When a scallop is not a scallop…
A contestant auditioning for MasterChef this year served King oyster mushroom scallops and I thought it was genius. And, on a recent trip to Berry in NSW, I enjoyed the flavours of white miso combined mushrooms and served with mushy peas, a breakfast dish that was simply divine. So when I saw beautiful King Oyster Mushrooms at the Asian grocer last week I just had to give this combination a try. Instead of mushy peas I made a smashed edamame, which was easy and delicious.
Recipe for an entree for two people:
Mushroom Scallops
2-3 large King oyster mushrooms
1/4 c mirin
1/4 c water
Approx 4 tbs white miso paste
3 tbs maple syrup
1 tbs black sesame seeds
1 tsp extra maple OR soy
Smashed Edamame
1 packet of frozen edamame*
Squeeze of lemon
Method
Cut the mushroom stems into 3cm scallops sized pieces, slice the caps.
Combine the mirin, water, miso and maple syrup and marinade the mushrooms for 1-2 hours (you can use the caps for tomorrow’s breakfast)
Remove scallops from marinade and fry in a little oil for around 2 mins turning once - allow a little caramelisation to occur, but don’t overcook. The second side will only need a minute. The maple syrup in the marinade does tend to blacken so watch them carefully and flip before they go too far.
Heat a portion of the remaining sauce in a saucepan, add extra maple to sweeten or some soy for a touch of saltiness (*see note below).
Drop edamame in a pot of boiling, salted water for about 2 minutes
Strain into ice water to prevent further cooking, but reserve 1/2 c of the cooking liquid
Blend edamame adding small amounts of liquid as you go for consistency.
Salt to taste and add a squeeze of lemon juice
Lightly stir fry asparagus and enoki in some oil, enoki needs a second or two to simply heat through.
Assemble your dish and drizzle the sauce over the top. with a scattering of black sesame seeds.
Any leftover mushrooms (including the caps that were not used) keep in some marinade for a tasty lunch the following day. I had mine on toast with kale and marinated goats feta and a soft boiled egg, but it would go well with noodles, stir-fried with chicken or tofu - options are endless.
Edamame - I use the ‘salad’ edamame available in Woolworths frozen section (near the peas) - the brand is UMAMI. They are already out of their pods. If you can’t find these, regular edamame steamed or boiled in salty water and podded is fine or you can simply use peas.
