Vegan Scallops using King Oyster Mushrooms

Mushrooms have officially taken on an entirely new meaning. Prior to my vegan days, I did not consider the mushroom to be versatile in the least. I believed it actually to be painfully very straight forward. Well class, allow me to educate you on just how expansive the mushroom can truly be in its ability to transform into a multitude of tasty and dare I say, deceiving dishes. Yes, the mushroom is a master of disguise and I applaud it. While the mushroom has wonderful flavors on its own, it has an unmistakable knack for also absorbing any flavor you throw its way. In this sea food inspired rendition of a traditional scallop, together we will transform a King Oyster Mushroom into vegan “scallops”. Yes it is true! The King Oyster Mushroom is specifically the best contender for this task because the stem is spongey in feel and very light in flavor on its own. An ideal combination for this recipe.

I highly encourage anyone who is playing with the idea of going vegan, or simply wants to incorporate more vegan options into their daily diet to try this recipe. It truly showcases just how flavorful a plant based meal can be. It is also a complete show stopper – if this was served at a five star restaurant no one would think twice. It is that delicious. I also highly recommend adding these vegan scallops to my vegan clam sauce recipe to take this vegan dish over the top! Alright chefs, let’s get cooking.

To start, you are going to cut the tops off of the mushrooms. No need to throw these away! Save them for another meal, or if you are making my vegan clam sauce recipe, you can dice them up to small pieces and set aside until you make that sauce. Find that recipe here:

At this point you should be just left with the long mushroom stems, or stumps. Cut the stems into 1/2 inch thick slices so that they resemble the size and shape of scallops.

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In a pot, bring 3 cups of water to a boil on med/high heat. we are going to boil your “scallops” in a seasoned water. salt, your nori sheet (torn up into smaller pieces), lemon juice and low sodium soy sauce (or liquid aminos if you want to be soy free). Mix together and then add all of your “scallops” into the pot. Bring the heat down to medium so it is just simmering and boil the mushrooms in the seasoned water. Stir occasionally for about 6 or 8 minutes. The mushrooms are going to float in the water. We want to submerge them every so often to ensure the whole mushroom is boiling/cooking through.

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While mushroom stems are simmering, go ahead and prepare the marinade. In a bowl or container, add the lemon juice and zest, nori sheet, miso paste, rice vinegar and vegetable oil. Stir marinade together. Smells fishy and tangy right? It is an amazing marinade to give any vegan dish that seafood-like flare. After 5-7 minutes of simmering, remove mushroom stem slices out of the water (drain or scoop out). Now add the mushrooms to the marinade. This part is important. Let the mushrooms sit in marinade for at least 2 hrs to absorb the flavor. That is my recommended minimum, but the longer you let it sit, the more flavor it will absorb.

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After you the mushrooms are done marinading, take mushroom stem slices out of marinade and pat dry with paper towel.

At this point we are going to cut slits in each “scallop” before searing them on a hot pan. This step is importnat so it heats totally through on the pan. You will need to be slow and patient with this step because it is very easy to accidentally cut all the way through the mushroom. Use a knife to make two slits into both sides of the mushroom stem making an “X” shape. Again, be careful not to cut too deep or cut all the way through. If you do accidentally cut through, they are still useable – our goal is to simply keep the “scallop” shape.

Finally, heat a medium size pan on medium-high heat. Heat 1 tsp of oil to pan. Once the pan is pretty hot with the oil, put the “scallops” (mushroom stems) into pan and sear for about 3-4 minutes on both sides or until the “scallops” have a nice crispy/seared outside. 3-4 minutes will ensure the “scallops” are cooked through. If you are adding your vegan clam sauce as well, now is the time to add the sauce to the scallops.

Take a second and enjoy your creation! Isn’t it crazy how much they really do look, smell and taste like scallops? I like to add these “scallops” to prepared linguine, “seafood” salad, risotto, or on its own!