Pressed Mushroom Steaks
Whole mushroom clusters flattened under a weight in a skillet until the edges caramelize.
- calories
- 285
- weight
- 7 oz
- cal / oz
- 41
- protein
- 6 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 15 min
- cook
- 15 min
- total time
- 30 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Campfire coals
- Grill grate
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Vegetarian
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Grab and go
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Hen of the woods mushrooms | 6 oz | cleaned, torn into 4-6 oz clusters |
|---|---|---|
| Cooking oil | 2 tbsp | |
| Kosher salt | to taste | |
| Garlic cloves | 2 | lightly crushed, skin on |
| Unsalted butter | 1 tbsp | |
| Thyme | a small handful | fresh sprigs, or 1 tsp dried |
Method
- Clean the mushrooms at home. Rinse the clusters in cold water, trim the base with a knife, and let them dry fully on a towel. Wet mushrooms steam instead of browning.
- Set a cast iron skillet on the grate over a bed of coals. Add the oil and let it get hot.
- Lay the clusters in flat, salt them, and put a weight on top. A second small skillet, a foil-wrapped rock, or a grill press all work.
- Cook 4 to 6 minutes without moving them. Lift the weight, flip, salt the other side, and press again for another 4 to 6 minutes.
- Pull the pan off direct heat. Add the butter, garlic, and thyme, and spoon the foaming butter over the mushrooms for a minute.
- Cut in half and eat off the pan.
The weight is the whole recipe. Hen of the woods is all ruffles and air, so an unpressed cluster browns on a few high points and stays pale everywhere else. Compressed against hot iron, the layers collapse into a slab that makes contact edge to edge, and the caramelization runs all the way across. The pressed mushroom also comes off the fire stiff, which makes it easy to eat off a knee without a plate.
This is a car camping or basecamp dish, not a pack meal. Fresh mushrooms need a cooler and a real skillet, and there is no dried substitute that behaves this way. Clean them at home and dry them completely. Grit is what ruins this, and you cannot inspect a mushroom well by headlamp.
Packing
Clean and dry the mushrooms at home, then pack them in a paper bag inside the cooler. Plastic sweats and turns them slimy in a day. Garlic, thyme, and a small foil-wrapped knob of butter ride alongside.
Variations
- Oyster mushrooms press about the same way and are easier to find.
- Skip the butter and finish with more oil to keep it vegan.
- Serve over instant polenta cooked in the same pan afterward.
https://foragerchef.com/hen-of-the-woods-cooked-under-a-brick