Golden Sautéed Mushrooms

Name: Golden Sautéed Mushrooms
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 600 g (1⅓ lb) mixed mushrooms (chestnut, oyster, shiitake, button), brushed clean, halved or quartered, or torn; 2 tbsp olive or neutral oil; 4 g (⅔ tsp) fine sea salt; 30 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter; 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped; 3 sprigs thyme, leaves picked; 1 tbsp dry sherry or white wine, optional; 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped; black pepper

Deeply browned mushrooms with butter, garlic, thyme and parsley

Serves: 4
Hands-on: 20 min
Total: 20 min
Level: Easy

Mushrooms are mostly water, so rich, browned ones come from cooking that water off first, then add butter and garlic once they start to color. The result is meaty, glossy and good on toast, steak, eggs or pasta.

Ingredients

600 gmixed mushrooms (chestnut, oyster, shiitake, button) (1⅓ lb)brushed clean, halved or quartered, or torn
2 tbspolive or neutral oil
4 gfine sea salt (⅔ tsp)
30 gunsalted butter (2 tbsp)
2 clovesgarlicfinely chopped
3 sprigsthymeleaves picked
1 tbspdry sherry or white wineoptional
2 tbspflat-leaf parsleychopped
black pepper

Diet: Vegetarian, Gluten-free
Allergens: milk, sulphites

Method

Heat the oil in your largest frying pan over high heat until shimmering.
Add the mushrooms in a single layer (work in two batches if needed) and cook without stirring for 3 minutes, until they release their liquid and it begins to evaporate. 3 min
Stir and keep cooking over medium-high heat until the pan is dry and the mushrooms are golden-brown on several sides, 6–8 minutes more. Season with the salt now. 7 min
Lower the heat to medium. Add the butter, garlic and thyme and cook, tossing, until the butter foams and the garlic smells sweet, 1–2 minutes. 2 min
Add the sherry if using and let it bubble away, 30 seconds. Toss with parsley and pepper and serve.

Why it works

Mushrooms release water when heated; until it evaporates, they can't get hotter than 100°C, so they can't brown. Salt pulls out even more liquid, so adding it once they've colored keeps them from sitting in a puddle at the start. Butter added late browns with the mushrooms without burning, adding nutty richness.

Common mistakes

Crowding the pan: they stew in their liquid and turn gray and rubbery.
Washing them under the tap for a long time: brush them, or rinse quickly and dry well.
Adding garlic at the start: it burns before the mushrooms are done.

Variations

Creamy mushrooms: Add 100 ml cream at the end and simmer 1 minute; serve on toast.
Soy-butter: Replace the sherry with 1 tbsp soy sauce and finish with scallions.

Make ahead and storage

Keeps 3 days in the fridge; reheat in a hot pan.

Notes

Sulphites only if you add the sherry or wine.