Deep Fried Breaded Mushrooms

These breaded mushrooms are marinated for a perfect profundity of flavor, at that point pan fried for an extra crunchy finish!

Without a doubt the vital advance to making these breaded mushrooms so delightful is marinating them. Most breaded mushrooms I’ve attempted are undoubtedly fresh and crunchy, yet regularly need flavor with regards to the mushroom inside. Thusly, I’ve made an additional progression here to infuse some beautiful flavor into the mushrooms.

You need mushrooms that are on the more modest side of life, to make sure they cook through pleasantly for the brief timeframe they’re broiling. As such I suggest button mushrooms. I typically keep the stalks flawless, yet give them somewhat trim in the event that they’re lopsided sizes.

Between 30-60mins hits the sweet spot. Any more limited and they don’t assimilate enough of the marinade and any more and they will in general psychologist to an extreme (because of the salt/corrosive).

Ingredients:

Breaded Mushrooms

• 10.5oz / 300g Button Mushrooms, cleaned & excess stalk chopped off if necessary (see notes)
• 2 heaped tbsp Plain/All Purpose Flour
• 1 Egg, beaten
• 1 cup / 60g Panko Breadcrumbs (see notes)
• 3-4cups / 750ml-1litre Vegetable Oil (or oil suitable for deep frying)
• Salt & Black Pepper, to taste

Marinade

• 3-4 sprigs of Thyme
• 2 tbsp All Purpose Soy Sauce (not dark)
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Black Pepper

Instructions:

1. In a zip lock bag add 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce and balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Give it a stir with a fork to blend, then add in your mushrooms and thyme. Zip the bag shut and give it a good swish around with your hands.
2. Leave to marinate for 30mins – 1hour, shaking about every now and then to distribute the marinade properly. Careful, the mushrooms will shrink considerably (due to salt/vinegar) if lest for a long period of time, so just keep an eye on them.
3. Set up 3 bowls: 1st is your flour with a pinch of salt and pepper, 2nd is your beaten egg and 3rd is your Panko with a pinch of salt and pepper.
4. Take a few mushrooms, shake off the marinade then pop in the flour, then egg and finish in the breadcrumbs. Really ensure you fully coat each mushroom at each stage, especially the last one (Panko). Repeat with all mushrooms.
5. Heat up oil in a deep pot/pan to 180C/356F. In batches carefully lower the mushrooms into the oil on a slotted spoon. Allow to fry for 2-3mins, or until nicely golden. Stir them about a bit to ensure they get an even fry. Carefully remove with a slotted spoon and place on a cooling rack with paper towels underneath (don’t place directly on paper towels or they steam and go soggy).
6. Enjoy with your favourite dip (ideas in notes section).

Notes:

• Mushroom Prep – If the stalks are fairly long give them a little trim, but otherwise I usually keep them intact. Mushrooms are also notorious for being dirty, so it’s important to clean them before marinating. I recommend doing this with a damp cloth. Don’t rinse them or they suck up a tonne of water, and mushrooms already contain a hefty amount of water.
• Panko – Panko breadcrumbs are great because they’re big, light and airy. This means the mushrooms come out extra crispy. You’ll find Panko in the Asian section of most stores, but if for whatever reason you can’t get your hands on them just use regular dry breadcrumbs.
• Deep Frying – If you’re not confident with deep frying just test one mushroom at the start. This recipe is perfect for beginners as there’s no pressure to cook through any meat or anything. Just make sure you use an oil with a high smoking point (canola, rapeseed, vegetable, sunflower etc). NOT Olive Oil.
• Dips – My favourites to serve with breaded mushrooms are Garlic & Herb, Sour Cream & Chive and Blue Cheese Dip. Check out my Delicious Dips for more!
• Calories – very difficult to judge, but based on the assumption of 30 mushrooms shared between 4 people. Half the marinade soaked up (over estimate), 1/4 tsp oil soaked up per mushroom, 1/2 the breadcrumbs and flour attached. Very rough guide, take with a pinch of salt (pun fully intended).