Mushroom Pan-Fry Recipe: Button Mushrooms and Porcini with Fresh Herbs

A pan of mushrooms takes no more than 20 minutes: clean and slice the mushrooms, fry them hard in hot fat, add shallots and garlic, then fold in fresh herbs right at the end. It all happens in a single pan, and most of the time goes on the cleaning.

September is when this really comes into its own. The first porcini are coming out of the woods, king oyster mushrooms and button mushrooms are around all year regardless, and the herb bed still has parsley and thyme in full strength. Mix two or three varieties and a simple side turns into a dish that can stand on its own – with a slice of bread, or spooned over mashed potato.

Ingredients

Serves 4:

• 600g mixed mushrooms (e.g. 300g button mushrooms, 200g porcini, 100g king oyster mushrooms)
• 2 shallots
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp clarified butter or rapeseed oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 4 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 100ml double cream (optional)
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Clean the mushrooms: rub them dry with a brush or some kitchen paper rather than holding them under running water. Trim the base of the stalks on the porcini.
2. Halve or quarter the button mushrooms, and slice the porcini and king oyster mushrooms into roughly 5mm slices. The Nakiri Knife is ideal for this: its wide, straight blade cuts cleanly through in one stroke, without crushing the soft gills.
3. Peel the shallots and dice them finely. Put the unpeeled garlic straight into the Garlic Press and press it into a small bowl – this keeps your hands clean, and the garlic ends up spreading more evenly than if it were roughly chopped.
4. Heat the clarified butter until very hot in a large frying pan. Add the mushrooms in batches – better to fry twice than overcrowd the pan. Leave them undisturbed for 2 minutes, then turn and fry for 5 to 6 minutes in total, until golden brown.
5. Reduce the heat, add the butter and shallots, and fry for 2 minutes. Only now stir in the garlic, and let it cook for just 30 seconds so it doesn't turn bitter.
6. Season with salt and pepper. If you'd like it creamier, pour in the double cream and let it reduce for 2 minutes.
7. Chop the parsley and thyme, fold them in, and finish with the lemon juice. Serve immediately.

kjøk Tip

Salt the mushrooms right at the end. Salt draws out water, and mushrooms sitting in their own juices turn soft instead of brown – the most common reason a mushroom pan-fry goes wrong. If you cook a lot of vegetables and mushrooms, you'll find the right tools in our Cutting range. To look after your knife, wipe off any soil and mushroom juice from the blade as soon as you've finished cooking, then wash it by hand and dry it straight away – never put it in the dishwasher, where the edge and handle both suffer. Sharpen the blade regularly and the clean cut will stay that way. Rinse out the garlic press straight away too, while any residue is still damp. Wash olive wood handles briefly by hand, dry them well, and rub them with a little cooking oil now and then.

FAQs

Can I wash mushrooms?

Better not to. Mushrooms soak up water and become almost impossible to fry properly afterwards. Rubbing them dry with kitchen paper or a soft brush is enough – only rinse very sandy wild mushrooms briefly, and pat them dry straight away.

Which mushrooms can I mix?

Anything that cooks at a similar rate: button mushrooms, king oyster mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, porcini and chanterelles all work well together. Slice the firmer varieties a little thinner than the soft ones, so everything's ready at the same time.

Why do my mushrooms turn mushy?

Usually the pan's too full or not hot enough. Fry in two batches instead, and leave the mushrooms undisturbed for the first two minutes so they can build up some colour before you move them.