Marinated Porcini Mushrooms

Name: Marinated Porcini Mushrooms: Quick Mushroom Appetizer Recipe
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: Porcini mushrooms 5–6; Green onion 2–3 stalks; Garlic 1–2 cloves; 6% table vinegar 0.5 tsp; Vegetable oil 2 tbsp; Salt, black pepper to taste; Water for boiling the mushrooms 2.5 l

☆ 4.8

1 h

A mushroom salad of marinated porcini is one of the most refined appetizers to serve with an aperitif before a good dinner.

The freshness of the autumn forest, falling leaves, damp cobwebs everywhere and, of course, plenty of mushrooms. A quiet, unhurried mushroom hunt. A wonderful way to spend time. Even if you have no desire or skill to pick mushrooms, a walk through the autumn woods is priceless.

Once you have gathered your mushrooms, the first question to ask yourself is what to do with them. Some people salt them, some dry them, some pickle them. We leave that question for “later”. We boil our mushrooms and freeze them. That way we can decide what to cook with them afterwards.

But making a “quick” appetizer of marinated porcini is a matter of an hour. Or even less, if the mushrooms are already boiled and frozen. Mushroom caviar is also a tasty appetizer, but it takes time. A mushroom appetizer or salad like this one requires no skills at all and very little time.

A mushroom appetizer or salad: marinated porcini with green onion, garlic and vegetable oil. It turns out great with mushrooms frozen in season.

Ingredients

2 servings

Porcini mushrooms 5–6
Green onion 2–3 stalks
Garlic 1–2 cloves
6% table vinegar 0.5 tsp
Vegetable oil 2 tbsp
Salt, black pepper to taste
Water for boiling the mushrooms 2.5 l

Step-by-step recipe

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Cleaning and boiling the mushrooms

Porcini are, of course, the best choice for a mushroom salad. But the appetizer also turns out well with bay boletes or slippery jacks. If the mushrooms are large, you can cut them into pieces right away, but as a rule this is done later, just before making the appetizer.

Wash and clean fresh porcini, discarding any wormy or rotten ones. Throw out pine needles, stuck leaves and other forest artifacts. Clean the mushrooms of sand and soil, as well as of all sorts of critters: snails, slugs and so on.
Once we had to chase a small lizard around the kitchen; we caught it, and it lived with us for a week until our next trip to the forest, feeding on worms.

Pour 2.5 l of water into a large pot and bring it to a boil. Add the cleaned mushrooms to the boiling water and cook them for as long as you usually do.
How long to boil mushrooms is an endless debate with no clear outcome. For example, I boil porcini for 10 mins after the water returns to a boil. If you are not sure that is long enough, cook them the way you are used to. It is entirely up to you.
Mushrooms produce a lot of foam as they boil. You can skim it off with a slotted spoon or a regular spoon, or simply turn the heat down a little so the foam doesn’t spill over.
Transfer the boiled mushrooms to a large bowl and let them cool to room temperature.

Marinating

If the mushrooms are large and were boiled whole, cut them up. Just not too finely, or you will end up with mushroom caviar instead of an appetizer. A mushroom or a piece of one should sit properly on a fork and be a proper bite. Marinated porcini are, first and foremost, an appetizer. You know what I mean?
Season the cut mushrooms with salt and pepper, to taste, of course. It is worth grinding the black pepper right before using it, so it keeps as much flavor and aroma as possible. Let the mushrooms stand with the salt and pepper for 10 mins so the salt dissolves.

Peel the garlic, chop it finely with a knife and add it to the mushrooms.
Note: chop it, don’t grate it. The garlic in the appetizer should be in small pieces, ideally about the cross-section of an ordinary match. Besides, grating garlic makes it lose its juice.
Slice the green onion very thinly. It is better not to use the white part — only the green tops go into the mushroom salad. Set a little onion aside for serving.
Mix the mushrooms, green onion and garlic.
Add 0.5 tsp of regular 6% table vinegar. Let the appetizer stand for 10 mins.
Strictly speaking, the amount of vinegar is a matter of personal taste. Still, a mushroom appetizer should have at least a slightly tangy flavor.
Dress the mushrooms with vegetable oil.

Serving

Transfer the marinated porcini to a salad bowl and sprinkle with more finely chopped green onion.
An excellent mushroom salad. Just right for a good feast. By the way, if the mushroom appetizer sits in the fridge for a while, it gets even tastier.

Calories and macros

175 kcal

Serving ≈ 170 g

Protein3 g6% of kcal
Fat15 g79% of kcal
Carbs6 g15% of kcal

100 g101 kcalProtein 1.5 gFat 8.3 gCarbs 3.5 g

Calculated from the recipe ingredients, excluding salt and spices. Data: USDA and Matvaretabellen.

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To Get It Right

Which mushrooms to use

Porcini are the best. The appetizer turns out just as well with bay boletes and slippery jacks.

Cut them large

The whole point of this appetizer is pieces of mushroom that stay on a fork. Finely chopped mushrooms turn into mushroom caviar.

Which oil

Any vegetable oil will do. Fragrant unrefined sunflower oil adds flavor, while refined oil won’t mask the smell of the mushrooms.

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Questions and answers

How long to boil porcini before marinating?

I boil porcini for 10 minutes after the water returns to a boil. Boiling time is an endless debate, so if you are not sure, cook them the way you are used to.

How much vinegar do marinated porcini need?

For 5–6 mushrooms, 0.5 tsp of regular 6% table vinegar. There is no brine in this recipe: the mushrooms marinate with garlic, green onion, vinegar and oil, and you can add more acidity to taste.

When can you eat marinated porcini?

Right after dressing them with oil: the mushrooms stand for 10 minutes with salt and another 10 with vinegar. If the appetizer sits in the fridge for a while, it gets even tastier.

Can you make this appetizer with frozen porcini?

Yes, it turns out great, and even faster. In season we boil mushrooms and freeze them, and decide what to cook with them later. You can boil them without vinegar: porcini don’t darken – that is why they are called white mushrooms.

Can you preserve these mushrooms for winter?

No, this is a quick appetizer for the table, not a preserve for jars. We don’t pickle mushrooms for later – we boil and freeze them, and this appetizer is then ready in half an hour.

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