Best Morel Recipes | MissHomemade.com (2024)

Morel mushrooms are a ball to find and these morel recipes are quite a find too. Fried morels are my favorite. I also offer a Morel sauce recipe that is very versatile and a delicious Morel and Pork recipe; all below.

In April and May here in Wisconsin, the“professional mushroom hunters”are found searching streams and the woods after a warm streak. Common conversation is “Did you find any?” The answer is “yes” (but without a location).

Best Morel Recipes | MissHomemade.com (1)

Morels are commonly found by American Elm trees and you will find white, yellow and black morels depending on the time you go hunting.

Morel season begins as early as the beginning of March (sometimes even late February) in Texas and the Gulf states, and in May in Canada (where the season sometimes doesn’t end until well into June).

You will also find these by Sycamore, Ash, Apple trees, Cottonwood and White Pine.

I know when I have gone morel hunting, I searched around trees and not seen anything. When I look at the same area in a different angle; I find several. Go figure.

Best Morel Recipes | MissHomemade.com (2)


The first thing I would do is cut off the flared ends that are covered with dirt.

I would then rinse the mushrooms to get off the excess dirt and place them in a large bowl of salted water to soak. I usually soak them for 20 to 30 minutes. Don’t do it any longer than that. The salt water will also bring the bugs out of the mushrooms. Drain and let them dry. I slice them vertically to fry.

You may fry them two different ways. One if rolling in flour only and frying – the second is using an egg wash. I will give you both recipes.

EASY BUTTER-FRIED MOREL RECIPE

I really don’t give an amount of morels for these recipes. Usually you fry up most of them right away.

fresh and clean morels, cut in half the long way
4 to 6 tablespoons butter
1 cup flour in an resealable bag

Get your butter in a heavy skillet and place on medium high.

After rinsing the salt water off the morels just place a few in the bag and shake to completely coat. Place in the hot skillet and fry until golden brown. Turn over and repeat. You may season them with salt and pepper after they are cooked. Drain on paper towel and eat immediately.

Best Morel Recipes | MissHomemade.com (3)


PAN-FRIED MOREL RECIPE

fresh morels that have been cleaned and are wet
1 or 2 eggs (depending how many you have to cook)
1/4 cup water
dash garlic powder
dash onion powder
4 to 6 tablespoons of butter
2 resealable bags with 1 cup flour in each one

First you would place the morels in the flour bag #1 and shake to cover completely. Dip these morels in the egg wash and shake in flour bag #2. Place on a piece of foil and let dry for 15 minutes so the coating doesn’t fall off.

Fry them until golden brown on one side, flip andrepeat. Season with salt and pepper when done.

Note: Some of you may not want to slice the mushrooms, but I like it that way. Remember, it’s totally up to you.

Best Morel Recipes | MissHomemade.com (4)

STEAK IN MOREL MUSHROOM SAUCE RECIPE

1/2 lb fresh morel mushrooms, cleaned
1 TBS butter
1/2 cup sweet onion
2 TBS flour
1-1/2 cups half & half
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder

Meanwhile to prepare sauce: In a heavy skillet, saute morels in butter until they are slightly brown. Add onions and continue to saute until onions are golden and transparent.

Sprinkle with flour and stir to blend. Add the half & half, stirring occasionally, simmer until thick and creamy. Add the Worcestershire sauce, garlic and onion powder, salt and pepper to taste.

Above is a image of Steak with Morel Mushroom Sauce.

How to Dry Morel Mushrooms

Best Morel Recipes | MissHomemade.com (5)

Dehydrator Method

How do you dry morel mushrooms using an dehydrator? It really is easy to do and they keep well too so you can enjoy them year- round.

Pick the same size morels to be dried on each level. The smaller ones will come out first, so you may want to put the tray on top. Or you may just slice them so they are approximately the same in size. Make sure they are clean and dry (you may roll them in a paper towel to get the water out of the crevices).

Best Morel Recipes | MissHomemade.com (6)

Arrange on the dehydrator tray like you would for other food; don’t let the pieces touch each other. Dry at approximately 125 degrees until crispy – 4 hours for small pieces and up to 8 hours for large pieces.

Allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight glass jar.

To use them year-round, just pour boiling water over them and let them soak for 15 to 30 minutes. You can put them directly in soups or stews without doing this.

Oven Method

Preheat your oven no higher than 150 to 175 degrees. Place the cleaned morels on the baking tray and let dry for 2 to 3 hours. Open the oven door and let mushrooms cool completely. Then store in an airtight jar.

Shelf Lifeof Dried Morel Mushrooms

Some folks keep them for years, but I would be certain to check them every couple of months for mold or discolorations. Use them just as you would fresh morel mushrooms. Enjoy!

1-1/2 ounces of dried mushrooms = 8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms


How to Freeze Morel Mushrooms

Freezing morel mushrooms is easy too. Again, clean them well and slice in half. There is one extra step that one must do before storing them in the freezer.

You may freeze them whole or sliced in half; that’s up to you. But here is the extra step; you must cook them until they arealmostready to eat. Not half done, butalmostdone.

The way to get them to this point is using one of three methods below. You need to add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to the water when blanching.

  • Blanche Method: Place clean morels in boiling water that has 1 teaspoon of lemon juice in it. For the sliced pieces, you would blanche them for 3 minutes and for whole morel mushrooms it will take 5 minutes.
  • Steam Method: Place clean mushrooms in lemon juice for 5 minutes. Steam sliced mushrooms for 3 minutes and whole mushrooms for 5 minutes.
  • Saute Method: Saute small amounts in frying pan until almost done.


Cool mushrooms immediately and drain. They can be frozen plain or you may prepare them as you would for frying. Dip morels in egg wash and roll in flour or bread crumbs and place them on cookie sheet (fried morel recipes above).

Freeze them on the cookie sheet and then you may bag them. I would use these up within 60 days because of the egg.


Morel Recipes

Best Morel Recipes | MissHomemade.com (7)

If you have dried morels available, this would be a recipe to use them up.

EASY MOREL AND PASTA RECIPE

2 shallots
extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely minced
2 cups fresh sliced morel mushrooms
1 lb cooked pasta
4 TBS butter
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 TBS freshly chopped parsley

Add shallots, garlic and morel mushrooms to hot olive oil. Saute for approximately 10 minutes.

Cut the butter into 6 pieces and add each one after the previous one has melted; making a buttery sauce. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and garnish with chopped parsley.

Additions:1 cup frozen peas. Just be sure to add 1/4 cup water to the mixture before adding the butter.

Best Morel Recipes | MissHomemade.com (8)

This isn’t really a morel recipe. But do you know what else would be good with fried morel mushrooms – a juicy hamburger!

You may use the first two recipes above to fry the morels. I would grill the hamburger and top it with the mushrooms and some of the butter that the morels were fried in.

You may even top the burger with a slice of Swiss cheese and then place the hot fried morels on top.

Best Morel Recipes | MissHomemade.com (2024)

FAQs

What is the best time of day to hunt morels? ›

“It's best to go around sunrise as the angle of the sun can light up the morels like 'little lanterns,'” as she calls them. If you forage late in the day, direct sunlight may cause the mushroom to shrivel up in dry heat.

What is the best season to pick morels for cooking? ›

The morel mushroom season is from late March through May. Morels start popping up when the ground heats up to 45 or 50 degrees and when the soil is wet but not soaked through. Morels can be elusive, but they will often start showing themselves after a string of 50-degree days and a little rain.

Why not eat morels raw? ›

Consumption of morel mushrooms, which are generally considered edible, was strongly associated with gastrointestinal illness. A dose-response relationship was identified, and consumption of raw morel mushrooms was more strongly associated with illness than was consumption of those that were at least partially cooked.

What makes morels so expensive? ›

Morels are a spring mushroom that can usually be found between the months of March and May. Because of this very short growing period, they can be quite expensive when they are in season, costing upward of $20 per pound.

What is the trick for finding morels? ›

Look for dead or dying trees while you're on the hunt, too, because morels tend to grow right around the base. Another good place to check for mushrooms is in any area that's been recently disturbed.

Why can't you eat morels with alcohol? ›

Buying and cleaning morel mushrooms

Never eat raw or undercooked morels, and avoid eating them when consuming alcohol, as morels contain small amounts of hydrazine toxins. These are destroyed when cooked, but can still cause issues in people with a sensitivity to mushrooms.

Should you refrigerate morels after picking? ›

Fresh morels will smell slightly funky and "woodsy." If foraging, simply pluck the mushrooms from the ground by pinching at the base of the stem and twisting gently. They should come right out of the earth. Store your morels loose, in the refrigerator, in a container with plenty of ventilation.

Do morels grow back in the same spot? ›

If you're lucky enough to find morels, remember your location. They'll often come back in the same spot next year, though again, no guarantee here!

Do all morels have worms? ›

Morels occasionally contain insect larvae that drop out during the drying process. The mushroom- lovers we know have disregarded this aspect of morel enjoyment. After all, they are very small worms. Fresh morels are occasionally sold in markets.

Can you drink after eating morels? ›

Most people can safely eat properly cooked morels with alcohol without adverse reactions. Nearly all morel poisonings are related to personal sensitivities, or eating raw/undercooked morels.

Is there a poisonous mushroom that looks like a morel? ›

False morels include the Beefsteak and Early Morel mushrooms described below. Why do false morel mushrooms make you sick? These mushrooms contain the toxin gyromitrin which is toxic to the liver.

How much is a pound of morels worth? ›

West Coast. On the West Coast, morel mushrooms are typically sold for around $20 to $30 per pound, depending on the quality and availability. In California, morels are often found in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the coastal regions and are typically sold at farmers' markets and specialty food stores.

What animals eat morels? ›

A couple of examples are the (mule) deer, Elk and grey squirrel. These three animals are only a few of which love eating morel mushrooms, but when morel season comes around these animals along with humans all "race" in order to be the first to get their hands (or mouth) on this nutritious and great tasting mushroom.

What triggers morels to grow? ›

Morels are a seasonal fruiter and will typically start to grow when temperatures warm to 43-50°F (Fret not - fluctuating spring temperatures are helpful for growth). To help stimulate fruiting (usually a year or so after planting), water the area with a lawn sprinkler when temps are in 43-50°F range.

What are the signs to look for when hunting morels? ›

Look for signs of morels near dead or dying trees, specifically elm, ash, aspen, and oak trees. You'll start seeing them early in the spring, but waiting until mid-spring can yield larger, more mature mushrooms – some growing 4-5 inches tall.

What side of the hill do morels grow on? ›

Watch for a sloped hill: The side of a hill that gets more sunshine will be where morels start to show first, especially south-facing slopes. Watch for certain types of trees: Morels can grow on trees, especially elm, ash, poplar and apple trees. They have even been found under pine trees!

Do morels need shade? ›

Creating your own morel garden

From the research I've done you can have a morel bed in your yard for many years. Pick a shady site with filtered sunlight and well-drained soil to locate your morel garden.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Lidia Grady

Last Updated:

Views: 5960

Rating: 4.4 / 5 (45 voted)

Reviews: 84% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Lidia Grady

Birthday: 1992-01-22

Address: Suite 493 356 Dale Fall, New Wanda, RI 52485

Phone: +29914464387516

Job: Customer Engineer

Hobby: Cryptography, Writing, Dowsing, Stand-up comedy, Calligraphy, Web surfing, Ghost hunting

Introduction: My name is Lidia Grady, I am a thankful, fine, glamorous, lucky, lively, pleasant, shiny person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.