In the midst of the COVID-19 scare there is one spring highlight that didn’t fail to occur. Morel mushrooms! Morels are the best food that nature has to offer and now is the primo season. I have been out of state and dying to get back home to go mushroom picking. Katy had to teach the first day back but she was off Friday so we took off for my secret spot.
We didn’t find as many as we would have wished but still got enough for a good mess. They were all nice and firm and in good shape. So if you are reading this article you need to hurry up, finish reading this article and jump in the truck and head for the mountains. It is primo time.
To prepare the mushrooms gently rinse and then slice in half lengthwise. Put in a bowl with salt water to kill any bugs and refrigerate overnight.
The other day I covered how to hunt them; today let’s go over my favorite recipe. You can make mushroom gravy, scramble with eggs, etc. but frying them is the ultimate. Beat two to three eggs with about ½ cup of milk in a bowl. Drain the water off of the rinsed mushrooms an hour beforehand. Throw the drained/sliced mushrooms in the egg batter and cover with batter. Pour some flour on a plate. Roll the mushrooms in the flour.
On the stove be preheating a skillet with about a half-inch of grease to medium heat. When hot (sizzles a drop of water) lay mushrooms cut side down in the skillet. Fry to a golden brown and flip.
OK, I have to digress for a minute. If you have a thin-walled skillet anywhere in your kitchen gingerly pick it up with two fingers so as not to defile yourself. Walk out to the trash can and throw it away. Buy a cast iron Lodge skillet. They are the best for frying and evenly disperse heat while cooking.
When golden brown (not too brown) remove and lay on a paper towel-lined plate. I lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper when frying but not too much. Let everyone season to their tastes. I use Tony Chachere’s original seasoning.
ENJOY!
Tom Claycomb lives in Idaho and has outdoors columns in newspapers in Alaska, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Colorado and Louisiana.He also writes for various outdoors magazines and teaches outdoors seminars at stores like Cabela’s, Sportsman’s Warehouse and Bass Pro Shop.
