Bread and Butter Chanterelle Pickle
Preserving a summer treat
Our arts & entertainment editor followed the lead of Pontchartrain Mushrooms’ Wade Watson on a Honey Island Swamp expedition for flavorful and fine-to-eat mushrooms. Learn all about Watson’s foraging finds here—and be sure you haven’t got hold of the chanterelle’s poisonous lookalike, a jack o’lantern mushroom, when attempting the recipe he’s provided below.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. chanterelles
- 1 cup raw sugar
- 1 cup seasoned rice wine vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 2 tbsp. kosher salt
- 1 tbsp. black peppercorns
- 3 cloves garlic (microplaned or minced)
- 4 bay leaves
Method:
- Tear chanterelles into halves or quarters depending on size and wash in ice water to remove dirt, (may take a few times) and place on kitchen towels to dry.
- Place chanterelles in a mixing bowl and season with salt, coating them evenly.
- Tightly pack chanterelles into a quart mason jar.
- Put sugar, vinegar, bay leaves, peppercorns and garlic in a pot and add heat to dissolve sugar and bring to a low boil.
- Place the jar of mushrooms in a sink and carefully pour hot pickling liquid into jar to fill as much as possible, removing any excess air, and apply lid. (Strain pickling liquid while pouring if desired)
- Shake well, and refrigerate once down to room temperature.
Shake daily and marinate for 7-10 days. Pickling the chanterelles this way will retain the beautiful color and gives them great texture and taste. After you have eaten the pickled chanterelles, save the pickling liquid for many other applications ranging from salad dressings, to marinades, to even BBQ sauces.
This article originally appeared in our May 2018 issue. Subscribe to our print magazine today.