A rustic and beautiful side dish, these Easy Pan-Fried Oyster Mushrooms taste meaty, garlicky, and yet delicate. They’re ready in minutes, and all you need are four simple ingredients!
Easy Pan-Fried Oyster Mushrooms Recipe
When cold weather comes around, I think a lot of us start thinking of soup, casserole, mashed potatoes… all of those kinds of comforting dishes. But let’s not forget other fall and winter favorites! Did you know that oyster mushrooms are a cold-weather classic?
Yes, delicately scented and flavored oyster mushrooms are a perfect side dish for a crisp night, maybe alongside some crusty garlic bread and a fried egg, or with any of your other favorite dishes. To make the most of oyster mushrooms, all you really need is a skillet and some garlic!
What Do Oyster Mushrooms Taste Like?
Well, they’re not named oyster mushrooms for nothing! These delicate mushrooms have a mild and almost sweet flavor that is sort of the plant kingdom’s answer to, well, oysters. Some even go so far as to describe the taste as “fishy,” but that is a stretch, in most cases. Oyster mushrooms have a meaty, slightly seafood-y taste that stands up well to frying.
Are Oyster Mushrooms Good For You?
Yes! In fact, oyster mushrooms are commonly used in traditional medicine, because they have a lot of healthy stuff packed into one easy (and delicious) plant! From healthy fiber and protein to antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, oyster mushrooms are good for your heart, gut, immune system, and more!
What You’ll Need
This recipe takes it back to basics. There aren’t even any herbs (although of course, you could add some if you wish). All you need for really great pan-fried mushrooms are the mushrooms and a bit of garlic!
- Oyster Mushrooms: Clean 1 pound of oyster mushrooms, and cut them into evenly sized pieces.
- Butter and Olive Oil: A mixture of butter and olive oil is perfect for sautéing! The butter is creamy, while the oil is full-flavored and robust.
- Garlic: Smash a couple of garlic cloves with the flat side of a chef’s knife, and peel off the papery skin (if desired; some cooks leave it on if they are not planning on eating the garlic).
- Salt and Pepper
How to Clean Oyster Mushrooms
Getting oyster mushrooms ready for the pan is so easy. Yet another benefit to these tasty mushrooms! All you have to do is the large, tough central stem out of the cluster, and all of the individual mushrooms will fall away. From there, trim any excess tough stem off of the individual mushrooms. If any are dirty, wipe them with a damp tea towel or paper towel. Done!
How to Make Pan-Fried Oyster Mushrooms
This is seriously the easiest cooking method ever! You don’t even have to make a pan sauce or add extra ingredients. It’s as basic as it gets, and super scrumptious as well. Win-win!
- Cook Mushrooms on One Side…Place the butter in a heavy skillet set over medium-high heat, and add a swirl of good olive oil. Once the butter melts, sprinkle the mushrooms into the skillet in a single layer. Cook for 2 minutes, until golden.
- Cook Mushrooms on the Other Side, with Garlic! Flip the mushrooms over using a spatula. Add the smashed garlic cloves to the skillet as well. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue cooking the mushrooms for a few minutes, until they start to brown. Occasionally baste them with spoonfuls of the butter and oil in the pan.
- Finish the Dish. Take the skillet off the heat. Taste (carefully, it’s hot!) for salt and pepper. Adjust as needed, and then serve hot.
Tips for Success
So that’s it! A savory, simple pan-fried mushroom recipe that’s perfect for crisp, cold weather. But I also have a few helpful tips to share, as well! Read on for my best advice for finding, cleaning, and cooking these delicate and tasty mushrooms.
- Wash with Caution: Oyster mushrooms are often cleaner than other mushrooms, since they grow on wood, so they usually don’t need more than the gentle cleaning method mentioned above. However, if your mushrooms are in need of a wash, you can do this… but keep it quick! The longer mushrooms are in water, the more water they absorb!
- Watch the Heat: Cooking mushrooms involves cooking out the mushroom liquid (they are very watery!) and then getting a nice golden-brown color on them. So you don’t want to cook too low—the mushrooms will end up simmering away in their own juice. But you also don’t want to cook too hot—or they’ll burn! So feel free to adjust the heat as needed to keep your pan at a good medium heat.
- Save the Stems: While oyster mushroom stems are too tough to bother cooking, they are great for adding some oomph to homemade vegetable stock, so go ahead and throw together your oyster mushroom stems and other veggie scraps, and make some homemade stock!
- Where to Find: If your local grocery store doesn’t carry oyster mushrooms, try an Asian grocery store or market, or a health foods/natural foods store.
- Grow Your Own! It seems that DIY oyster-mushroom growing kits are all the rage, and there are a ton of options out there, if you’re so inclined!
Serving Suggestions
So what do you serve with this dish? Well, it is a very versatile side dish that goes with almost anything. For a vegetarian meal, just combine the mushrooms with sides like mashed potatoes, salad, or quinoa for a delicious plant-based dinner. Other great ideas include:
- Steak: Mushrooms are a no-brainer with juicy steak! For a super-simple preparation method (that always turns out perfect!), try Oven Grilled Steak. Mmmm.
- Eggs: Simple fried or scrambled eggs go perfectly with pan-fried oyster mushrooms, or you can make a frittata! Easy Bacon and Spinach Frittata is a great frittata recipe to get you started!
- Chicken: Specifically, Garlic Butter Chicken and Rice! This savory skillet meal goes beautifully with pan-fried mushrooms.
- Pork: A tender roasted pork tenderloin or juicy pork chops would be phenomenal with these mushrooms.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- To store leftover mushrooms, place them in airtight containers in the refrigerator. They will keep for 3 to 5 days.
- To freeze leftover mushrooms, cool them completely and then pack into freezer bags, pressing out as much air as possible before sealing. Freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
- To reheat, place mushrooms in a skillet over low heat. Allow to cook until heated through, turning and stirring occasionally.
ENJOY!
Pan Fried Oyster Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 1 pound oyster mushrooms, cleaned and cut into evenly sized pieces
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Place butter and olive oil in a heavy skillet set over medium-high heat.
- When butter is melted, add the mushrooms to the skillet in one single layer.
- Cook the mushrooms for 2 minutes, or until golden.
- Flip over the mushrooms and add the smashed garlic to the skillet.
- Reduce heat to medium-low; season with salt and pepper and continue to cook the mushrooms until they start to brown, spooning the butter over the mushrooms as they cook.
- Remove from heat.
- Taste for salt and pepper, and adjust accordingly.
- Serve.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
