It’s mushroom season here in Spain. This year it took a while for it to arrive because of the drought, but it finally did. An excellent opportunity to make a delicious starter or appetizer with mushrooms. This recipe for marinated mushrooms on toast, a mostly classic escabeche, is by Mr. José Andrés. He advises to use a mixture of wild mushrooms, but I happened to find some wild porcini mushrooms at my greengrocers that I could not overlook and I had to make me some boletus escabechados. So cute and chubby they were, these boletus… and they looked at me with their tiny boletus eyes… But I took them by the hand, carried them home and cook them all the same. I was merciless, just like the Walrus and the Carpenter with the oysters.
I’m really nuts about marinades and escabeches, this great method of food preservation which was apparently introduced by the Arabs in the Iberian peninsula, so I have quite a few of them on the blog. This marinated mushroom recipe is different in that the marinade sauce carries grated tomato, which adds a very tasty touch. Also, admittedly, porcini mushrooms are quite more flavorful than the regular and ubiquitous button mushrooms, at least the cultivated varieties which lack any forest aroma.
School of Tapas: Marinated mushrooms on toast
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
Description
Marinated porcini mushrooms in a tangy escabeche of tomato, onion, olive oil, and spices, served on crispy toast for a delightful Spanish appetizer.
Ingredients
- 1 lb (450 g) fresh porcini mushrooms or any other flavorful wild mushroom
- 2 medium tomatoes, grated
- 1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) Sherry vinegar
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 allspice berries
- 3-4 thyme sprigs
- Salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Toasted bread slices, for serving
Instructions
- Clean the mushrooms and cut them into slices. It’s recommended to clean them with a damp paper towel to avoid them becoming mushy.
- In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the grated tomatoes to the pan and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the Sherry vinegar, bay leaf, allspice berries, and thyme sprigs. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
- Add the sliced mushrooms to the pan and gently stir to coat them in the marinade. Cook for 5 minutes, ensuring the mushrooms are well covered with the sauce.
- Remove the pan from heat and let the mushrooms cool in the marinade.
- Transfer the mushrooms and marinade to a container and refrigerate for at least 24 hours to allow the flavors to develop.
- Serve the marinated mushrooms on slices of toasted bread, allowing the juices to soak into the bread.
Notes
- For best flavor, let the mushrooms marinate for at least 24 hours.
- The escabeche can be stored in the refrigerator for several weeks.
- Use a variety of wild mushrooms for a more complex flavor.
- Serve on toasted bread to soak up the delicious marinade.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Cuisine: Spanish
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 2
- Sodium: 150
- Fat: 18
- Carbohydrates: 4
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 2
- Cholesterol: 0
Like all escabeches and marinades, it’s best to let it stand for at least one day to allow for the flavors to settle and develop. This escabeche will last several weeks in perfect condition in the refrigerator, but that is if you don’t eat it before that. The marinade sauce is simply superb, great for dunking bread as we love to do in Spain. These marinated mushrooms are delicious served on a good slice of toasted bread, letting the juices soak through…
Try another great Spanish recipe – Padron Peppers – here.
If You Liked This Recipe, You’ll Love These
- Garnacha Day — Chorizo Filled Mushrooms
- Charcuterie Board Must-Have: Herb and Garlic Marinated Mushrooms
- Spanish Tapas: How to Make Crispy Roasted Patatas Bravas
- Fettuccine with Porcini: Cantinetta Antinori, Florence
Frequently Asked Questions
How far in advance should I make this, and how long does it keep?
The article says it is best to let the escabeche stand for at least one day for the flavors to settle and develop. The notes confirm it will last several weeks in perfect condition in the refrigerator, because the oil rises to the surface and insulates the mushrooms.
What type of mushroom works best?
The recipe uses 1 lb of fresh porcini, which the article calls far more flavorful than cultivated button mushrooms because of their forest aroma. The recipe follows a José Andrés formula that specifies a mixture of wild mushrooms, so any flavorful wild variety works well.
What makes the sauce in this escabeche different from other versions?
The marinade includes 2 grated tomatoes — a feature the article specifically calls out as a distinctive touch that adds a very tasty character absent from other escabeche recipes, alongside Sherry vinegar, olive oil, bay leaf, allspice, and thyme.
Do I really need Sherry vinegar, or can I use another vinegar?
The article says another vinegar will produce a good result but won’t have the same character, because Sherry vinegar is one of only three vinegars with EU designation-of-origin status and has a very special bouquet. The author strongly recommends using the real thing.
qué buena tapa, estoy algo a aburrida de las tapas habituales y esta me parece fantástica. Voy a intentar prepararla a ver que tal me sale.
Gracias por compartirla
Lovely appetiser, and tapa idea Miriam. I am a journalist living and working in the Madrid Capital. Wonderful eduli boletus, and niscalos, and trumphets would be phenomenal with this Tosta.
( canapé ) …
Feliz Navidad,
Happy Holidays,
Margaux Cintrano.