Easy Vegan Oyster Mushroom Calamari
It is seafood season! It officially feels like summer in Vancouver Canada because it is hot! Plantbased and vegan folks alike need to celebrate! In honor of it finally feeling like summer, I have made this incredibly tasty easy vegan oyster mushroom calamari!
Oyster Mushrooms are perfect for this dish because they have a meaty texture that has just the right amount of chewiness. The chewiness creates a very similar texture to that of eating some chewy squid.
Cooking tips for easy vegan oyster mushroom calamari!
Tip 1 - BAKE
One mistake I think a lot of people make when cooking vegan oyster mushroom calamari is that they do not cook it long enough! If the mushrooms are simply fried until golden, in my opinion, they will still be too chewy to enjoy. With that in mind, in this recipe I tried baking them on a parchment-lined baking tray at 400 F/ 205 C. I baked them for approximately 10-14 minutes on one side and 8-12 minutes on the other side.
With this method, the sides of the oyster mushrooms can get a bit caramelized and therefore taste meatier. This method also means the mushrooms will be far less chewy but will still retain that chewy squid-like goodness.
Tip 2 - SEASON
I love my seasonings! I used my most seafood flavor inducing tricks to ensure these had a delicious seafood aroma. The vegan oyster mushrooms were tossed and left to sit covered in Old Bay, some white wine or cooking sake (or rice vinegar!), kelp granules, cracked pepper, and a couple of dashes of liquid smoke. These added flavors help create a more authentic seafood flavor.
Tip 3 - EAT WITH ICEBERG LETTUCE
Oh my! How many years have I wasted not enjoying calamari with a crunchy bight of fresh iceberg lettuce!? Too many. Having a side of crisp lettuce leaves with your freshly fried, salted and lemon covered vegan calamari is to die for. I used a spoon to grab all the little raw red onion bits and pile it on top of the calamari which I then pretty much wrapped in lettuce and dipped in vegan tzatziki. Mm!
Easy Vegan Oyster Mushroom Calamari
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Cashew & Cheese | July 19, 2020
- Prep time: 15 minutes (optional 1 hour to let marinate)
- Cook time: 25-30 minutes
- Total time: 40-45 minutes
Servings: 2
Ingredients:
- 1 Package of oyster mushrooms
- 1/2 cup Olive oil
- 2 tbsp Diced red onion
- 1 Wedge of iceberg lettuce
- 1 tsp Old Bay
- 1 tbsp Kelp granules
- 1 tbsp White wine/cooking sake/ rice vinegar
- 1/2 tsp Ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp Garlic powder
- Sea salt to taste
- 1/4 All purpose flour
- 1/4 cup Alternative plantbased milk
- 1 cup Panko
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 400F/ 205 C
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper because we don't like cleaning!
- Rip the oyster mushrooms apart into smaller clumps or single strips.
- Put the oyster mushrooms in a bowl and toss in the kelp granules, liquid smoke, old bay seasoning, cracked black pepper, and white wine/cooking sake or rice vinegar.
- Optionally - you can let this mixture sit a bit to let the flavors settle in.
- Put the mushrooms in the oven once it is pre-heated.
- Bake for 10-14 minutes on one side and then 8-12 minutes on the other side.
- Take the mushrooms out and let them cool down to room temperature before you begin breading them.
- Prepare a plate with the flour, paprika, and garlic granules
- Prepare a bowl with your plantbased milk of choice.
- Prepare another plate with the Panko crumbs.
- Once the mushrooms have cooled down, begin by dunking them in the plantbased milk, rolling them in the flour mixture, dunking them in the milk again, and finish by coating them in panko. Feel free to do multiple mushrooms at a time.
- Using approximately half a cup of olive oil in a medium cast-iron pan, cook on medium high until each side is nice and golden. Make sure your oil is nice and hot before you get started. Pan frying these can take about 5-7 minutes depending on your heat level.
- Pile on a plate and top it with the diced red onions. Have a couple lemon wedges handy. Add salt & pepper to taste. I like serving mine with any kind of vegan yogurt or mayonnaise dip. It is also incredible to eat with fresh iceberg lettuce!
- Enojoy!! Tag me on insta if you make this!