Sautéed Oyster Mushrooms with Garlic
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With their frilly edges and delicate form, oyster mushrooms are particularly great for cooking over high heat, and this recipe makes the most of it. A quick sear in a very hot pan with a swirl of garlic butter and you’re done.
What to know about oyster mushrooms
Oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) grow in clusters on trees rather than in soil — which is part of why they’re so clean when you bring them home, and why their texture is more delicate than a cremini or portobello. The caps are shaped like shallow bowls or (yes, I will say it) oyster shells, with fine gills on the underside. Most of what you’ll find at the grocery store is pearl or golden, but blue and pink varieties show up at farmers markets when you least expect them.
Varieties:
- Pearl: The most widely cultivated and easiest to find — these are what you’ll see in most grocery stores. Pale grey-white, with frilly, overlapping caps that crisp up beautifully in a hot pan.
- Golden: Bright yellow and slightly more delicate than pearl. These are worth seeking out at farmers markets; they cook the same way and the color holds surprisingly well.
- King Oyster: The biggest of all oyster mushrooms, the King grows individually instead of in clusters, and has a large meaty stem. The caps are not as frilly as other types of oyster mushrooms.
One question comes up constantly: Do oyster mushrooms taste like fish? No — not even close. The name comes from the shape, not the flavor. What they actually taste like is mild and slightly nutty, with a savory, umami quality all mushrooms share. They don’t need much — salt, heat, and a little fat does the trick.
A few minutes of prep makes all the difference
All parts of oyster mushrooms are edible, but you’ll get the best results if you take a few minutes to prep them properly before cooking.
Oyster mushrooms in yellow and pearl colors. 
Slice off the hard base stem, which can be tough to chew.
- Cleaning: Oyster mushrooms grow on tree bark, so they don’t usually have much soil or dirt on them. Gently wipe them with a soft towel to remove any debris. I don’t recommend rinsing them because the delicate caps can fall apart or become waterlogged.
- Trimming: You’ll find the clusters attached together by a little woody stem at the base. It’s a bit chewy, so it’s best to trim off the stem with a sharp knife.
- Slicing: Separate large caps or clusters with with your hands or slice them. Leave them whole if they’re small.
Sear them quickly, finish with butter
Searing over high heat is the intention — oyster mushrooms have enough surface area and moisture that if you dump them into a lukewarm pan, they’ll steam instead of brown. Get the pan hot first. Within 3–4 minutes, the edges blister and pull up into something that genuinely looks battered, with a crunch that surprises people. I use the same method for sauteed shiitake mushrooms.
Heat a large pan over medium-high heat and add olive oil. Sear the mushrooms in one layer over medium-high heat, 3-4 minutes, or just until they develop a nice golden-brown crust. Transfer the mushrooms to a serving platter. Toss the butter, garlic and parsley into the hot pan until melted. Pour the garlic butter over the mushrooms and serve.
Ideas for serving:
Oyster mushrooms are versatile enough to anchor a dish or complement others. These are some of favorite ways to enjoy them.
- Make mushroom toast: Pile them onto thick-cut bread that’s been rubbed with garlic and drizzled with olive oil. A good scrape of ricotta underneath, or a handful of shaved Parmesan on top, and this is a lunch I’d eat right now.
- Pasta: Toss the mushrooms with hot pasta with a splash of pasta water and a chunk of butter — the garlic and parsley are built in. Finish the plate with Parmesan.
- Risotto: Stir them in at the end so they keep their texture. This creamy risotto is the one I’d use.
- Scrambled eggs: The contrast of soft curds and crispy mushrooms — yes. Cook the eggs low and slow, spoon the mushrooms over to serve.
- Polenta: Top warm bowls of my recipe for creamy polenta with the mushrooms for a special meatless dinner.
Sauteed Oyster Mushrooms with Garlic Butter
Ingredients
- 10 ounces (284 g) oyster mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) butter
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped or grated
- ¼ cup (15 g) fresh Italian parsley leaves
Equipment
Instructions
- Prep the mushrooms: Gently pat the mushrooms with a clean towel to absorb any excess moisture. Trim off the hard stem at the base of each clump of mushrooms. Separate large clusters into more bite-sized pieces, using your hands or a knife.
- Place a large (10-12-inch) nonstick pan or cast iron pan over medium-high heat. When a drop of water sizzles and evaporates on contact, add the oil to the pan. Arrange the mushrooms in one layer. Cook, without turning, until one side is golden brown and crisp. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and stir. *Note: If the mushrooms don't fit in one layer in your pan, cook them in 2 batches, adding a little more oil as needed.
- Transfer the mushrooms to a serving platter. Without returning the pan to the heat, add the butter, garlic and parsley to the hot pan, swirling until the butter melts and the garlic is fragrant.
- Pour the garlic butter over the mushrooms and serve.
Notes
- The mushrooms are best served immediately. They’ll still taste great as leftovers for up to 3 days, but they’ll lose their crisp texture.
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
I bought a grow bag at a farmers market, and got 2 ounces clean from the first flush and 6 oz from the second flush. I used this recipe on the 6 oz, and they turned out great. Most of the mushrooms were pretty small, I used a 12″ skillet and it seemed a bit crowded. You did not say to stir them, but I finally did during the second half of cooking, and that seemed to help a lot. We loved them, and if I get a big enough third flush I will certain use this recipe again. Thank you!
Hi Cathy, what a fun project — growing your own oyster mushrooms and getting three harvests out of it! I would love to attempt it someday.
The recipe does call for a stir, only right after they’re seared and golden on one side, so you were following it correctly! With a crowded pan of smaller mushrooms, getting that good sear before stirring makes a big difference, and cooking in batches is better so they’re not crowded.
Hope a third harvest comes through for you!
That was delicious. Served it with steak and blue cheese and some steamed veg and it was so good. Not only tasty but a really lovely texture. I couldn’t believe how easy it was for so much flavour. About to go on high rotation in our house.
Augustine, the mushrooms look wonderful – so nicely seared! Thank you for sharing.
Very good recipe. Simple and so easy to make. Came out so well.
I had it with Wholewheat Zucchini bread and a potato salad 👍
Thanks Karen, great tip for excellent mushroom dish.
I’m not sure why as I followed directions, but they seemed to only taste like the oil. Suggestions?
Hmmm – It’s hard to say why they seemed oily when you cooked the mushrooms. If your pan wasn’t quite hot enough, the mushrooms might not have seared properly, causing them to absorb the oil, rather than fry. Another factor is pan diameter – a larger pan provides better surface area for the mushrooms to get nice and crispy.
Yes and used linguini to toss muchrooms and chicken
I bought a mushroom kit off Amazon and I have had success and have a large supply of blue oysters I’m thinking of beef stroganoff!!
Came out exactly as it should. Loved the way the big pieces of parsley looked too. For more flavor I put the mushrooms back in the pan and tossed
Delicious. Thank you. I’m doing the Zoe Health programme and this recipe scored highly when I shared the details with them.
Absolutely perfect. First timer with oyster mushrooms. Thank you.
That’s awesome Debby! So glad your first time with oyster mushrooms was a success. I hope you make them again!
Made this for my family and a family friend who is recovering from cancer surgery and everyone raved about this simple yet very delicious recipe was. A must make!
I am going to make this again but add it to a risotto this time and add other wild mushrooms to the mix.
So happy to hear this, Melissa! Count me in on adding the mushrooms to risotto.
This recipe for oyster mushrooms is easy, delish and versitle! I picked a good handfull of oyster mushrooms yesterday and put them in a paper bag after brushing off the soil from the dead tree on which they were growing -another reason to not cut down a dead tree is not causing a future issue. I did use the tougher parts of the mushroom, but cooked them first and then added the rest. Very similar to calamari when finished.