Mushroom Salad with Yuzu Dressing

Mushroom Salad with Yuzu Dressing

The incredible photos for this post were done with the help of Carl Kravats. He is a true food photography artist, and I had an opportunity to take a class from him recently. For more information, see www.carlkravats.com.

I love mushrooms. I can just hear my sister, who hates them, moaning at the thought of a salad featuring a hefty dose of mushrooms. Is there any other vegetable that imparts as many different textures and flavors as the mushroom? And, they are healthy, very low in calories and fat free. How great is that!?

This recipe is so easy and different. Both the mushroom and the dressing really make for a unique salad that you will remember long past enjoying the flavors. It can all be served at room temperature or add the mushrooms to the greens when mushrooms are warm, which wilts the lettuce a bit, and makes for a unique salad. 

To make the dressing, whisk ½ C grapeseed oil with 3 Tb soy sauce, (Tamarin is my favorite), 3 Tb Yuzu juice, (can substitute 3 Tb lime juice & ½ Tb fresh orange juice), and 1 minced garlic clove in a small bowl. Taste for seasoning, add salt and pepper if needed. Yuzu is a Japanese citrus fruit which is about the size of a tangerine and quite sour. It is difficult to find the fresh fruit in the U.S. but the juice and the yuzu sauce can often be found in specialty food stores and Asian markets. Grapeseed oil is actually a vegetable oil pressed from the seeds of various grapes – usually a by-product of winemaking.  It has a moderately high smoking point – and, in this case, is important because of its clean light taste and high polyunsaturated fat content.

• ½ C grapeseed oil
• 3 Tb soy sauce
• 3 Tb Yuzu juice
• 1 minced garlic clove
• 2 lb of fresh assorted mushrooms
• 3 Tb extra-virgin olive oil 
• ¼ C sake
• 5 ounces of baby greens

Whisking the dressing

Carefully, using a damp paper towel, wipe clean as needed, 2 lb of fresh assorted mushrooms:  Today I used crimini, shitake, maitake (hen of the woods), bunapi and oyster.  While I would not use white button mushrooms – most any other mix would be terrific so you could also include enoki, chanterelle or wood-ear if they are fresh and available (see pics below). Mushrooms today are packaged in such a way that no extra cleaning may be necessary. You do not want to get them soaked as they will inhale the water and dilute the mushroom flavor. Just wipe them off if needed with a damp paper towel. Thickly slice or quarter all mushrooms.

Shitake

Cremini

Bunapi

Oyster

Maitake

Heat 3 Tb extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. You will want the mushrooms to fit into your pan as one layer.  Do not crowd or they will steam instead of sautéing.  Once hot – add mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until just beginning to brown.  This can take 5-10 minutes depending on your mushroom mix.  Add ¼ C sake, stir to coat the mushrooms, cook about one minute to burn off the alcohol, and transfer to a large bowl.

Mushroom melange

Sauteing the mushrooms

Add 5 Tb of your dressing, toss to coat. Check seasoning.

Divide about 5 ounces of baby greens on 6 plates.  Divide mushrooms among plates, mounding slightly in the center atop the greens.  Drizzle remaining dressing over greens and mushrooms.  Garnish with chives and serve.  Enjoy with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. You will love the mix of flavors. 

Larue