King Oyster Mushroom Salad with Yellow Beans
A special occasion calls for a majestic salad. This King Oyster Mushroom Salad exudes umami flavours complemented with sweet yellow beans and butter crisped sage. What a decadent combination!
Why I Love King Oyster Mushroom Salad
I love mushrooms of all kinds but there is nothing quite as majestic as the king oyster mushroom.
I am always surprised how tender the large thick stems are as the stems of other mushrooms are nowhere near as tender. And I love that it’s so meaty! I also love the fact that even after cooking, these fried oyster mushrooms are still so tender.
I was in a decadent mood in terms of flavour and I felt like indulging. No better way to do so than lathering the oyster mushroom salad with butter. And burnt butter at that and I am forever thankful that the French introduced us to this deliciousness.
And I am also thankful to the person who came up with burnt butter sage because those crispy wisps of goodness are to die for. Add these salty, buttery flavours with the umami mushrooms and you have yourself a seriously good king oyster mushroom recipe.
What are King Oyster Mushrooms?
King oyster mushrooms are also commonly known as king trumpet mushrooms or French horn mushrooms.
They are also known as eryngii and even boletus of the steppes! That sounds so cool. I’m going to refer to them as boletus of the steppes from now on! LOL!
I’m sure it comes as no surprise that it is the largest of the oyster mushroom family.
Although they originally hail from the Mediterranean, the largest consumers of king oyster mushrooms are the Chinese, Korean and Japanese. In fact, they are the 3 largest producers of this mushroom.
Hence if you can’t find them in your supermarket, head to an Asian grocer. Their array of mushrooms is impressive.
Once, Sammy found rare golden enoki at her Asian grocers and she was so excited, she went home and made Marinated Japanese Mushroom Salad with Sesame Spinach which was super delicious!
The king oyster mushroom is usually about 10-15 cm in length with a meaty white stem and delicate brown caps. As they don’t come cheap, when you’re selecting king oyster mushrooms ensure that the stem is free of blemishes and that the caps are intact.
It is preferable that you find ones that are already cleaned but if not, just brush them off rather than washing them. Do cut off the stem as the bottom as that part tends to be overly woody.
What Does King Oyster Mushrooms Taste Like?
More often than not, you would be eating these mushrooms cooked which, you can simply sear, sauté or stir fry. The thick cylindrical stems are by no means woody and actually, its texture is likened to that of abalone and scallops.
In fact, when you slice the mushroom stems, they look exactly like scallops and is a popular vegan substitute.
Cooked king oyster mushrooms have an umami flavour which is no doubt one of the many reasons why it is constantly featured in Asian cooking. There really isn’t anything quite like fried oyster mushrooms!
Raw mushrooms have a mild flavour and are great for salads as they absorb dressings really well.
Are Green Beans Different to Yellow Beans?
The only difference between green and yellow beans is their colour. It is the absence of chlorophyll that causes the beans to be yellow.
Both beans however taste the same so if you were to select either of them it would normally be based on price or in my case, always looking for something a little different for my salad recipes.
Yellow beans are also commonly known as yellow wax beans. No one seems to really know why it’s called yellow wax bean except for guesses made that the yellow is slightly translucent and therefore giving it a waxy appearance.
For a special occasion salad recipe, this Green Bean, Truffle Butter Breadcrumbs and Quail Egg Salad will certainly deliver.
Instructions
Step by step instructions for how to make king oyster mushroom salad:
How to Prepare the King Oyster Mushrooms
Be very gentle with your king oyster mushrooms as the tan coloured caps are very fragile and delicate. As they aren’t exactly the cheapest produce to buy, you want to make sure they are in perfect condition.
If the grit has not been removed or that the mushroom has not been trimmed at the bottom of the stem, please do so yourself. Do not wash the mushrooms. Just wipe the dirt away and cut off the bottom of the stem.
We want thin long slices so depending on the thickness of the mushroom, slice them into 3 or 4 pieces, lengthwise. Don’t make them too thin as we don’t want the cap to snap off.
You may have read that you need to score the mushroom so that they cook evenly. That would be correct if they were only cut in half. As these are so thin, it’s not necessary.
In a large fry pan on medium heat, add 40g of butter. As it melts, add half the mushrooms. Then sprinkle half the chopped garlic clove. Sear each side for 1 minute each. You’ll find the mushrooms will turn brown as it absorbs all the melted butter. Remove and set aside.
Repeat the exact same process for the second batch.
How to Prepare the Burnt Butter Crispy Sage
You may be tempted to use the same fry pan for the sage but it would be best if you didn’t as we don’t want the garlic to permeate the sage.
Also, you may find that some of the garlic would have been burnt and this will leave a bitter taste in the melted butter. Start fresh in another fry pan.
Pick the sage leaves off the stem. We do not want to hand tear these like we would normally with other herbs. We want the leaves to remain intact.
In a small fry pan on medium heat, add 20g of butter. As it starts to melt, add the sage leaves. Toss for about 2 minutes or until it crisps. Don’t overdo it as it will burn. Remove and place on paper towels if you don’t want it to be too buttery.
Season the crispy sage generously with salt. I could eat these leaves on its own!
How to Prepare the Yellow Beans
For this yellow beans’ recipe, we want the yellow beans to remain in its original form. Just cut off the ends and leave it in its full length.
Bring a medium sized saucepan of water to the boil. Add some salt. Then add the beans and boil for 3 minutes or until al dente. Drain and run under cold running water to stop the cooking process.
Using paper towels, pat they until they are dry.
How to Prepare Mustard & Horseradish Cream Vinaigrette
Mix the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard and horseradish cream until well combined.
How to Assemble King Oyster Mushroom Salad
Mix the cooked yellow beans with the dressing. Ensure it is coated well.
On a flat serving plate, lay the base with 90% of the broccoli sprouts. Ensure it reaches the outer edges. Place half the dressed yellow beans on top, followed by half the King oyster mushrooms and ¼ of the crisp sage. Season with pepper.
Then place the rest of the yellow beans on top followed by the rest of the king oyster mushrooms and burnt butter sage. Garnish with the leftover broccoli sprouts. Season with pepper.
Serve oyster mushroom salad immediately.
If you have a special occasion coming up and you want to splurge a little on these mushrooms or if you’re just after some rich umami flavours, these fried oyster mushrooms are your best bet. Your guests will appreciate your generosity!
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King Oyster Mushroom Salad with Yellow Beans
Ingredients
Salad
Dressing
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp horseradish cream
Click on the toggle below for conversion to US Cooking Units.
Instructions
Salad
- Peel and chop the garlic.
- Cut off the lower part of the stem then slice the King oyster mushrooms lengthways into 3-4, depending on thickness. Put a large fry pan on the stovetop on medium heat. Add 40g of butter and as it melts, quickly add the mushrooms. Add half the chopped garlic on top. Cook for 1 minute each side, remove and set aside. Add another 40g of butter and cook the rest of the mushrooms and garlic.
- Remove the sage leaves from the stem. Ensure they are picked gently as we want the leaves intact. Put a small fry pan on the stovetop on medium heat. Add 20g of butter and when it melts, add 1 cup of sage leaves. Cook for about 2 minutes or until it crisps up. Remove and drain on paper towels to remove access butter. Season generously with salt. Set aside.
- Bring a medium sized saucepan to the boil. Add a pinch of salt. Whilst that is boiling, cut off the ends of the yellow beans. Cook the yellow beans for 3 minutes or until al dente. Remove the yellow beans and put under cold running water to stop the cooking process. Pat dry with paper towels and set aside.
Dressing
- In a mason jar or small mixing bowl, add olive oil, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard and horseradish cream.
- Shake or mix until well combined.
Assembly
- In a small mixing bowl, mix the cooked yellow beans with the dressing.
- In a flat serving plate, lay the base with 90% of the broccoli sprouts. Ensure it reaches the outer edges.
- Place half the dressed yellow beans on top, followed by half the King oyster mushrooms and ¼ of the crisp sage. Season with pepper.
- Then place the rest of the yellow beans on top followed by the rest of the King oyster mushrooms and burnt butter sage. Garnish with the leftover broccoli sprouts.
- Season with pepper. Serve immediately.
Notes
- You can substitute pretty much any mushroom you wish with the closest options being normal oyster mushrooms and lion’s mane.
- You can substitute the broccoli sprouts with any other sprout especially snow pea sprouts and alfalfa sprouts. You can also use micro greens if you prefer. It’s essentially to provide a delicate element to the recipe.
- Use good butter for this recipe as it is a prominent flavour throughout the salad.
- Don’t cook on high heat as you will burn the butter, garlic and the sage.
- Substitute butter with vegan butter made from vegetable oils to make this recipe vegan friendly.
Nutrition
*Disclaimer: Nutritional information provided is an estimate only and generated by an online calculator.
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Ooh, I love this type of mushroom so much and actually have some in my fridge. This salad looks great and also vibrant. I’ll try it today!
Love all these flavors, especially the oyster mushroom!
All these flavors together! Wow! Must make this now.
I love this salad. The mushroom is meaty, and it’s quite filling for a light lunch.
This combination looks and sounds wonderful.
I just love your salad combinations!! Such wonderful colours and flavours. Yum!
Thank you so much! We eat with our eyes first but inevitable the taste wins at the end.