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    Home » Wild Mushroom Recipes

    Saffron Milk Cap Recipes

    About

    Also known as delicious milk caps. Saffron milk caps are a group of edible wild mushroom enjoyed in Europe, but are not as widely known in North America.

    I harvest a few different varieties. If you're new to these mushrooms, check out Saffron Milk Cap Mushrooms: Identification, Harvesting and Cooking.

    orange mushrooms with orange gills

    A large variety of saffron milkcap I pick with white pine.

    Famous in Spain

    These are loved in Spain where they're  known as niscalos, rovellones, or simply setas. They're commonly sold in farmers markets during their season.

    Varieties

    There's a nuber of different types you might come across, including a few harmless look alikes. In Europe they have bleeding milkcaps, which give off a red latex when cut.

    orange mushrooms with green staining on a rock

    Lactarius salmoneus is one milk cap I harvest. notice the green staining on the gills and the edges of the cap.

    In North America, I harvest a few different types of Lactarius deliciosus, as well as my favorite Lactarius thyinos, which is smaller, but less prone to bugs and doesn't stain green. I enjoy all of them.

    a group of orange mushrooms in the woods

    Lactarius thyinos is my favorite species.

    Traditional recipes

    The most traditional recipes usually involve the mushroom caps only. The stems are removed so the caps will lay flat. They're cooked a la plancha or on a griddle and sprinkled with garlic and parsley after cooking.

    Fricando

    Fricando is an old mushroom recipe from Spain.

    veal cooked in sauce with mushrooms and orange mushrooms on the side

    Veal fricando is one of my favorite recipes. You can use chicken.

    Thin cutlets of veal or another meat are quickly sauteed, and stewed with a sauce of mushrooms thickened with ground almonds. Think of it like Picatta's hot cousin.

    General Cooking

    These can be sauteed and cooked from fresh like any other mushroom. They're also pickled in brine or vinegar, but they will become slippery and mucilaginous after pickling.

    fresh orange mushrooms next to jars of pickled mushrooms

    You can pickle these and they'll keep the orange color. You'll need to be gentle to avoid green staining with many varieties.

    Rinse pickled milk caps before using, or add them to a mushroom soup or a sauce. I like them best in sauces and sautes.

     

     

    • Champinones al Ajillo: A Spanish Garlic Mushroom Tapa
    • Classic Caramelized Onions and Mushrooms
    • Rich and Creamy Mushroom Dip
    • Mushroom Tempura
    • Chicken Forestière
    • Pasta alla Checca with Wild Mushrooms
    • Buckwheat Kasha with Wild Mushrooms and Onions
    • Chanterelle Pasta with Roasted Garlic-Wine Sauce
    • Dried Saffron Milk Cap or Lactarius Broth
    • Lactifluus Volemus with Shrimp, Garlic and Parsley
    • Lactarius thyinos: A Delicious Orange Milkcap
    • Saffron Milk Cap Mushroom Paella
    • Bok Choy In Saffron Milk Cap Broth With Quail Eggs
    • Saffron Milk Caps With Chickpeas, Tomato, and Gran Queso
    • Lily Bulbs
    • Wild Mushrooms With Garlic And Parsley
    • Catalan Saffron Milk Caps
    • Saffron Milkcaps With Cumin Yoghurt
    • Lactarius Salmoneus: A Tasty Orange Milk Cap
    • Lobster Mushroom-Entoloma Manhattan Chowder
    • Hot and Sour Venison Soup with Honey Mushrooms
    • Fricando with Mushrooms
    • Dried Mushroom Duxelles
    • Pickled Saffron Milk Cap Mushrooms

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    Chef Alan Bergo

    HI, I'm Alan: James Beard Award-winning Chef, Author, Show Host and Forager. I've been writing about cooking wild food here for over a decade. Let me show you why foraging is the most delicious thing you'll ever do.

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