Best Morel Mushrooms Recipes

SIMPLE FRIED MOREL MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Place halved morel mushrooms in a large bowl; cover with cold, lightly salted water. Refrigerate mushrooms for about 5 minutes to loosen any dirt; pour off salted water, rinse, and repeat twice more. Crevices of the mushrooms may harbor tiny stones or even insects. Thoroughly rinse mushrooms a final time and allow to drain on paper towels.
• Place flour in a shallow bowl.
• Heat vegetable shortening in a large skillet until very hot.
• Roll mushrooms in flour and tap off excess; gently lay mushrooms in the hot shortening.
• Pan-fry until golden brown and flour coating is crisp, 5 to 8 minutes, turning often. Drain morels on paper towels, salt to taste, and enjoy your treasures!

DEEP-FRIED MOREL MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Place morels in a large bowl of warm salted water and leave to soak, about 30 minutes. Drain.
• Combine flour, cracker crumbs, paprika, black pepper, cayenne pepper, oregano, thyme, and cumin in a large resealable plastic bag to make breading mix.
• Whisk milk and egg together in a small bowl.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Dip mushrooms, a few at a time, into milk mixture. Toss in breading mix until coated; shake off excess.
• Fry breaded morels in the hot oil, working in batches, until dark brown and crispy, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.

DRIED MOREL MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Soak morels for up to 4 hours in salt water. The mushrooms are hollow, and the salt water will kill any little bugs that might be living in them.
• Drain and rinse with fresh water.
• Slice at least one side of the mushrooms.
• Lie mushrooms on a towel.
• Direct the air flow of a small fan onto the mushrooms and let dry up to 24 hours.
• The mushrooms will reduce in size drastically. When they are dry, bag them in a ziplock bag and throw them in the freezer to use later.
• Reconstituting Mushrooms:.
• Soak mushrooms in broth, wine, or water for up to 5 minutes. They will spring back to the size they were when they were picked.

CHICKEN AND ARTICHOKE FRICASSéE WITH MOREL MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Fill large bowl with water. Squeeze juice from 1 lemon into water; add lemon halves. Tear outer leaves from 1 artichoke until only pale green leaves remain. Cut top 3/4 inch from top; trim end of stem. Cut in half lengthwise. Rub cut sides of artichoke with lemon half; transfer to bowl with lemon water. Repeat with remaining artichokes.
• Bring 6 cups water, 2 tablespoons flour, 2 teaspoons salt, and bay leaf to boil in large saucepan. Add artichoke halves and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain.
• Melt butter with oil in heavy large deep skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour, shaking off excess. Cook chicken until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to plate. Add mushrooms, carrots, and shallots to skillet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 4 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon thyme and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add wine; bring to boil. Add broth and artichokes; bring to boil.
• Return chicken to skillet, reduce heat to medium low, cover, and simmer 20 minutes. Turn chicken, cover, and simmer until cooked through, about 15 minutes longer. Transfer chicken and vegetables to platter. Whisk crème fraîche into sauce in skillet; bring to boil. Season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken, sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon thyme, and serve.

FRIED MOREL MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Clean the mushrooms carefully with a damp paper towel or a soft mushroom brush. Cut large mushrooms in half.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. While the oil is heating, beat the eggs and milk in a shallow bowl. Coat the mushrooms in the egg and milk mixture, then toss them in the cracker crumbs. Carefully place the coated mushrooms in the heated oil. The mushrooms will cook quickly. Cook the mushrooms until they are golden brown on the bottom, then flip them over to brown the other side.
• When the mushrooms are evenly browned, remove them from the pan to drain on a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

ROASTED ASPARAGUS AND MOREL MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Arrange asparagus and mushrooms on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt; toss to coat. Roast, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Add butter and thyme. Toss to coat, and roast an additional 5 minutes.
• Arrange vegetables on a serving platter. Top with arugula, sprinkle with salt, and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

MINI BEEF WELLINGTONS WITH MOREL MUSHROOMS, SHERRY AND THYME

Steps:

• Roll out the puff pastry on a well-floured work surface until about 14-inches square and 1/8-inch thick. Trim the edges, if necessary, and cut the puff pastry into 4 squares. You may need to roll the puff pastry larger or smaller depending on the size of the meat. Put them in a single layer onto one or two baking sheets and into the refrigerator to firm up.
• Rinse the dried mushrooms in cold water, put them into a small bowl and cover them with hot water. Let soak for 20 minutes.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is very hot, season the meat with salt and pepper and sear on each side for 1 minute per side. Set aside.
• Turn the heat down to medium, add the shallots to the pan and cook until they are soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the butter and fresh mushrooms and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Drain the dried mushrooms and chop them finely. Add them to the pan along with the sherry, if using. Turn the heat up a bit and cook until the mushrooms are almost dry, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the thyme and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 1 more minute, take the pan off the heat and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Remove the pastry from the refrigerator. Put a large tablespoon of the mushroom mixture in the center of a pastry square and spread it out to the same size as the meat. Place a piece of tenderloin on top and brush some egg wash around the edges of the pastry. Fold up the corners and sides of the pastry so they meet and overlap slightly in the middle. Turn it over so the seams are down and shape it into a neat package with your hands. Repeat with the other three squares. If the pastry has gotten soft, put the packages back in the refrigerator for 5 to 10 minutes to firm up. This will make sure the pastry does not just melt into a gooey mess in the oven before it has a chance to puff up. Save the remaining mushroom mixture for the sauce.
• When you are ready to bake, cut a design into the top of each package with a paring knife. Brush them all over with egg wash. Bake for 14 minutes for medium rare or adjust the time shorter or longer according to how you like your meat cooked.
• While the Wellingtons are baking, reheat the mushroom mixture. Add the cream and cook on high for 2 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Remove from the heat, cover and keep warm.
• When the Wellingtons are ready, remove them from the oven and serve with the sauce and a big glass of hearty red wine.

FRIED MOREL MUSHROOMS DONE RIGHT

Steps:

• Using a small, sharp knife, Cut Morels in half "long ways." For exceptionally large mushrooms, cut them in half long ways, then again long ways, so that you get 4 equal pieces.
• Fill a bowl (approximately a gallon) with hot tap water. As hot as your sink will make it. Add roughly 1 cup of salt to the water and stir well until salt dissolves.
• Soak the Morels in the hot salt water for about 4 minutes. Everyone will tell you that you need to soak them overnight, but don't believe them. This step is intended to kill and remove the bugs from the mushrooms. There are no forest bugs that can survive under hot salt water for 4 minutes. If you soak them overnight, it damages the flavor of the mushrooms, adds too much salt water, and leaves them soggy. 4 minutes is all you need.
• Fill a shallow bowl with CAKE flour (yes, there's a difference). Add about 1 tablepoon of salt and 2 tablespoons of pepper. Sift and mix well. This is your Dry Batter Bowl.
• In a second bowl, beat 4 eggs and add in about 1 tablespoon of Milk and about a quarter cup of Club Soda. This will give the batter a light, crispy, tempura style. This is your wet batter bowl.
• At your sink put a sieve/colander/strainer in one side of the sink and get your soaking morel bowl to the left of that. Turn your sink on cold, at the lowest stream you can without it just dripping. The sink should just barely be on. Individually take each mushroom piece out of the salt water, and gently rinse it off under the old sink to remove and dirt or dead bugs. Then put the piece in the sieve to drip dry.
• Mushrooms should go FIRST into the Wet Batter, SECOND into the Cake Flour, and then THIRD knock off all the excess clumps and repeat until all mushrooms are coated with the flour batter. For that THIRD step, there are Plastic Tubs that you can buy that helps you batter almost anything. This works the best, but if you don't have that, just use a big Ziplock Bag to shake the mushrooms up in to get them well coated with the flour.
• Put your floured mushroom bowl in the fridge for about 30 minutes if you have time. This allows for the batter to stick better to the mushrooms.
• Fill your grease pan (skillet or pot) with Lard and heat to about 360 degrees. Don't use Vegetable oil or anything besides Lard. I know, it's unhealthy and no one uses Lard anymore, but it's the only way to make your mushrooms NOT taste like oil. Vegetable Oil, Peanut Oil, and Shortening will all leave your mushrooms tasting like oil. Use Lard! You only get this once a year, so forget about "healthy" and do 'em up right!
• To test if your oil is hot enough, toss a little bit of flour in the pan. If it bubbles, then the oil is hot enough.
• Toss the 'shroom in the oil. Let it fry for about a minute, then flip it and fry for another minute. Don't put more than 5 or so in the oil at one time because tossing cold mushrooms in the oil will cool it down.
• Allow the mushrooms to cool on paper towel.
• Add salt or Garlic Salt, or Lawry's Seasoned Salt as desired and eat. My personal favorite is Tony Chacheres Cajun Creole Salt, a little bit of garlic (salt or powder) and Coarse ground Black Pepper.

MEDALLIONS OF VEAL WITH WILD MOREL MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Preparing the Morels
• Place the morels in a large bowl filled with cold water.
• Soak for 10 minutes.
• Remove the morels from the water, reserving both the mushrooms and the water.
• Strain the water through a coffee filter or cheesecloth to remove any sand.
• Cut off the stems of the morels and combine with the strained mushroom water.
• Bring to a boil and cook until the liquid has reduced to 2 tablespoons.
• Rub the morel caps with your fingers; if you feel any sand, wash again in cold water.
• Cut the morel caps lengthwise into halves.
• Sauté the shallots in 1 tablespoon butter until soft.
• Add the morels, their reduced cooking juices and the Madeira and cook, covered, over medium heat, for 6 to 7 minutes, until plump.
• Remove from the heat and keep warm.
• Preparing the Veal
• Dust the veal medallions in flour, shaking off the excess.
• In a large sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of butter and the oil until sizzling.
• Sauté the veal on bath sides until well browned (Do not crowd the pan with veal. Look in two batches if necessary).
• Remove the medallions from the pan and keep warm.
• Pour off the fat from the pan and deglaze with the vermouth.
• Add the morels and Jus de Veau to the pan and bring to boil.
• Cook to reduce the liquid slightly.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Return the veal medallions to the pan to heat.
• Swirl the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter into the sauce to finish.
• Arrange the veal medallions on 4 large, heated dinner plates.
• Ladle the sauce and a portion of morels over each serving of veal.

CROSTINI OF FAVA BEAN PUREE, FRESH RICOTTA, AND MOREL MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Using a pastry brush, brush a cookie sheet with oil. Place the sliced pieces of baguette on the cookie sheet and lightly brush each piece with oil. Bake until golden brown, approximately 6 minutes.
• With a mortar-and-pestle or a food processor, puree the fava beans with extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, and Parmesan. Season the mixture with salt and pepper, to taste.
• In a skillet on high heat, saute the mushrooms in 2 tablespoons olive oil and shallots until tender. Season the mixture with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Spread a spoonful of the fava puree on each slice of baguette and then top with a small amount ricotta then garnish with a piece of cooked morel.

MOREL MUSHROOMS WITH BUTTER AND SHALLOTS

Steps:

• Add the butter, olive oil, thyme, shallot and garlic to a large high-sided skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until butter is melted and shallots are softened, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, gently stirring occasionally, until they release moisture and are golden brown on edges of stems, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

ASPARAGUS WITH MOREL MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Put morels, porcinis or both in a bowl with very hot water to cover; soak until soft, about 20 minutes. Drain morels and reserve soaking liquid. Cut morels in half; if porcinis are large, chop them roughly.
• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; when butter is hot and foam has subsided, add shallots and reconstituted and fresh mushrooms to pan. Cook until shallots soften and fresh mushrooms have released their liquid and it has cooked off, about 10 minutes.
• Add asparagus and 1/2 cup reserved liquid to pan. Bring liquid to a boil, cover, reduce heat so mixture simmers, and continue cooking for another 2 to 4 minutes, or until asparagus is crisp-tender. Add cream and tarragon or chervil and continue cooking, uncovered, until sauce thickens slightly and asparagus is tender, about 4 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

FETTUCCINE WITH MOREL MUSHROOMS AND SAGE CREAM

Steps:

• Bring 2 cups water to boil in heavy small saucepan; add mushrooms. Remove pan from heat. Let stand until mushrooms soften, about 15 minutes. Drain mushrooms, reserving soaking liquid.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain pasta.
• Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until just softened, about 5 minutes. Add wine and cook 1 minute. Pour in mushroom liquid, leaving any sediment behind. Add mushrooms, cream, and sage. Simmer until sauce thickens slightly, about 7 minutes. Add pasta and toss to coat with sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to plates and serve.

STUFFED MOREL MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Place mushrooms in a large bowl of salted water. Soak until clean and soft, 8 hours to overnight.
• Drain mushrooms, rinse well, and set out to dry on a clean towel.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
• Chop mushroom stems finely. Cut mushroom caps in half lengthwise; place cut-side up in a 9x13-inch baking pan.
• Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add chopped mushroom stems, red bell pepper, and green onion; cook and stir until green onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; allow to cool, about 10 minutes.
• Mix cream cheese, crabmeat, egg, celery leaves, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and sea salt together in a large bowl. Fold in cooled onion mixture. Place a dollop of filling in each mushroom cap with a small spoon.
• Mix bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese together in a small bowl. Sprinkle on top of filled mushroom caps.
• Bake in the preheated oven until filling is golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes.

MILK-POACHED ALASKAN HALIBUT WITH ASPARAGUS AND MOREL MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Pat halibut dry and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. In large, heavy skillet over moderately high heat, heat vegetable oil until hot but not smoking. Add fish, skin side up, milk, cream, and wine. Bring to light simmer, cover, and place in oven until just cooked through, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove halibut from liquid, cover, and keep warm. Reserve poaching liquid.
• While halibut is in the oven, cook asparagus in 8-quart pot boiling salted water until tender, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon or tongs, remove asparagus from water and transfer to large bowl. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, sprinkle with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and toss gently to coat. Cover and keep warm.
• In heavy 10-inch skillet, heat remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil until hot but not smoking. Add morels and sauté 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat and add sherry vinegar and thyme, stirring to scrape up any morels that might stick to bottom of skillet. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/8 tablespoon pepper.
• Place poaching liquid over high heat and simmer until reduced by half. Remove from heat and stir in butter.
• Divide asparagus between 8 plates. Peel skin off halibut and place 1 filet on top of asparagus on each plate. Divide morels among plates. Spoon sauce over fish and serve immediately.

PAN-ROASTED MAINE JUMBO SCALLOPS WITH MOREL MUSHROOMS AND ASPARAGUS PURéE

Steps:

• -cut off the bottom third of the asparagus stalks. I then cut off the tips, and kept the stalks since I knew I had to cook and use both -

PEGGI'S DEEP FRIED MOREL MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• 1. Cut morels in half lengthwise & place in warm salt water to soak. This not only cleans & removes bugs & sand, but reconstitutes any that have dried some.
• 2. Mix all dry ingredients in large ziplock bag. Set aside.
• 3. Mix egg & milk in another bowl.
• 4. Take mushrooms out of water a few at a time & dip in egg mix, then in dry mix.
• 5. Shake off excess & drop in deep fryer that the oil is heated to about 325°- 350° or high heat. Fry on one side until dark, then flip & finish frying the other side.
• 6. Note: If you have a batter pro bowl for breading, that's what I use.
• 7. Drain on paper towel. They should be crisp & stay crisp.
• 8. * I recommend adding a little more cayenne if you like the zip in it. I can't do real hot any more. It's great either way.

FRIED MOREL MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• 1. Thoroughly wash and rinse the Morel mushrooms and soak in a cold water and salt bath for at least 1/2 hour prior to cooking (just enough water to cover).
• 2. Whisk egg and milk together in a medium sized bowl and add some salt and pepper, stir well.
• 3. Heat a skillet with around 1/2" of vegetable oil on medium high heat.
• 4. Place approximately 1 cup of flour in a medium sized bowl (depending on how many mushrooms you found, use more or less flour...if its less then I'm sorry about your luck). Lightly salt and pepper the flour and mix together.
• 5. Drain the soaking mushrooms well, then place a few at a time first in the egg mixture, then in the flour mixture and coat well.
• 6. The oil is ready when you drop a bit of mushroom in the pan and it sizzles to the top. Add your coated mushrooms to the pan and cook for around 2-3 minutes each side, until they are a light, crispy brown. Drain on a paper towel and serve with your favorite dipping sauces (see Holly's Horseradish Sauce and Kickin' Ketchup Horsey Sauce recipes below). Enjoy!
• 7. ****Holly's Horsey Sauce***** Add 1/4 cup of mayonnaise and 2 tsp of fresh horseradish to a small bowl and mix well. Recipe can be doubled or tripled, it makes a great dip for everything from roast beef to fried vegetables!
• 8. ****Holly's Kickin' Ketchup Horsey Sauce**** 1/2 Cup Ketchup, 1-2 tbs fresh horseradish (depending on how hot you like it), dash of Worcestershire sauce and a dash of salt & coarse ground pepper then mix well and enjoy!

BACON-GRILLED MOREL MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until translucent, about 4 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• Combine eggs, salt, and allspice in a bowl. Place bread crumbs in a separate bowl. Dip morel mushroom caps into the egg mixture and roll in bread crumbs.
• Thread alternating pieces of bacon and morels onto skewers.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat and lightly oil the grate. Grill skewers, turning occasionally, until bacon is browned, 5 to 7 minutes.

MOREL MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Combine crushed crackers and flour in a bowl. Beat eggs in a separate bowl.
• Melt butter over medium heat in a frying pan.
• Dip mushrooms into the eggs, then roll them in the cracker mixture, shaking off any excess. Fry in the hot butter, in batches, until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side.