In my family it is a tradition to go mushroom hunting every spring, specifically, morel mushroom hunting. These tasty mushrooms can be found in the forests of Iowa and I would consider them to be a delicacy in the area. Driving by any public forested land you might see what appears to be an abandoned car, but it is more than likely a mushroom hunter. In this post I will highlight how to locate and cook morel mushrooms, just like my grandma does.
Where and How To Find Mushrooms
To go mushroom hunting you must first know what you’re looking for and when and where to look. There are a variety of mushrooms that grow in Iowa but not all are edible. Morels have a stem and a wavy texture at the top, they can be yellow or gray. The best time to look for them is in the spring when the ground is warming. My grandpa always says if we get a good rain followed by a sunny day the morels will be “popping.” There are some tricks to finding morels, but in my opinion I think it is mostly luck. We always look at the edges of wooded areas and near creeks. I pay special attention to dead or dying trees; I’ve also heard that mushrooms like to grow near elm trees.
Mushroom hunting is a fun activity because basically all you are doing is walking around in the woods. It’s a peaceful time with nature that I don’t take advantage of too often. It’s wonderful to hear all the birds chirping and enjoy being outside after the long winter. Also the smell of the woods in the spring is amazing. We usually go in a group on my grandfather’s land so it is a fun family activity as well. I also kind of like the idea of going out and hunting for something to then go back home and cook it.
This year my hunt was not too fruitful, I only found four mushrooms and my group found collectively 15. However, my mom had gone mushroom hunting the day before and came home with nearly 250! Don’t ask me where she found them she will never tell. She decided to give me some so I was able to go home and fry them.
Frying Morel Mushrooms
I will start by saying this is in no way a healthy recipe. I try to stay away from fried foods but I allow myself to indulge for morels because they are only available once a year.
To fry morels you will first have to clean them, they are more than likely muddy and may have some bugs on them. I rinse them off, cut them in half and soak them in salted water for 20-30 minutes. This should kill all the bugs and if it doesn’t then you have some added protein – just kidding!
Drain the mushrooms and prepare the pan to begin frying. I used 1 tbsp of vegetable oil and a stick of unsalted butter. As the pan is heating and the butter is melting prepare the mushrooms. Put around a half cup of flour in a plastic bag, add the mushrooms and shake.
Fill the pan with mushrooms and after a couple of minutes flip them to the other side. How long to cook the mushroom really depends on the size. You can tell when they are done because they will be browned and crispy. I salt them on both sides, you can adjust how much salt you want to add but I salt them quite a bit.
Finally, place the finished mushrooms on paper towels to absorb the grease until they have cooled.
And that’s how I fry morel mushrooms! They are so good that I thought I would save some for later but I couldn’t. My boyfriend and I ate them all as soon as they cooled down. I’ll admit the finished product does not look appetizing, but trust me they are delicious!
Recipe
Ingredients:
- 16 oz fresh morel mushrooms
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp salt
Directions
- Rinse all mushrooms and cut in half
- Soak mushrooms in salted water for 20-30 minutes. Drain and set aside
- Add stick of butter and vegetable oil to a frying pan and set to medium heat
- In a plastic bag combine rinsed mushrooms with flour and shake to coat
- Place floured mushrooms in pan with melted butter and oil to fry. After a couple minutes flip mushrooms to opposite side. Timing depends on the size of the mushroom, make sure they are brown and crispy
Thanks for reading!
