Beer-Battered Fried Mushrooms
Spruce up your game day snack menu with beer-battered fried mushrooms.
Serves6
Prep10 minutes
Cook20 minutes
We just created beer-battered onion rings’ delicious counterpart: fried mushrooms. That tasty, crunchy batter that makes onion rings so irresistible is pretty much the same one used here, with the addition of a little lemon zest which pairs so nicely with the earthiness of mushrooms.
A Few Tips for Frying Mushrooms
- Keep the oil at or around 350ºF. Be patient and make sure it reaches this tempeature before adding the mushrooms, then adjust the heat up or down to maintain 350ºF as you fry. This ensures that the batter doesn’t brown faster than it takes to cook through.
- Stir occasionally. Move the mushrooms around with a slotted spoon or kitchen spider to ensure both the top and bottom halves of the mushrooms are submerged in the oil for more or less the same amount of time.
- Remove the mushrooms to a wire rack to cool. If you like crispy, you can’t skip this step. The wire rack allows for airflow around the mushrooms so they cool rather than steam. If you don’t have a wire rack, make sure that the paper towel underneath the mushrooms doesn’t become oversaturated with oil, which will sog the bottoms out.
How Long Should Mushrooms Be Fried?
You should fry mushrooms just long enough to get a nice golden-brown on the crust. If you are frying around 350°F, this should cook both the batter and the mushrooms in equal time.
Fried Mushrooms Recipe
Spruce up your game day snack menu with beer-battered fried mushrooms.
Prep time 10 minutes
Cook time 20 minutes
Serves 6
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup
mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons
ketchup
- 1 1/2 pounds
medium cremini or button mushrooms
- 1
medium lemon
- 1 cup
plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
- 1 teaspoon
kosher salt
- Pinch
cayenne pepper
- 3/4 cup
buttermilk
- 3/4 cup
lager
- 1
large egg
- 6 cups
neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable oil, for deep frying
Flaky sea salt (optional)
Instructions
Place 1/4 cup mayonnaise and 2 tablespoons ketchup in a small bowl and whisk to combine.
Trim the bottoms from 1 pound cremini mushrooms, leaving the stems intact. Finely grate the zest from 1 medium lemon until you have 1/2 teaspoon zest. Cut the zested lemon into wedges.
Place 1 cup of the all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, a large pinch cayenne pepper, and lemon zest in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Place 3/4 cup buttermilk, 3/4 cup lager, and 1 large egg in a second medium bowl and whisk to combine. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture and stir until just combined.
Heat 6 cups neutral oil over medium-high in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot to 350°F. Meanwhile, fit a wire rack over a baking sheet, or cover the baking sheet with paper towels. Toss the mushrooms with the remaining 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour until coated.
Stir the batter. Frying in 3 batches, dip the mushrooms into the batter, letting the excess drip off, then add to the hot oil. Fry, stirring with a spider or slotted spoon a few times, until golden and crisp, 2 to 4 minutes.
Transfer the mushrooms to the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt or more kosher salt. Serve immediately with the dipping sauce and lemon wedges.
Recipe Notes
Beer options: We used a medium lager, but a light or dark beer would go well here depending on how strong you want the beer flavor to be.
Storing: Fried mushrooms are best enjoyed fresh, but leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Re-crisp in the oven before serving.