Preparing King Oyster Mushroom Scallops

King Oyster Mushroom is a vegan dream because you can create scallops which are almost a match to this iconic seafood. It’s a fleshy mushroom with big fat stems which are cut into discs.  These rounds are marinated in a great variety of sauces. When fried they retain a perfect scallop shape.

Many vegan chefs discard the caps so if you aren’t bothered about the shape of your scallops just cut as usual and add to the pan. If you really don’t want to use the caps, keep for stir-fries because there is so much nutrition in them. These rounds are seared in a hot pan until gorgeously browned and then slathered in a delicious vegan lemon garlic butter sauce.

The king oyster mushroom stem provides the texture of a scallop. The seafood flavour comes from a careful balance of seaweed, soy sauce or tamari sauce and miso paste. This is now a classic combination in vegan circles for generating that particular flavour. We use it in our product development work for reproducing vegan seafood stock and broth.

Make sure to marinate the oyster mushroom slices as long as possible.

You can save time by preparing the garlic butter sauce in a separate pan at the same time as frying the mushrooms.  You can save on dishes by using the same pan once all your mushrooms have cooked and are set aside.

Throw the vegan scallops into a creamy pasta, use as an appetizer or use even as a side. We know consumers who add them to fish dishes if they’re missing molluscs.

Serves 3-4; Preparation time: 13-15 minutes; Cooking time: 12-15 minutes; Total time: about 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 pound/455g/5-6 King Oyster Mushrooms – use the stems, slice 1-inch (2.5 cm) thick
• 1 cup/250ml vegetable stock/broth or water – hot
• 3 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 tbsp olive oil with some for brushing the mushroom stems
• 1 – 1 ½ tablespoons white miso paste
• 1 teaspoon kelp or other seaweed granules
• Fresh black pepper – about ¼ teaspoon
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher sea salt
• ⅛ teaspoon paprika (optional)

Lemon Garlic Vegan Butter Sauce

• 3 – 4 tbsp vegan butter depending on manufacturer’s instructions
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lemon, freshly squeezed (about 2 tbsp) – take some rind too to add extra zest.
• Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
• 1-2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley or basil for serving

Preparation:

Preparing The Scallops And Marinading

1. With a vegetable brush, remove any dirt or debris from mushrooms. Cut off the woody ends and discard. Keep the mushrooms caps for other dishes otherwise use the caps sliced if you don’t mind the shape!
2. Slice the stems into 1 inch (2.5 cm) long discs.
3. Sprinkle salt, freshly ground black pepper and paprika if desired
4. Warm the vegetable stock or water to where it is simmering and cool for a minute.
5. In a large mixing bowl mix together this hot vegetable broth, soy sauce, white miso paste, seaweed granules, and olive oil. Beat and whisk until the miso has dissolved in the hot broth.
6. Add the mushrooms and marinate for at least 2 hrs. Overnight is best.

Preparing The King Oyster Mushroom Scallops With The Sauce

1. Melt 1 tbsp vegan butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Prepare batches of mushrooms by placing them on their flat side into the skillet, and browning for 6-8 mins on each side. Set aside and keep warm.
3. To make the sauce, melt 2 tbsp vegan butter in the same skillet.
4. Add garlic and fry gently, stirring frequently for 1 minute, or until fragrant.
5. Stir in the lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
6. Serve mushroom scallops in a bowl or serving dish.
7. Pour the garlic butter sauce over them. Garnish with parsley or basil.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1 serving; Calories: 311 Fat: 20g Carbohydrates: 18.5g Sugar: 6.3g Fiber: 3.8g Protein: 12.3g