Frying Morel Mushrooms for Beginners - Be Happy and Do Good (2024)

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It’s mushroom season where I live and I’m ready for the king of mushrooms: the MOREL!!! If you’ve never had (or even heard of) a morel mushroom, let me tell you how wonderful these little guys taste. They are the truffles of the heartland. 🙂 Breaded and fried, there are few foods that make me swoon or turn me into a raving lunatic. Morels may possibly cause both at the same time…

Morel mushrooms, I swear, like to hide from me when I go mushroom hunting. They are tricky little buggers! If I’m super lucky, I’ll find one, maybe two. It could be I don’t know the right places to look, or that I’m too interested in the wild flowers or watching out for snakes, but I am not blessed in the “mushroom-hunting” department. If this is you, take heart. Find a friend…a good friend…who is willing to share some of his/her haul. These are special people, so take good care of them! 🙂 I’ve found that the bartering system works well. (i.e. Trade for something they love! Fresh apple pie has worked for me in the past.)

The Process of Cleaning Morel Mushrooms

Morels can be very dirty. Remember: they grow in the dirt! 🙂 After you get a bunch, take them home, cut each mushroom in half lengthwise, and place the halves in salted water. This helps with the cleaning. Little tiny bugs like to hide in those lovely nooks and crannies. You will also want to trim off the base of each mushroom to get rid of some dirt.

After soaking, rinse the mushrooms, and repeat with another bowl of salted water until the water is clear and bugs have been removed. (Beware of soaking too long in the salted water. This could cause soggy mushrooms.) Dry clean mushrooms on paper towels while preparing other ingredients.

Frying the Morel Mushrooms!

In my book,this is the best part! Serving morels with a buttery coating of Club crackers and then frying in butter makes for the richest of dishes. The yellow morels really remind me of shrimp scampi!

First, work on the setup. Be sure to have two separate pie plates, one for the egg and milk and one for the crushed buttery crackers. Also, be sure to get a 12-inch skillet ready to fryby melting the stick of butter (don’t even think about margarine!!!).

Now, it’s time to cook. Dip the mushroom in the beaten egg, coat with the buttery crackers, and fry in the butter until golden brown and absolutely fabulous!

Notes

Lightly tapping the mushroom tops on paper towels after soaking will help remove any stubborn bugs from the nooks and crannies.

Ingredients

Clean morel mushrooms (see below for tips)
2 sleeves buttery crackers like Club crackers, crushed
2 eggs, beaten
2 T. milk
1 stick butter
salt and pepper, if desired

Instructions

Cut morels in half lengthwise and trim stems. Soak in salt water to remove dirt and bugs. (Note: do not soak in salt water too long, or this may cause soggy mushrooms.) Drain and repeat until mushrooms and water look clean. Dry on paper towels.
Place crushed crackers in pie dish and set aside.
Place beaten eggs and milk in a second pie dish and beat until well combined. Set aside.
In a 12-inch skillet, melt butter over medium low heat.
Dredge mushrooms in eggs, roll in crackers, and cook in butter until golden brown on each side. (Adjust heat as needed.)
Add salt and pepper, if desired.
Remove to paper towels to drain.
Serve immediately.