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Award-winning chef, author and forager Alan Bergo. Food is all around you.

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Blackened Shrimp of The Woods

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Shrimp of the woods mushrooms or aborted entolomas.

At the restaurant I like to keep cleaned, gently rinsed mushrooms covered between two towels in an open container like the fish box pictured. Washing them before storing helps them not dessicate in the fridge. Pictured are aborted entolomas and a hericium-left.

When I’m hunting Hen of the Woods, aborted entolomas can get passed up as I scan the trees for a white oak with a giant mushroom at it’s base. It’s a shame to pass them up since aborted entolomas are so easy to hunt and cook, but if every mushroom tasted as good as every other one, they wouldn’t be any fun. That being said, even in so-so mushroom years (my 2017 maitake drought for example) you can go to a spot still get enough entolomas to fix a few meals. Whether you think of aborted entolomas as a consolation prize for finding hens is up to you.

Like I’ve said before, these can be bland if they aren’t treated right, they need to be caramelized and browned for their flavor to come out and shine. That being said, a great way to think about how to use them is to think of recipes where you like to use shrimp, and plug in the entolomas, making sure that they get caramelized in whatever dish you’re using them in.

While I was gathering mushrooms for a dinner the other week, I found a nice vein of entolomas and had enough left over to cook some for myself after the dinner. I remembered blackening shrimp at one of the first restaurants I worked at, so I started developing a spice mix to use with the mushrooms.

Blackened Shrimp of the Woods

Tossing the mushrooms with the seasoning in a bag helps you not make a mess.

I had mine with a little green salad, but you could do all sorts of stuff with them. At the old restaurant Melvins on the Lake in Spicer MN, we used to toss blackened shrimp with pasta and alfredo sauce, but that’s a little heavy for me right now. I’m sure you can think of plenty of different ways to use these little spicy mushroom poofs.

There are a few things to know about blackening, spice mixtures, and different schools of cooking this way so I’m going to give you some notes to think about if you haven’t made similar things before.

Blackened Shrimp of the Woods mushroomsChef’s Notes

  • Before you start cooking, open the windows in the kitchen, turn on the fan, then turn on another fan, unplug all smoke detectors, tie a rag around your face and put on some goggles. Loved ones may want to go into another room and close the door. If you have a small apartment kitchen, you may want to cook outdoors, or at someone else’s house where they have a hood vent above the stove. Remember, cayenne contains the same compound used to make pepper spray. Some day when you’re older I’ll tell you stories of my pranking restaurant staff with high heat pans and dried chilis.
  • To me, blackening usually means the item to be cooked gets dipped in clarified butter, rolled in seasoning then cooked in cast iron on high heat, but I found that this gave me a little too much seasoning on my mushrooms.
  • I found if I wash the entolomas, then nestle them in a towel to dry, they still retain enough moisture to be coated perfectly with seasoning when I shook them in a bag. Also, it’s fun to shake food in a bag.
  • Blackened foods are usually flat, like a steak or a piece of fish. Doing the same with a mushroom shaped like an alien popcorn ball is not easy. You will not get uniform blackening, it’s ok.
  • The blackening spice here is spicy, but it isn’t as spicy as many. My advice: cook a mushroom by itself to taste the seasoning, then adjust with a little more cayenne if you want more kick.

Blackened Shrimp of the Woods or aborted entoloma mushrooms

 

Blackened Shrimp of the Woods or aborted entoloma mushrooms
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Blackened Shrimp of the Woods Mushrooms

Aborted entoloma mushrooms with a spicy, blackened coating
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time5 mins
Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Blackened, Creole, Shrimp of the woods

Equipment

  • Heavy pan, like cast iron

Ingredients

  • For the blackening spice
  • Yield: about 3/4 cup
  • 5 tablespoons sweet paprika
  • 2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 2 tablespoons dried thyme
  • 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper or more to taste

For Cooking the Mushrooms

  • Clarified butter lard, or high heat cooking oil, as needed
  • Kosher salt to taste
  • Beaten egg white (optional)

Instructions

  • Mix the blackening ingredients together, then store in a labeled, dated container, it will last for 6 months in a cool, dry place.
  • Clean the mushrooms, dip in water and swish to remove any grit. Allow the mushrooms to rest between towels to weep water until ready to cook This can be done ahead of time.
  • When you're ready to cook, remember to turn on a fan and unplug the smoke detector, if you can't, tie a rag around your breathing parts. Brush the mushrooms lightly with egg white if using, then season with salt to taste. Toss with the blackening seasoning or shake in a plastic bag until well coated.
  • Heat a cast iron skillet until very hot, then add the clarified butter, wiping around the pan so that only a film of fat remains-this is important as too much fat can remove some of the coating, especially if you don't opt to crust the mushrooms using egg white.
  • Cook the mushrooms, trying not to move them around until a dark crust forms where they contact the pan. Turn the mushrooms over and caramelize the other sides, adding more clarified butter or lard if needed. When the mushrooms are caramelized, cooked, you're done coughing and the smoke has died down, serve immediately.

Notes

If you want to try this, cook a test mushroom with my spice blend below. If you want it more spicy, add some cayenne, but it's easier to add spices to a blend than it is to remove. It took me 3 batches of trial blends to get one that I thought was balanced.
Brushing the mushrooms with beaten egg white is optional, but will give you the best crust. 
Baby gem lettuce with buttermilk dressing, herbs, pumpkinseeds, tomato, cucumber, and blackened aborted entoloma mushrooms.

Great on a salad. Pictured: gem lettuce, buttermilk dressing, avocado, tomato, pumpkinseeds, flat beans, cucumber and entolomas.

 

Related

Previous Post: « Pan Roasted Honey Mushrooms
Next Post: In Search of White Tomatoes »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Barbara

    October 10, 2017 at 8:10 am

    This is so close to what I use in my black beans and rice that it made me smile. I think your mixture will be perfect for the mushrooms and am looking forward to using it. Thank you.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Foraging Puffball Mushrooms — Practical Self Reliance says:
    December 1, 2018 at 4:19 pm

    […] of the woods are edible, and here’s a recipe if you find […]

    Reply
  2. Shrimp of the Woods Mushroom Hunting Guide - Morel Mushroom Hunting Chat and Forums says:
    January 22, 2020 at 11:29 pm

    […] Blackened Shrimp of The Woods […]

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FORAGER | CHEF®
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Author: The Forager Chef’s Book of Flora
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Alan Bergo
HALP! I’ve been keeping an eye on two loaded mul HALP! I’ve been keeping an eye on two loaded mulberry trees and both got a bunch of fruit knocked down by the storms and wind. 

If anyone in West WI or around the Twin Cities knows of some trees, (ideally on private property but beggars can’t be choosers) that I could climb and shake with a tarp underneath, shoot me a DM and let’s pick some! 🤙😄

TIA

#throwadogabone #mansquirrel #beattlefruit #mulberries #shakintrees
Lampascioni, or edible hyacinth bulbs are one of t Lampascioni, or edible hyacinth bulbs are one of the more interesting things I’ve eaten. 

These are an ancient wild food traditionally harvested in Southern Italy, especially in Puglia and the Salentine Peninsula, as well as Greece and Crete. I’ve seen at least 6-7 different names for them. 

A couple different species are eaten, but Leopoldia comosa is probably the one I see mentioned the most. They also grow wild in North America. 

The bulbs are toxic raw, but edible after an extended boil. Traditionally they’re preserved in vinegar and oil, pickled, or preserves in other methods using acid and served as antipasti. (Two versions in pic 3). 

They’re one of the most heavily documented traditional wild foods I’ve seen. There’s a few shots of book excerpts here.

The Oxford companion to Italian Food says you can eat them raw-don’t do that. 

Even after pickling, the bulbs are aggressively extremely bitter. Definitely an acquired taste, but one that’s grown on me. 

#traditionalfoods #vampagioli #lampascione #cucinapovera #lampascioni #leopoldiacomosa #foraging
Went to some new spots yesterday looking for poke Went to some new spots yesterday looking for poke sallet and didn’t do too well (I’m at the tip of its range). I did see some feral horseradish though which I don’t see very often. 

Just like wild parsnip, this is the exact same plant you see in the store and garden-just escaped. 

During the growing season the leaves can be good when young. 

They have an aggressive taste bitter enough to scare your loved ones. Excellent in a blend of greens cooked until extra soft, preferably with bacon or similar. 

For reference, you don’t harvest the root while the plant is growing as they’ll be soft and unappealing-do that in the spring or fall. This is essentially the same as when people tell you to harvest in months that have an R in them. 

#amoraciarusticana #foraging #horseradishleaves #horseradish #bittergreens
In Italy chicken of the woods is known as “fungo In Italy chicken of the woods is known as “fungo del carrubo” (carob tree mushroom) as it’s one of the common tree hosts there. 

My favorite, and really the only traditional recipe I’ve found for them so far is simmered in a spicy tomato sauce with hot chile and capers, served with grilled bread. 

Here I add herbs too: fresh leaves of bee balm that are perfect for harvesting right now and have a flavor similar to oregano and thyme. 

Makes a really good side dish or app, especially if you shower it with a handful of pecorino before scooping it up with the bread. 

#chickenofthewoods #fungodelcarrubo #allthemushroomtags #traditionalfoods #beebalm
First of the year 😁. White-pored chicken of t First of the year 😁. 

White-pored chicken of the woods (Laetiporus cincinnatus) are my favorite chicken. 

Superior bug resistance, slightly better flavor + texture. They also stay tender longer compared to their more common yellow-pored cousins. Not a single bug in this guy. 

#treemeat #ifoundfood #foraging #laetiporuscincinnatus #chickenofthewoods
TBT brisket face 💦. Staff meal with @jesseroes TBT brisket face 💦. Staff meal with 
@jesseroesler and crew @campwandawega
📸 @misterberndt 

#staffmeal #brisket #meatsweats #naptime
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