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Funghi sott’olio. So much more than just an Italian version of marinated mushrooms.
I’ve eaten these as part of an antipasti plate since I was a kid. Standard marinated mushrooms, let’s face it, can be slippery and even rubbery. Not a great texture. But these are meaty, chewy and just a shade funky — mushroomy in all the best ways.
I never really knew exactly how the Italians did it until I read Rosetta Costantino’s My Calabria. In it, Costantino reveals her family’s method for preserving mushrooms in oil, and when I read her recipe, I was immediately struck by how similar it is to a Sicilian technique I use every year when I have too much zucchini. Makes sense, as Calabria is only a few miles from Sicily.
Basically you need to remove water from the mushrooms, then boil them in vinegar, then dry them out a bit before submerging in oil. It is a method I’ve seen done with a lot of foods, even meat on occasion. What this particular do-si-do of preservation does is first use salt to pull the existing water from the food.
Once the food is reasonably dry, acidify it with vinegar — bad bugs find it tough to survive in low Ph environments. Finally, keep air (and molds) off the food by submerging it in olive oil.
You should know there is no official USDA protocol for this method of preservation. Costantino tried to get the government to give its vaguely papal gesture for her recipe, but they declined. Suffice to say it works: The Italians have been doing it for centuries, if not millennia.
I tested this method with five kinds of mushrooms: button mushrooms, hedgehog mushrooms, chanterelles, lobster mushrooms and porcini. You need a meaty mushroom to begin with or this method will not work.
Other species that make good marinated mushrooms are blewits, pig’s ears (Gomphus clavatus), shiitake, matsutake, king trumpet mushrooms, and maybe chicken of the woods. Bottom line: The mushroom needs a little heft.
That’s why porcini and their boletus cousins are the ideal. Try this with a leccinum or a birch bolete and you’ll transform a mediocre mushroom into something special.
A few pointers to start:
- Wash your mushrooms and trim any bad spots. Be sure the mushrooms are not wormy.
- Use high quality ingredients: Good olive oil, sea salt, quality vinegar, good lemons. You can definitely taste the difference.
- Store your mushrooms in glass containers, in the fridge. It is entirely probable that they are shelf stable, but I am not a fan of botulism, so I keep mine in the refrigerator.
The recipe that follows is approximate. You may need more or less of the ingredients to fit your containers. One tip: Start with more mushrooms than you think you need. They shrink a lot in this process, and are so good you will run out long before you’re tired of eating them.
Italian Marinated Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 pounds meaty mushrooms
- 1 quart white vinegar or cider vinegar
- Kosher salt or pure sea salt, finely ground
- Zest of a lemon, sliced into wide strips
- 4 dried hot chiles, split lengthwise
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Cut the mushrooms into reasonable pieces. With small mushrooms, like a button mushroom, you need only cut them in half, and you can leave the smaller ones whole. With large chanterelles and porcini, cut them into 1/2 inch thick slices. They will shrink a lot in this process, and they will be pliable, so they can be a little larger than you'd think they ought to be.
- Salt them well. Lay down a layer of salt on a sheet tray and place the mushrooms on it. If the mushroom has a flat side, i.e., a button mushroom sliced in half, lay the flat side down against the salt. Sprinkle a heavy layer of salt over the tops of all the mushrooms.
- Let this stand at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours. You will notice a lot of water coming out of the mushrooms. This is good. Note that I have left the "sponge" on the porcini in the pictures. I no longer do this because the sponge gets really slimy and icky in this process, and tends to stick to everything. Better to remove the sponge and dry it. It makes great porcini powder.
- Put the mushrooms between paper towels and gently squeeze them a bit to remove a little more water.
- Boil them in the vinegar for five minutes; you might need more vinegar than a quart, but it should get you started. The mushrooms will want to float. Use tongs or something to submerge them as much as you can. Fish out the mushrooms and put them between paper towels again and gently squeeze them to remove some of the vinegar.
- Lay the mushrooms on a clean cloth to dry. Let them air dry until they are no longer damp, but still pliable. Don't let them dry out into leather. Turn the mushrooms once or twice during this time. This will take between 12 to 24 hours, depending on how dry it is in your house and how much air circulation you have going. You can also use a dehydrator to speed up the process, but keep an eye on it: Mushrooms can go from perfect to leather in a hurry if you're not careful!
- Add the seasonings. Put the oil, lemon zest, oregano and chile in a bowl and toss the mushrooms in them. Pack this into glass jars. Use a chopstick or some other kind of clean stick to poke around the jar -- you want to find and remove as many air bubbles as possible. Make sure the mushrooms are submerged in the oil. Refrigerate and wait at least a week before eating. These mushrooms will keep in the fridge for 6 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Very Inspirational, I have always wanted to give this a try. A stupid question ….I am still feeling my way around the world in regards to food. What is a high quality vinegar or oil ? I take it you just mean any cider vinegar or E.V. Olive oil as apposed to say sunflower or grape vinegar ? If not could you recommend a brand. Also do you think this would work with Shimeji mushrooms. Thk you
Hi, every time I do this my mushies turn out inedibly salty. Not sure what the problem is… Very grateful for any advice!
Roj: Use less salt. Sounds snarky, but it is the only way. Salt tolerance is personal, and it sounds like you are more sensitive to salt than I am. Sorry!
Sorry I took so long to get back to you on the marinated COW. They worked well, the texture holds up beautifully. Mine turned out to be pretty salty, not sure why that might be as you said that should boil off in the vinegar. But the mushrooms were still gobbled up and I have been using the olive oil as dressing on arugula salads with shaved parmesan.
Do you really boil the vinegar? What about the fumes? https://www.google.com/amp/m.scmp.com/article/406155/two-dead-after-boiling-white-vinegar%3famp=1
Caitlin: Yes. Always have, always will. Boiling vinegar has been a part of canning and preserving since there was vinegar, which would be oh, about 3000 years. And reading that article, it was the coal that caused their deaths, not the vinegar. They died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Hi Hank, awesome recipe. We always store enough mushrooms for winter. This year we’re storing enough for “nuclear winter” lol. This will help. One question. I see you save the vinegar, how about the salt? Is it possible to redry it and then maybe combine with the powder you’ve made from the tubes for some mushroom salt? My first batch is sweating now.
Eric: I don’t see why not.
How about the vinegar you use it in other recipes ? Mine is a nice Boletus vinegar taste good what are some good ideas for using ?
Judy: Yes, I save the vinegar and use it in dressings, etc.
How do you get all that salt (or most of it) off of the mushrooms before proceeding with the next steps? Shake it off? Wipe it off? Brush it off? Thanks.
Ed: You don’t. You then boil them in vinegar, which dilutes a lot of the salt.
Hi Hank,
What about boletes that stain blue/purple slowly (not immediately)after cut in half? I have read conflicting comments regarding the edibility of the boletes that stain. Any suggestions? Thanks!
Marc: Most that stain are no good, but there are exceptions. You need to learn each species.
Lori, have you taste-tested that COW? I’m going back for a beauty today and this sounds like the way to go with it!
They are in salt now. I will let you know how they turn out.
Have you done this with COW? I have a big bag full that I would love to marinate this way.
Lori: I personally have not done it with chicken of the woods, but my instinct tells me it would work. I do it with lobster mushrooms a lot, and they have a similar texture.
I’ve made these at least half a dozen times now. It’s one of my very favorites. Especially nice when I really hit the jackpot on porcini.
Just ate some lobster mushrooms that I marinated last fall. I sauteed them with some italian chicken sausages, garlic, and threw in some kale at the end. I poured it over some pasta and ground some black pepper over it.. So simple and good.
Whoa….. I found this way too salty! Did I let them sit in that phase too long?
Nan: Maybe. They are supposed to be salty, but not unpleasantly so.
Kate, I was wondering the same thing. I do lots of canning and would like to make a batch of several jars and have them around for a while. Please let me know if you attempted to do this, and if so, how they turned out. Thanks kindly.
Could these be canned after they’re packed in oil for a longer shelf life? how do you think the heat would affect the product?
Kate: Yes, but I have never done it and don’t know the details. Sorry.
Relying to questions about maitake and this way of preserving — works excellently! I’ve had to keep back some for the family. Our friends can’t stop with them.
Do you do anything with the salt after it’s absorbed the liquid? I’m thinking I might use it as a base to make a herb bouillon like this one. Any thoughts?https://fromscratchclub.com/2012/07/27/community-voices-homemade-veggie-bouillion/
Hi, is it OK to use dried or frozen mushrooms? Since we need to dehydrate them? Shall I start by boiling dried mushrooms in vinegar then?
Sezen: I have never tried this with dried mushrooms.
So what is the preferred way to serve them I just took them out of the fridge and it looks like the oil has kind of solidified? Thanks David Kielian
David: Yes, the oil will solidify in the fridge. Let it warm up and serve with pickles and charcuterie and cheese.