Dried Lobster Mushroom Rub

Ingredients for our lobster mushroom rub.

If you hunt lobster mushrooms, chances are you end up with a surplus of dried ones at the end of the season. If you don’t keep on top of using them, that surplus can double up if there’s any left once mushroom hunting season starts again where you live. Unlike some other mushrooms I pick, morels for example, I almost prefer lobster mushrooms dried, since their shellfish reminiscent flavor concentrates, and, since cooked fresh, lobster mushrooms can be a bit underwhelming sometimes.

I’ve already been digging into the years stash.

Lobster mushroom powder will help you use up that bounty 

One of my favorite recipes for using up dried lobster mushrooms in the winter (or anytime) is grinding them into powder and making rubs for fish and poultry. The mushrooms brown up great in a little fat, developing toasty-caramelized mushroom notes, and, to boot, it’s a great way to use up a bunch of them in a sitting, if that’s something your after.

Walleye with lobster mushroom crust has been a favorite of mine for a long time.

I’ve added some spices that go well with the lobster mushroom flavor profile here, specifically a little cayenne and mild (not smoked) paprika, but I try to keep it simple-mushrooms should be the vast majority of the rub. Since rubs always benefit from a little garlic or onion powder, there’s some dehydrated ramp bulbs ground up into the mix too.

Burbot, or any white-fleshed fish is great dredged in lobster rub.

Don’t have dried wild ramps? No prob. You could easily subtitute a little onion powder for the ramps if you don’t pick them. I don’t reccomend garlic powder though, or even worse garlic granules, as they’re too strong for my tastes a lot of the time. Of course, lobsters aren’t the only shrooms that like to be made into blends, if you pick slippery jacks or lots of boletes, you might like check my slippery jack rub made with coffee.

Tossing some burbot chunks in the lobster mushroom rub.

If you want to keep the flavors pure, or just don’t feel like crafting a blend, ground, dried mushrooms by themselves, especially lobster mushrooms, can make a great crust all by themselves with no added ingredients. Do make sure to season whatever you’re making with salt though, as there isn’t any included in the rub-I like to have complete control over the salt level of my food. 

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Dried Lobster Mushroom Rub

Yield: about 1/4 cup, enough to crust fish for 4 people as an entree Ingredients 

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Lobster Mushrooms, Spice Rub

Ingredients

• 70 grams dried lobster mushrooms
• 1 gram 1.5 teaspoons finely ground dried ramp bulbs (don't use the leaves) or substitute onion powder
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
• 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika

Instructions

• In a high speed blender, or working in batches in a spice grinder, grind all ingredients until fine and homogenous.
• Transfer to a container, label, date and store.
• The mushroom rub will keep, unrefrigerated, for a long time, but I like to make it fresh in small batches.