NewlyWoodwards

an unconventional home

Fried morel mushrooms

by

Do you have morel mushrooms in your neck of the woods?

Wow. These are the very best mushrooms, and if you cannot find your own around trees or water when they are in season (right about now), you’ll pay top dollar. I’ve seen them from $25 to $50 A POUND at the farmer’s market.

Can you imagine? $50 for a pound of mushrooms.

But, these mushrooms are not only delicious, they are also scarce and only around certain areas in the spring. Ryan is obsessed with them and so hopeful that he can eventually find some on our new property. They tend to show up in damp areas, along creeks and downed trees and forests. It’s all  about the hunt …

Well, Ryan got his hands on some morels last week from a friend’s property who has more than he needs. So, we had to make them the most delicious way – fried.

These aren’t healthy. At all. But, sometimes you need a little splurge, and since you can only get these mushrooms for a short time, this seems like the perfect opportunity.

Fried morel mushrooms
1 pound morel mushrooms
2 sticks of butter for frying (or 1/2 cup of oil)
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
2 cups flour
1 cup bread crumbs
salt and black pepper to taste

Soak the mushrooms in hot salt water for 4-5 minutes to clean the mushrooms.

Then, rinse them well to remove any debris or bugs. Spread on a paper towel and carefully dry.

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
Beat the eggs and milk in a shallow bowl. Add flour to a second bowl and bread crumbs in a third bowl.

Coat the mushrooms in the egg and milk mixture, then toss them in the flour and then the bread 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 and drain on a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

I forgot to take a photo of the finished product. Ryan kind of devoured them. But, they looked a lot like fried mushrooms. 😉

Definitely try them if you can get your hands on some morels.

Have you tried morels?

Comments

  3. My grandpa was a mushroom hunter and would tAke us out on hunts with him! I got totally spoiled on morel mushrooms – they are delicious! Sadly, I haven’t had any in about 15 years.

  4. Back when I was a newspaper journalist, my favorite story I wrote was about mushroom hunting! I even went hunting in the woods for morels with a local enthusiast. It was so much fun! I was terrible at it, at least compared to that guy who could spot them instantly. But I got to take some home and cook them for dinner. SO GOOD.

  5. This post brings back memories of when I was younger and we would go mushroom hunting. I’m not a fan of mushrooms, either, but it’s just fun looking for them:)

  6. I love morel mushrooms. I’ve always wanted to go hunting for them.

  7. This post makes me so jealous! My mom grew up in Iowa and always talked about how they would go morel hunting every spring. One year my grandma ended up finding a ton so she shipped them (overnight) to Maryland for us. My mom sauteed them in some butter and I remember them being heavenly. I think I was 10 years old, and I’ve never had them since. My grandma no longer goes mushroom hunting, it’s so sad 🙁 But yay for Morel season!!!

  9. Kim, I am so jealous of the morels you got! It’s not spring for me without some! My parents live on big farm and we’d always go morel picking in the spring. Love them grilled on top of a steak or a pork chop! Mmmmmmm, getting hungry just thinking about it!

  10. Once when I was in fourth or fifth grade, my dad found a TON of morels in the woods outside of our addition. And, of course, I ate so many that I got terribly sick. Looking at these pictures made me a little nauseous.
    I hope he finds some on your property! Good luck with the hunt.

  11. I have always wanted to try these. I am a big fan of mushrooms… so much so that Stephen nicknamed me the fungus queen. He’s sweet like that. 😉

    Thanks for sharing the recipe… now to get my hands on some morels for free…

  12. I looooove morels. I grew up eating them every single spring. Usually Curtis can find them pretty easily in the woods behind our house, but they’ve been very scarce this year – he hasn’t found a single one, and our neighbor has only found like six or seven. SO disappointing!!

  13. How yummy! My sister and I found a huge batch while we were hiking near her home in Montana (apparently morels also grow in spots where there has been a recent forest or brush fire) – we took them home and sauteed them up for dinner. Delish. Next time, I’ll have to try your method!

  15. I don’t think we have mushrooms like that around here, but I looove mushrooms. Just don’t trust myself to pick the right kind. I’ll have to stick with cheap store-bought. 😉 Hope you guys find some on your property! That would be awesome.

  17. Kim … try tossing the really little ones in olive oil … maybe add a few regular mushrooms and roast them in the oven. Then put them on a pizza.

    Yea … you entered heaven.

  19. So. Until I was in 8th grade, we lived in Idaho, where Morels can pop up in the spring. And I was a huge nerd. (SO much different than I am now…;)) The love of my life in 3rd-6th grade and I both wanted to be Mycologists when we grew up (peole who study mushrooms for a living). I knew it was love when he gave me a collection of dried and labeled (English AND Latin names) specimens. We were even members of the North American Mycological Association. They sent me a monthly newsletter. I’m pretty sure it was two 12 year olds… and a bunch of old crochety professors that subscribed to that newsletter. But anyways, John and I found a bunch of Morels one spring and fed them (fried) to our family. And no one died. In fact they were SO TASTY and I don’t even like (to eat) mushrooms! 🙂