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    Home » Wild Mushroom Recipes » Lobster Mushrooms

    Braised Lobster Mushrooms with Tomato and Leek

    Published: Aug 13, 2020 Modified: Dec 7, 2022 by Alan Bergo This post may contain affiliate links 5 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Braised lobster mushroom with tomato and leek recipe

    A quick stew of lobster mushrooms with tomato, leek, and fresh mint.

    Way back, a long time ago, I wrote a recipe for braising a lobster mushroom whole, and, while it was an ok way to cook them, as the years past, the recipe has been on my list to update, so here you go.

    The original recipe was a simple stewed mushroom cooked whole, and while I liked the dramatic plating it gave me when I would serve it occasionally for vegans and vegetarians in my restaurant days, serving lobsters whole can be tricky if they're dirty, and cutting the lobster mushrooms into larger chunks makes it easier for seasoning to penetrate them.

    That being said, you could still do the same large chunk of the original recipe, but maybe keep the hunks of lobster to 2-3 ounces, and serve 2-3 at a time instead of just one.

    Braised lobster mushroom with tomato and leek recipe

    You'll want a wide, high-sided pan for this.

    Braising (or boiling) lobster mushrooms is a common technique used in South America, especially in the Mihoacan where they're commonly hunted.

    Instead of par boiling them here, I brown them in fat, add some alliums (garlic and leek) some wine, and, the magic ingredient: tomato concasse, or peeled, seeded, chopped tomatoes that eventually break down and make a rich sauce that would be good with just about anything.

    Besides helping to thicken the sauce, the tomato also helps absorb a good glob of butter at the end, which is one of the secrets to making a simple ragu of wild mushrooms that are generally pretty mild taste so good.

    Using other mushrooms 

    There's a lot of different wild mushrooms you could use in this recipe. Here's a few good ones. 

    • Aborted Entoloma / Shrimp of the Woods 
    • Chicken of the Woods 
    • Hen of the Woods 
    Braised lobster mushroom with tomato and leek recipe

    Serve with polenta or crusty bread.

    Braised lobster mushroom with tomato and leek recipe
    Print Recipe
    5 from 2 votes

    Braised Lobster Mushrooms with Tomato and Leek

    Braised lobster mushrooms in a rich tomato-leek sauce. Serves 2-4
    Prep Time30 mins
    Cook Time40 mins
    Course: Appetizer, Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Lobster Mushroms
    Servings: 2

    Ingredients

    • 4 oz bacon or make it vegetarian and use cooking oil
    • 1 lb lobster mushrooms washed, cleaned, and cut into 1.5-2 inch pieces
    • 3 oz 1 heaping cup leek, diced 1 inch
    • 2 large cloves garlic thinly slices
    • Pinch dried chili
    • 1.5 cups chicken or mushroom stock
    • ¼ cup dry white wine
    • 1.5 cups tomatoes blanched, seeded, and diced into 1 inch pieces, juice reserved (see note)
    • 2 tablespoons dried ground lobster mushrooms optional
    • 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
    • 2 tablespoons sliced or torn fresh mint or basil
    • ½ teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
    • Fresh ground black pepper to taste

    Instructions

    • In a wide 12 inch or similar sized pan, render the bacon and reserve, leaving the fat in the pan. Brown the lobster mushrooms in the bacon fat on medium high for 10-15 minutes, seasoning with the salt and pepper along the way.
    • Push the mushrooms to the side of the pan and add the garlic, along with a little extra oil if needed. Cook the garlic until it’s light brown and aromatic, then add the leeks and ground mushrooms if using and cook for 2 minutes more. Add the chili.
    • Deglaze the pan with the wine, cook down by half, then add the stock and bring to a rapid boil. Add the tomatoes and their reserved juice along with the rendered bacon and cook on medium-high for 15-20 minutes or until slightly thickened.
    • Double check the seasoning for salt, adjust as needed, then add torn mint to taste, and serve with a vehicle for the juices, like soft polenta or crusty bread.

    Notes

    If you haven't concassed tomatoes, here's the process: take a large tomato and core it, then score the bottom with an X. Plunge the tomato into boiling water for 30 seconds, then remove and cool. Peel the tomatoes, discard the skin, then cut into ¼'s, squeeze the seeds and juice into a strainer over a bowl. Cut the tomato ¼'s into 1 inch pieces and reserve them and the juice separately. 

    More lobster mushrooms 

    Braised lobster mushroom with tomato and leek recipe

    « How to Make Mushroom Butter
    Fried Milkweed Pods »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Judy

      October 20, 2020 at 3:48 pm

      5 stars
      This recipe resulted in a fabulous meal! It was such fun to make with my neighbors freshly foraged lobster mushrooms. I used olive oil instead of bacon and served it on fresh pasta with a mild herbed chicken sausage. Definitely a keeper. Thanks so much!

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        October 20, 2020 at 5:58 pm

        Judy, Glad it worked for you.

        Reply
    2. Jill

      December 29, 2022 at 8:34 pm

      Can you make this with dried lobster mushrooms? If so, how?

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        December 30, 2022 at 10:23 am

        You could, but it's not quite the same as dried lobster mushrooms are more chewy than fresh ones. I would substitute a cultivated variety in the off-season.

        Reply
        • Jill

          January 12, 2023 at 11:29 pm

          Thanks for your response!

          Reply

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