grilled king trumpet mushrooms
Scoring these lil guys might seem purely aesthetic (it is pretty, isn’t it?) but it allows the flavor-packed marinade to fully permeate the mushrooms. This recipe is inspired by Japanese yakitori, and comes from a deep love of charred, salty-sweet barbecue edges. These mushrooms have very few ingredients and come together pretty easily so they make a great edition to noodle bowls, rice salads and lettuce wraps. They’re also pretty great on their own, right off the skewer.
yield 4 servings
riffing
swap shiitake button mushroom caps for king mushrooms if unavailable
use sake or sherry in place of rice wine
replace sugar with honey or maple syrup
add a teaspoon of Chinese five spice powder or a splash of fish sauce to the marinade
1/3 cup mirin or shaoxing rice wine
1/3 low sodium soy sauce or tamari
2 T light brown sugar
1 T neutral oil
4 cups king trumpet mushrooms, preferably small, trimmed and halved lengthwise
6-inch skewers, soaked in water at least 15 minutes
recipe prep
Bring rice wine, soy sauce and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan; reduce heat and simmer until reduced by about half, 7-10 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl, add neutral oil and set aside.
Meanwhile, prepare a grill for medium-high heat (or a large cast iron pan or grill pan). Halve crosswise any mushroom pieces longer than 3 inches. Using the tip of a paring knife, score the cut sides of the mushrooms in a crosshatch pattern, 1/4-deep (or more shallow if needed to ensure you don’t cut all the way through the mushrooms).
Add scored mushrooms to the bowl of marinade and toss to evenly coat. Let mushrooms marinate for 10-15 minutes. Reserve leftover marinade.
Thread mushrooms halves onto skewers, making sure not to overcrowd them (you can thread two skewers through each set to prevent twirly mushrooms while grilling but it’s not strictly necessary). Grill skewers cut-side down until mushrooms are deeply golden brown and charred in spots, about 1-3 minutes. Flip skewers and grill an additional 1-3 minutes. Brush or drizzle some of the remaining marinade over the top as desired.
Serve on skewers or remove mushrooms and add them to whatever dish you like.
a note If you aren’t throwing these on the grill, you don’t need to soak the skewers. No direct contact with fire, no risk of burning.
do it ahead Marinade can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored in the fridge. Rewarm before using for maximum absorption.
don’t have skewers? Make these in a pan without ‘em! Just don’t overcrowd the mushrooms so they all get direct contact with the pan. It takes a little more individual flipping, but it’s doable!
