Vegetarian | Gluten-free

Yield: 2 servings · Prep: 15 min · Cook: 25 min

This is a batter, not a breading and it contains egg, cornmeal, and seltzer mixed together and used as a single coating. Because it all goes into the pan at once and spreads out, you end up with one shaggy crisp mass that you break apart. Comb tooth and lion’s mane fray into feathered strands that catch the batter beautifully. Torn oyster mushrooms work just as well and cook a little faster.

Ingredients

• ½ lb comb tooth, lion’s mane, or oyster mushrooms

• 1 large egg

• ½ cup medium-grind cornmeal

• ½ tsp smoked paprika

• ½ tsp ground cumin

• Pinch of salt

• ½ tbsp lime juice

• 2 tbsp cold seltzer

• ¾ cup avocado oil, for frying (about ¼ inch deep)

Chili Aioli

• ½ cup mayonnaise

• 2 tsp chili paste, sriracha, or minced chipotle in adobo

• 1 garlic clove, grated

• 2 tsp lime juice

Preparation

1. Tear into strips. Pull the mushroom apart into strips with your fingers.

2. Dry sauté (5–8 min). Dry skillet, no oil, medium-high. Cook the strips until they release their water, it fully evaporates, and they shrink, firm up, and begin to brown.

3. Cool (about 5 min). Pull the mushroom into a mixing bowl, stirring occasionally, and let it come down to warm or room temperature.

4. Mix the batter and coat. Beat the egg, then stir in the cornmeal, paprika, cumin, salt, and lime juice. Add the seltzer last and stir just until combined — it should coat like thick pancake batter. Toss the mushrooms in the bowl until fully coated.

5. Heat the oil. Pour avocado oil into a wide skillet to a depth of about ¼ inch. Heat over medium-high until it shimmers; a drop of batter should sizzle steadily on contact, not violently.

6. Make the aioli. Whisk the mayonnaise, chili paste, garlic, and lime juice together. Set aside.

7. Fry (about 8 min). Add the coated mushroom and spread it into an even layer. Let it sit mostly undisturbed so the underside sets and browns, then flip in sections. Cook until the pan looks dry rather than oily and the crust is deep golden brown.

8. Drain and serve. Drain on a rack, salt lightly while hot, break into pieces, and serve with the chili aioli.

Notes & Variations

• Mushroom swaps: comb tooth and lion’s mane are ideal — both fray into ropy strands that hold batter. King oyster, shredded with a fork, is nearly as good. Blue and golden oyster tear into strips rather than strands and hold less water, so shorten the dry sauté to about 5 minutes.

• The seltzer carbonation is what makes the crust lacy instead of dense, so fry within a few minutes while it’s still active.

• The lime juice brightens but also thins the batter. If it’s too loose to cling, add cornmeal a tablespoon at a time.

• The oil isn’t really soaked up at the end, it i’s displaced as water leaves the batter and the crust sets. When the pan stops looking wet and starts looking dry and golden, pull it.

• Cornmeal gives a coarser crackle than breadcrumbs, closer to fried catfish. This also works without the aioli: piled into tortillas or a roll with slaw and lime crema, for a po’ boy.

Storage

Best eaten straight from the pan — the crust softens as it sits. Leftovers keep 2–3 days refrigerated and re-crisp in a hot oven. The aioli keeps for about a week. We don’t recommend this one for freezing.

More recipes at wellspringforestfarm.com/mushroom-info-hub