellent to fry, fry, stew, in sauces, and to roast.
I was lucky enough to learn about Lions Mane Mushrooms from my cousin, Judy Dean. She grows these mushrooms and gave me several mushrooms to use in cooking.
Where have these mushrooms been my whole life! Cannot get enough of these. A Lions Mane mushroom growing kit is coming to my home right now. But now, where am I going to source more of those mushrooms?
Now that I have learned a little bit more about this incredible mushroom, I tracked down a local farmer who was willing to sell me a few. Also, check your local farmers markets. If you can find Lions Mane mushrooms, then try this saute recipe.
How to Cook Lion’s Mane Mushroom
Prepare Lions Mane Mushrooms for Cooking. Clean the mushrooms, remove all the mud and nasty spots. Shred the mushrooms using your hands, breaking them up into smaller pieces.
Or, cut them up with a chefs knife to chop them up into slices, or chop them up into smaller pieces, depending on how you like them to be prepared. Remember to keep things simple when cooking mushrooms. Gather all of the ingredients for cooking the mushrooms.
In a pot on medium-high heat, throw in mushrooms to the dry skillet. Cook off any water from the mushrooms before adding oil or butter. Dry roast mushrooms during the early cooking stages to get the best results.
How Long To Cook Lion’s Mane Mushrooms
Keep chucking in mushrooms, but allow to browned for flavors. When you get golden brown colour in mushrooms, stir in a little olive oil and add more salt if desired. Cooking times will range from 5-10 minutes depending on how moist your mushrooms are.
Cooking Lion’s Mane on a Griddle
Preheat a Blackstone griddle over a medium-high heat. Cut mushrooms to desired sizes. On a dry, hot griddle, add the cut lions mane mushrooms and saute for about 2 minutes. Using a spatula, flip over the mushrooms.
Continue cooking for several minutes, until you get a nice, brown color. You want to allow the mushrooms to slightly dry out. At this point, you can add whatever flavors you like, like butter, garlic, spices, olive oil, or cooked mushrooms into your desired recipes.
FAQ’s on Cooking Lion’s Mane
Can Lion’s Mane Mushrooms be dried?
In the dehydrator, put the smaller pieces of mushrooms on a drying rack in one layer. At 110-125 degrees, dehydrate for a few hours, until no moisture remains in the mushrooms.
Mushrooms will have a leathery look, and drying times vary depending on the moisture content. Once mushrooms are fully dried, store them in sealed containers for up to one year.
How To Store Leftover Mushrooms
These fresh mushrooms only keep for about one week. To avoid waste of your fresh mushrooms, you are encouraged to roast any you are not using for up to seven days. Once sauteed, chill and store in a sealed container in the refrigerator up to 6 days.
What Can You Make With Lion’s Mane Mushrooms?
Pasta dishes, omelets, soups, stews, risottos, wild rice, casseroles, stroganoff are a few recipes that can be made.
Can I Freeze Any Unused Lion’s Mane Mushrooms?
Cooked lions mane mushrooms may be frozen. It is not recommended that you freeze fresh mushrooms due to high moisture content that these mushrooms contain. Once browned, chill and store in a freezer-safe container or in a freezer-safe bag.
Put a label on it that says the proper name, date, and how many are in the container. Seal the vacuum pack to prolong the mushrooms lifespan.
No thawing required once they are ready for use. Simply throw it into a recipe of your choice, or simmer it on a hot pan.
