There are lots of ways to cook oyster mushrooms (or most mushrooms for that matter). Here's a rundown of some easy cooking techniques. These techniques are so flexible; use them to add mushrooms from everything from taco Tuesdays to Sunday suppers. If you're looking for some particularly delicious ideas, check our our collection of vegan recipes.
Sauté Them
Slice or tear your mushrooms into bite-sized pieces. Add a couple of glugs of oil or a few tablespoons of butter to a large fry pan, and heat over medium-high heat until the oil is hot. Add your mushrooms to the pan and cook stirring frequently for about 10 minutes, adjusting the heat as necessary to avoid burning. The trick with this is to not crowd the pan. Mushrooms often give off a lot of water as they cook, and this can inhibit browning. It's okay if you see some liquid forming in your pan; just let it evaporate and then your mushrooms will brown. Season generously with salt and pepper. We love to add minced garlic and fresh thyme as well, which go great with mushrooms of all kinds. Add the mushrooms to pasta, serve over rice, or deglaze with some stock to make a gravy and spoon over polenta.
Soup and Stew Them
This one couldn't be simpler. Add fresh or dried mushrooms to soups and stews and let them soak in the flavor. Kevin absolutely loves adding fresh mushrooms to Thai coconut milk soups or one of his favorite soup recipes of all time, a veganized version of this incredible hot and sour soup from Fuchsia Dunlop.
Grill Them
Our favorite way to grill oyster mushrooms is to leave them in big clusters and pop them right on a really hot grill. You can treat them like you might treat a steak, basting them with a glaze, marinade, or barbecue sauce halfway through grilling. They take on such a nice char that goes so well with the meaty, umami mushroom flavor. When they're fully cooked, just slice them into individual portions, and pass some extra sauce to spoon over the top.
Roast Them
Slice or tear your mushrooms, toss them with a bit of vegetable oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast them in the 375°F oven on a sheet pan until they're cooked through. This is a great way to prepare them for other preparations. We like to pre-bake mushrooms this way before adding them to a mixture of breadcrumbs, spices, egg or vegan egg replacement, onion, celery, and garlic and frying them into crab-less cakes. Or tear the mushrooms into smaller pieces, add some barbecue sauce, and make these mouth-watering pulled oyster mushroom bao.
Tip: However you cook your mushrooms, you should make sure they're fully cooked. Like all edible "wild" mushrooms, oyster mushrooms are easiest to digest when fully cooked.
Have a favorite way to cook your mushrooms? Let us know!