Asian Citrus-Marinated Mushrooms

by Dorothy Reinhold on December 26, 2010


Print This Post Print This Post Asian Citrus-Marinated Mushrooms on Shockingly Delicious

I proclaim 2010 the year of the marinated mushroom, because this super easy, bright tasting appetizer was the surprising hit of both our Thanksgiving and Christmas appie tables this year, with both children and adults exclaiming about the flavor and perky taste.

And at each meal, the hostess insisted on keeping the leftovers. When you don’t get any sent back home with you, you can be pretty certain it was a winner.

A quickly made marinade does its work overnight on some supermarket button mushrooms, and voila!, you have an inspired appe-teaser. There are a number of reasons to love this:

  • It’s light on calories
  • Bright with citrus taste with just a hint of zip from the pepper
  • Vegetarian
  • Relatively cheap
  • Could be used as a mushroom salad for dinner, alongside some roasted chicken and rice
  • Doesn’t repeat any of the usual flavors of a holiday meal, so it doesn’t detract from what is to come. I have a pet peeve with appetizers that are renditions of the rest of the dinner – the repetition does no favor to the main course, in my opinion.
Asian Citrus-Marinated Mushrooms

Cut stems off mushrooms and put them in a big bowl.

Asian Citrus-Marinated Mushrooms

Marinade ingredients get a 30-second boil. Floating are garlic and red pepper flakes.

Asian Citrus-Marinated Mushrooms

Off heat, add orange and lime zest, and oils.

Asian Citrus-Marinated Mushrooms

Toss marinade with mushrooms. Make sure mushrooms are coated.

Asian Citrus-Marinated Mushrooms

Pour into zipper-top bag, suck out the air and zip shut. Refrigerate and serve the next day. Voila!

Asian Citrus-Marinated Mushrooms

Is that not a delectable ‘shroom?

These would be perfect for New Year’s Eve, or any time you are asked to bring an appetizer to a potluck, and you are stumped for inspiration. Consider doubling the recipe for a party.

Just remember to make them the day before, and you’re a genius.

Happy New Year, from Shockinglydelicious!

Asian Citrus-Marinated Mushrooms

  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
  • Rounded 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1 teaspoon grated orange rind
  • 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon grated lime rind
  • 1 pound whole mushrooms, stem cut off and left whole (halve any huge ones) * (see note below)
  • Garnish: 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

Combine first 7 ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook 30-60 seconds or until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat; stir in orange rind, oils, and lime rind. Combine vinegar mixture and mushrooms in a large bowl; toss well to combine. Pour mushrooms and liquid into zipper top bag, remove air from bag and seal. Place bag in bowl in refrigerator (in case of leaks), and refrigerate overnight, turning bag whenever you think of it or are mucking around in the refrigerator.

To serve, pour mushrooms and liquid into a wide, flat bowl and sprinkle fresh parsley on top. Place a little container of toothpicks alongside, along with a container for the used picks if you wish.

Serves 6.

Mushroom note

Leave mushrooms whole because they will shrink due to losing some of their water during the marination. If any look impossibly huge, then halve them. To clean mushrooms, brush them off with a soft brush or a towel. Don’t wash them with water or soak them, because they get mushy and disgusting.

Source: Slightly adapted from Cooking Light magazine, Jan. 2006

Asian Citrus-Marinated Mushrooms

{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }

Lindsay Albert April 10, 2011 at 12:51 pm

These sound great Dorothy, definitely going to give them a try! I would only add one thing, and have to admit, I sneak it in often to dishes, but for this it would be particularly suited and amazing…a dash of Vietnamese fish sauce. Puts the umami note in there, and nobody ever complains! My favorite secret (not anymore) ingredient 🙂 Thanks for another great recipe!

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Dorothy April 10, 2011 at 1:24 pm

Lindsay,
Agree about the fish sauce…a secret ingred, for sure. If you tell people, or let them sniff it ahead of time, they will recoil. (Smells like an aquarium gone bad.) Mushrooms, themselves, have umami, but a squirt of fish sauce would not hurt this at all! Thanks for the idea!

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Valerie Valentine January 8, 2011 at 5:15 pm

The mushrooms were delicious and tasty without being too exotic …interesting enough for an appetizer, but also nice as a side dish (served very slightly warmed). I’m going to try the same marinade on cooked string beans; I think it would work well. Thank you, Dorothy!

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Nancy@acommunaltable December 27, 2010 at 9:18 pm

Yeah!!! Thank you for highlighting an “oldie but a goodie with a twist” – marinated mushrooms!!
I couldn’t agree more with the sentiment that appetizers shouldn’t echo the flavors of dinner!!!!

Wishing you and yours a very happy New Year – or “Hogmanay” as we Scots say!!!

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Kim December 27, 2010 at 6:45 pm

This looks delicious! And quick! And would be great over an Asian salad. I might have to work on that… 🙂

[K]

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