Maitake Mushroom Salad Recipe
Maitake mushrooms, sometimes called Hen of the Woods, are my absolute favorite variety. They’re meaty and slightly herby with a wee bit of forest floor funk. I state from the outset that this is an expensive salad because maitakes definitely don’t come cheap and I wouldn’t substitute any other mushroom variety here. I mean, you CAN, but your salad with end up fine, instead of ethereal.
The original recipe used a local cheese that was somewhere between parmesan and gruyere. Use either in this recipe or any other favorite cheese that falls in the nutty, slightly dry realm.
Maitake Mushroom Salad Recipe
Ingredients and Method
Maitake Mushroom Salad Recipe
- 2-3 large maitake mushrooms, each cut into about 4 large pieces
- 1 small head of radicchio, sliced into very thin wedges
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 4-5 cups arugula (1 small bag of pre-washed lettuce is perfect)
- Shallot vinaigrette (recipe below), to taste
- Parmesan or gruyere cheese, to taste
Shallot vinaigrette
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp sherry or red wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp minced shallot
- 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp mayonnaise
- 1 large pinch of salt
Maitake Mushroom Salad
Heat the butter in a large skillet over a medium high flame. When the butter has begun to bubble and brown slightly, add the mushrooms and cook, turning every 1-2 minutes, until well browned on all sides and very floppy, about 6-8 minutes. Remove the mushrooms to a plate and sprinkle with salt.
Add the olive oil to the pan and heat until very hot, but not smoking. Sear half of the radicchio on one side and then flip to the other side and sear again. If the pan is hot enough, this should take about 5-6 minutes. Turn off the heat and sprinkle with salt.
Add the mushrooms back to the pan with the radicchio to warm back up, but don’t turn the flame back on.
Add the arugula and the raw radicchio to a large plate or bowl. Add half of the dressing and toss well. Sprinkle with sea salt.
Top with the warm mushrooms and radicchio. Pour on more dressing to taste.
Add large flakes of the nutty, salty cheese on top to taste. Serve immediately.
Maitake Mushroom Salad Recipe
Cooking the mushrooms: I like to leave the mushrooms in slightly large pieces. It will feel awkward to cook them at first because they’re pretty stiff until they heat up somewhat. Once you sear them on one side, the mushrooms will get much floppier and easier to cook.
Cooking the radicchio: I seared half of the bitter lettuce and left the other half raw for a bit of textural difference, but you don’t strictly need to do this step. I left the lettuce in pretty large pieces for the photos, but definitely slice them much thinner for the real salad.
