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Varieties

Lion’s Mane

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Variety: Lion’s Mane

Uniquely Regal

Lion's mane mushrooms are easily identified by their white color and unique shaggy outer texture that resembles, well, a lion's mane.
A simple yet stunning go-to cooking technique for this variety is to dry sauté in a hot skillet until water releases and edges brown, then add butter and seasonings. Medium to large in size, these strange and wonderful mushrooms are seafood-like in their flavor and texture, similar to crab or lobster.

Common Names:

Lion's Mane, Mountain-Priest Mushroom, Bearded Tooth, Pom Pom Mushrooms

Botanical Names:

Hericium erinaceus

Flavor and texture

Lion’s mane mushrooms offer a mildly sweet flavor and a tender texture that mimics shellfish like scallops, crab, or lobster. For that reason, they are often turned to as an accompaniment or alternative to seafood. Try lion’s mane in a mock Crab Louie salad or as a pan seared “steak” in your next surf and turf.

Usage

Grill

Roast

Saute

Sear

Handling

At the grocery store, select lion’s mane mushrooms that are bright white and firm a shaggy outer surface. The surface of the mushroom should be dry, but not dried out, and appear plump or even ‘fluffy.’ Store mushrooms in original packaging or in a porous paper bag for prolonged shelf life. Some mushrooms may keep for up to a week in the refrigerator. Fresh mushrooms should never be frozen, but frozen sautéed mushrooms will keep for up to one month. To clean lion’s mane, brush off any debris from mushrooms with fingers, a soft mushroom brush, or a damp paper towel, or rinse briefly under running water and pat dry with a paper towel. Do not submerge lion’s mane mushrooms in water as they are very absorbent and water could impact the texture of the mushroom.

Sodium Reduction

Cut the Sodium with Mushrooms

A 2014 study from the Culinary Institute of America and a University of California-Davis study found you can maintain flavor while reducing sodium intake with mushrooms.

General Nutrition

How Mushrooms Fit into Popular Diets

A cheat sheet to help navigate where mushrooms fit into everything from Keto and low FODMAP to Volumetrics and Flexitarian.

Connect with other mushroom lovers

@mushroomcouncil