Alaska's Fungi Farmers
Meet two intrepid Alaskan entrepreneurs who are inoculating new journeys in entrepreneurship, indoor farming, and the world of cultivating culinary mushrooms.
New Earth Fungi in Juneau
Fungi thr...
Lion’s mane (Hericium erinaceus) are irresistibly voluminous mushrooms that are grown by many of our Alaskan mushroom farmers. They are delightfully dense, so they can be sliced up and tossed onto the grill or sauté pan. I enjoy adding them to stir-fries. An especially innovative way to prepare these lovelies is to substitute them in your favorite crab cake or patty recipe. These vegetarian patties are also great way to use garlic scapes, sea lovage, and other herbs gathered and grown in Alaska. The “cake” mixture can be prepared the day before serving and chilled overnight in the fridge.
Ingredients
SERVINGS: 10-15 spoon-sized croquettes
- 6-10 Ounces fresh lions mane mushrooms
- 1/4 cup diced onion
- 1-3 cloves minced garlic
- 1 T olive oil
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup fresh minced herbs like parsley, Alaska sea lovage, scallions, chives, garlic scapes, sage or a mix
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1-3 tablespoons seasoning to taste, for example: tamari, Old Bay, mustard, curry powder. I used 1 tablespoon of mustard from Stellar Botanicals in Gustavus.
- 1 cup breadcrumbs like panko or crushed crackers
Preparation
Gently pull pieces of the lion’s mane into small pieces, similar to shredded crab meat. Use your hands and not a knife to shred. Personally, I enjoy this excuse to touch the unique texture of the mushroom.
Sautee onion in scant 1 Tablespoon oil until translucent and almost crispy. Add minced garlic until aromatic and golden. Add the shredded mushroom. Sauté and stir constantly on medium low to release the mushroom’s water and evaporate off until fairly. Remove from the heat and let it cool completely.
In a large bowl, mix egg, herbs, salt and seasonings. Add the shredded mushroom and breadcrumbs.
Chill mixture in the fridge for at least an hour so it becomes more cohesive. Add more “wet” ingredients if too crumbly. If you’re not in a rush, chill overnight and fry the next day.
Press the mixture into flattened rounds to make small patties to the desired size. Thinner patties will cook faster. I pressed the mixture into a medium-sized spoon, using it as a mold for oval-shaped bite-size cakes.
Bake in an oven at 350 degrees for 8-10 or until golden brown.
Serve as you would crab cakes (with garnish, lemon, on a bed of greens)
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