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    Home » Wild Mushroom Recipes » Morels

    Pickled Morel Mushrooms

    Published: May 15, 2013 Modified: Nov 10, 2022 by Alan Bergo This post may contain affiliate links 14 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    pickled, mushroom, morel,

    Never heard of pickling morel mushrooms? You're missing out. Drying morels is great, their flavor gets concentrated and rich and they make a wicked sauce. There's a bit of a trade off in their texture though, which happens when you dry any mushroom. After drying, mushrooms get a bit more chewy, and just aren't as succulent as fresh.

    Part of the issue of pickled morels sounding odd is that you generally think of pickles as something you eat cold, but they're just as good if not better warmed up or used any way that you'd like to serve fresh morels.

    Since they're pickles, they're a bit acidic, but that acid can be a real benefit if you know what to do with them. Slipping them into a sauce or gravy will fool anyone you know, I guarantee you. The acid added to them in the pickling process also makes them a shoe-in for a vinaigrette or salad, the possibilities are really endless.

    pickled morel mushrooms

    Small morels have the best texture for pickling, but larger ones will still taste good.

    Before I wrote this recipe a while back, I'd pickled plenty of wild mushrooms, for some reason it never occurred to me to pickle morels though. I was looking through an old Roman cookbook of mine one day, and saw a cooking method I recognized as a basic pickle. The method called for morels to be cooked with verjus (acidic juice of unripe grapes) and oil. I knew I had to try pickling them, a couple years later I've used the basic recipe for hundreds of pounds of these guys.

    Pickled, mushroom, morel,

    pickled morel mushrooms
    Print Recipe
    4.67 from 3 votes

    Pickled Morel Mushrooms

    Yield:  4 half pint canning jars or two pints jars
    Prep Time5 mins
    Cook Time25 mins
    Servings: 4 pints

    Ingredients

    • Roughly 1.5 lbs fresh small morels
    • 3 cups water
    • 1 tablespoon salt
    • 5 black peppercorns
    • 1 cup champagne vinegar
    • A few small sprig of fresh thyme
    • 1 Large clove garlic Thinly sliced
    • 1 Tablespoon Cooking oil

    Instructions

    • Wash and clean the morels to remove grit, making sure to leave the morels whole.
    • Heat the oil and garlic until the garlic is lightly browned and caramelized, but not burnt. Add the water, salt, thyme, vinegar and pepper  then bring to a simmer. Add the fresh morels and cook, about 3-4 minutes, until they wilt and decrease in size. Discard the garlic.
    • Place the morels and the pickling liquid into ½ pint or pint canning jars and process in a water bath canner for 15-20 minutes.

    Notes

    Small morels will yield the best pickles since they'll keep their firm texture. That being said, larger ones can still make great pickles too, but I like to cut them into pieces before adding to a dish.

     

    More

    Forager's Guide to Morel Mushrooms

    « Legend Of The Peckerhead Morel
    Stinging Nettles »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Nancy

      May 29, 2016 at 7:35 am

      How much oil and garlic do you suggest for 1.5 pounds of morels?
      Thanks!

      Reply
      • Tom Smith

        June 22, 2020 at 3:38 am

        Its listed in ingredients above.

        Reply
    2. Natalie

      May 10, 2018 at 4:15 pm

      I have read that you should not can morels because they can release toxins...is there/this a safe repine to use?

      Reply
    3. Natalie

      May 10, 2018 at 4:16 pm

      I have read that you should not can morels because they can release toxins…is there/this a safe recipe to use?

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        May 14, 2018 at 10:10 am

        I wouldn't put it on here if I haven't eaten it or made it myself. Yes, it's safe, be careful about believing everything you read, make sure people quote sources and it's not just hearsay.

        Reply
    4. brant gaar

      May 24, 2020 at 4:23 pm

      5 stars
      How much oil does the recipe call for? Thanks for an idea I never knew about. It is great to have another Morel option.

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        May 25, 2020 at 10:12 am

        Thanks for catching that typo. I adjusted it. 1 Tbsp is fine.

        Reply
    5. Bob Atkinson

      July 18, 2021 at 6:10 pm

      Can you pickle blanched and frozen whole small morels?

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        July 19, 2021 at 7:58 am

        Hi Bob. Technically yes but I wouldn't. I also don't blanch morels, I would steam or sweat.

        Reply

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    Chef Alan Bergo

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