They Have Arrived - Lobster Mushrooms

For the past 3 or 4 weeks I have been waiting patiently - and many of you will know how difficult that would have been for me - for the arrival of my favorite mushroom - the Lobster Mushroom.


This is an extraordinary mushroom - not actually a mushroom, but a mold-like fungus that covers mushrooms - I know, appetizing eh? To some, the taste is rather bland; but to me, I find that the vibrant colour and almost crunchy textury actually complements a rather subtle musky taste that is wonderful in salads, as the dominant mushroom in a sauce, or a mushroom risotto.

One of their advantages is that they retain their colour when cooked (braised in butter is my preferred style), and the low water content, in contrast to many other varieties, means that you still have a substantial, firm mushroom once cooked. You also find them in a range of sizes, from a few centimetres - not unlike hedgehog mushrooms, to several centimetres; I actually found one last year that was almost as large as its ocean-going namesake.

Unfortunately, like so many mushrooms, the season for them is short and they can be hard to find. For those in Ottawa the best place to find them is the Byward Fruit Market - ask for Isaac and he'll be happy to point them out to you.... but you'll have to race me for them.