Fried Chanterelle Mushrooms And Potatoes Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Do you soak chanterelle before cooking? ›

Fill a colander with cold water and place the mushrooms in it. Rinse them briefly, ensuring that they are submerged for no more than a few seconds. The purpose of this brief rinse is to remove any remaining dirt or debris without saturating the mushrooms.

You pan-fry them in a dry skillet for a bit before introducing butter, along with garlic if you wish, to finish the mushrooms and provide a soft, velvety mouthfeel with just a bit of crunch around the edges. Eat the chanterelles by themselves, in an omelet, or just spooned over a good steak.

If you're specifically worried about the *quantity* that you eat: Particularly with chanterelles, they contain a toxin called gyromitrin when raw. Consuming large amounts of raw chanterelles can lead to vomiting and headaches. However, cooking these mushrooms destroys the toxin, so they're safe when cooked.

They're prized for their delicate flavor. Both the stems and caps are edible. Nutritionally, chanterelle mushrooms are high in fiber, and contain vitamin B and D–and some trace minerals, as well.

Trim their ends, and soak the mushrooms for five minutes. Drain, and dry very well and carefully; a salad spinner is perfect for removing moisture from the frills. (If you don't have a salad spinner; bundle them gently into a thin cotton dish towel and swing them like a windmill. This is best done outside.)

Though not as common as some other mushroom varieties, dried and fresh chanterelle mushrooms can likely be found at many specialty stores, online retailers, and farmers' markets in your area. You can enjoy them raw or cooked, though most people prefer the flavor and texture of cooked chanterelle mushrooms.

Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add chanterelles and cook for around 3 minutes or so, stirring occasionally, until they start to brown. If they release water - that's okay, just allow it to evaporate on its own.

Refrigerate: You can store raw chanterelles in the refrigerator. Places the mushrooms in a paper bag or in a bowl loosely covered with a paper towel to let them breathe. They will last up to ten days in the refrigerator. If the chanterelles turn slimy, discard them.

After trying many recipes, we still prefer to cook chanterelles by baking them for 20 minutes in chicken broth with coarsely chopped onions. Serve this over rice or pasta. Potatoes will overpower the chanterelle flavor, as will many other vegetables. Very few people eat chanterelles raw.

Avoid Eating Raw

If chanterelle mushrooms are taken raw, they can cause nausea and vomiting. Some people may be completely fine even after eating them raw. However, to consume them safely, it is better to cook them before eating to prevent unintended side effects.

Why are chanterelles so expensive? ›

The main reason for chanterelles' $224-per-pound price is that they're infamously difficult to cultivate. They mostly grow in the wild, meaning they must be foraged, and they require a period of heavy rainfall in a coniferous forest, followed by several days of continuous heat and high humidity.

Plus, the growing season only lasts from late spring until early autumn. It's a tight market. On average, chanterelles run for about $224 per pound. For reference, a pound of organic portobello mushrooms from a Whole Foods Market in Brooklyn, N.Y., costs $5.99 per pound.

However, it's important to keep in mind that Chanterelle mushrooms are delicate and can become tough if overcooked. One of the best ways to cook Chanterelle mushrooms is to sauté them with garlic and butter. Start by heating a large skillet over medium-high heat and adding a tablespoon of butter.

Make sure to leave a few mushrooms, or fruiting bodies, here and there in your patch. As they mature and go through their natural cycle, they will release spores that propagate the area. When harvesting, it doesn't matter if you cut the mushroom at the stem or pull the whole mushroom and trim the bottom.

Because of this soil structure, a heavy rain will push up tiny sand particles into the ridges, or “false gills” of the mushroom so they almost always need to be washed well with water. If you only have a handful of chanterelles, you can rinse under very low running water in the sink.