Lobster Mushrooms... What to do?

[Jennalynn]

I inherited a big bag of lobster mushrooms.

Anyone have any good ideas before they go bad?

[goodhealthgourmet]

just a couple of things you should know if you've never cooked with or eaten them before...

they tend to be *very* dirty - lots of crevices for grit to hide. don't wash them with water, but definitely clean them thoroughly with a brush. it's easier to get at all the bits of hidden dirt if you tear them up into pieces.

the flavor can be slightly bitter, which you can offset by pairing them with ingredients that lend a little sweetness. personally, i think the best matches in terms of proteins are eggs, and sweeter varieties of seafood, and they also work well with cream- or milk-based sauces (which again, impart a bit of sweetness to balance the bitterness).

when you do cook them, try sautéeing in a combination of butter & olive oil with fresh thyme, chopped shallots, salt & pepper, and let them get nicely browned.

some ideas:
frittata or quiche
pasta with a creamy sauce - alfredo or a basic mild cheese sauce...or even a carbonara
risotto
as a side dish with lobster, crab, scallops, mahi-mahi or monkfish

hope this helps. enjoy!

[dmd_kc]

If it's really a big bunch, clean them well, toss with oil and salt, then roast them at 425 till they wilt down. They'll get a LOT smaller -- which is a good thing.

From there, scramble them with eggs, or make a chicken veloute, add the mushrooms, and serve over toast or biscuits. With something as wonderful and pure as this ingredient, I think it's a mistake to adulterate them with too many other flavors. I'd never treat them like button mushrooms.

Or heck, just serve them as a side to any protein. I like them a lot with chicken and fish. They're really my second favorite mushroom, after morels.

Did you know they're really a name for other mushrooms parasitized by another fungus? http://www.mushroomexpert.com/hypomyc...

Enjoy them. I haven't had the luck to come across any in several years.

[goodhealthgourmet]

ooh, chowder is a good call. i was also thinking bisque.

[KiltedCook]

They ARE dirty; I wash them well. It's been proven that there's no harm to any mushroom to wash them; they do not absorb water or anything.

My favorite is to pair them with smoked salmon and garbanzos and dill in a chowder: A pound of mushrooms, 8 oz or so of hard smoked salmon (not the gravlax soft stuff), a pound of cooked chickpeas, and a couple tablespoons of milk in about a half gallon of half & half or whole milk white sauce.

[goodhealthgourmet]

KiltedCook, do you not find that the color bleeds when you wash the mushrooms? that's why i suggested a dry cleaning method - not to prevent waterlogging (which we all pretty much know by now is bunk) - but more to prevent a mess :)

my tyipcal method for cleaning mushrooms is to wipe with a damp cloth or paper towel, but that *really* makes a mess with the lobsters.

[Jennalynn]

Thank you all for the replies!

I am going to try the chowder.

But any other ideas still out there are extremely welcome!