Marinated Mushroom Salad with Radicchio & Pepitas
Marinated Mushroom Salad with Radicchio and Pepitas is the perfect balance of crunchy, savory, sweet, salty, bitter in one bright and flavor-packed winter salad. Tossed in a zesty egg yolk vinaigrette, get ready for your new favorite vegetarian side dish.
Marinating is an underappreciated way to enjoy wild mushrooms. For this recipe, you can use a mixture of specialty mushrooms and the less expensive button or cremini mushrooms. But I do recommend using a good mix of different sizes, varieties and flavors. The result is an earthy dish with a hint of sweetness and zing from vinegar.
The marinated mushrooms are adapted from Tejal Rao’s recipe for Pickled Mushroom Salad in the New York Times. I always check out the comments on the NYT cooking site. They almost always have helpful tweaks and recommendations for the recipes. This particular mushroom recipe, which I’ve had saved for months, had very promising words of encouragement from the wise NYT peanut gallery.
I adapted Rao’s mushroom recipe by reducing the sugar, replacing sherry vinegar with a combination of balsamic and red wine vinegar, and transforming the marinated mushrooms into a complete dish with a radicchio and pine nut salad. Finally, I added a zesty citrus egg yolk vinaigrette.
Side note: If you don’t follow @nytimescookingcomments on Instagram, it’s worth a follow for the regular chuckles. I personally find comfort from others taking recipes as seriously as I do. Here’s a charming rave about David Tanis’ Pork Satay with Thai Spices and Peanut Sauce:
How to Make Marinated Mushrooms
The first thing to note about this recipe for marinated mushrooms is that they get better the longer they marinate. I recommend making the mushrooms the day before you plan to eat them. At the very least, give your 'shrooms at least an hour in the fridge to chill before adding them to the salad.
To make the marinated mushrooms, start by roasting the sliced veggies in a hot oven. I fit all of mine on one big baking sheet, but you can use two if you don’t mind the extra dishes. After about 10 minutes, the mushrooms should be nicely browned.
Meanwhile, use the roasting time to prepare the rest of the marinade ingredients. You want to mix the mushrooms with the marinade as soon as they come out of the oven, while they’re hot.
The rich flavors in this marinated mushroom recipe come from toasting whole spices. Coriander, fennel, peppercorns, and a star anise form a classic Middle Eastern spice blend that’s warming and savory, with a hint of licorice flavor. Opt for whole spices because they retain their flavor longer than the powdered stuff.
To make the marinade, warm the whole spices in a small saucepan until they’re fragrant. Use low heat to avoid burning the spices. You just want to activate those delightful spice properties, not singe anything.
Then use a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder to crush the warm spices to a powder. If you have a coffee grinder, it will work, but I don’t recommend sharing the same grinder for your morning beans and fragrant spices, as it can be nearly impossible to remove the anise and coriander flavors from the grinder. So unless you’re looking for licorice flavored coffee for life, invest in a second grinder just for spices or use a mortar and pestle.
When the mushrooms are done roasting and hot from the oven, add them directly to a mixing bowl with the spice mixture, fresh dill, cilantro, a thinly sliced rib of celery, grated garlic, olive oil and vinegar.
The original recipe calls for sherry vinegar, which would certainly add a delicous flavor dimension to the marinated mushrooms. However, I love the deep, syrupy flavor of high-quality balsamic vinegar and the bright and fruity aspect from red wine vinegar.
Toss the mushrooms with the marinade, cover the bowl, and pop it in the fridge until you’re ready to make the salad.
How to Make Zesty Egg Yolk Vinaigrette
To pack even more umami into this dish, I love an egg yolk vinaigrette. It sounds fancy, but it’s a simple vinaigrette made with an egg yolk to replace some of the oil.
Egg yolk is a fantastic emulsifying agent. The cholesterol in yolk acts as a stabilizer, so the salad dressing doesn’t separate as quickly as a regular oil and vinegar mixture.
I always make my salad dressing in a glass mason jar. That way, a vigorous shake emulsifies the opposing liquids into a thick, flavor-packed dressing without any whisking necessary.
In addition to the fresh egg yolk, the vinaigrette for marinated mushroom salad includes Dijon mustard, olive oil, your favorite citrus juice (I’m a big fan of freshly squeezed orange juice, but lemon is also delicious), and a dash of fish sauce. Fish sauce is the secret ingredient to a deep umami flavor. If you don’t have it or are vegetarian, you can substitute fish sauce with a dash of worcester sauce. Anchovy paste is another fantastic substitute in salad dressings.
Ingredient Substitutions
This is a great recipe in part because it’s easy to substitute ingredient to use what you have on hand.
Any variety of mushroom works well for this salad. i like to mix, but using a single variety is perfectly fine!
If you don’t have dill and/or cilantro, another fresh herb, such as rosemary, oregano, parsley, thyme or tarragon.
As described above, powdered spices work to replace whole seeds. I still recommend toasting them for optimal flavor.
Assembling Marinated Mushroom Salad with Radicchio and Pepitas
To assemble the Marinated Mushroom Salad with Radicchio and Pepitas, get out a large salad bowl. Tear the radicchio leaves into bite-sized pieces. Toss them in the bowl along with toasted pumpkin seeds and the chilled marinated mushrooms. Feel free to add some of the liquid marinade to the salad as well. Finally, finish with your egg yolk vinaigrette, give everything a good toss to coat, and enjoy!
How To Serve Marinated Mushroom and Radicchio Salad
This salad makes an elegant winter side dish. You can turn it into a filling entree by adding everyone’s favorite upgrade: a poached or fried egg.
Here are some other satisfying recipes that compliment Marinated Mushroom Salad beautifully:
Leek Bread from Feasting at Home is a comforting allium-filled side to serve with the salad.
I served this salad with French Onion Soup made with collagen-rich beef broth.
For a comforting winter meal, this salad would be wonderful with Bon Appetit’s Vinegar Braised Chicken and Onions.
Marinated Mushroom Salad with Radicchio & Pepitas
Mushrooms
1½ pounds mixed mushrooms, sliced
¼ cup olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon black or white peppercorns
1 piece star anise
1 garlic clove, grated or minced
¼ cup fresh dill fronds, roughly chopped
¼ cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
1 celery rib, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Egg Yolk Dressing & Salad
¼ cup olive oil
1 egg yolk
3 tablespoons citrus juice, such as orange or lemon
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon fish sauce, plus more to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
1 head radicchio, leaves pulled apart
⅓ cup pepitas, toasted in a skillet
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Add the mushrooms to a baking sheet and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil and salt. Roast for 10 minutes, until nicely browned.
Meanwhile, add the coriander, fennel, peppercorns and anise to a small saucepan. Warm over low heat until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a mortar and pestle or spice grinder and crush/grind to a powder.
In a medium bowl, combine the spice mixture, grated garlic, dill, cilantro, celery, sugar, vinegars and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil.
As soon as the mushrooms are done in the oven, while they’re still hot, transfer them to the bowl with the seasonings and toss to combine well. Cover and store the mushrooms in the fridge for at least an hour and up to overnight.
To make the dressing, combine the olive oil, egg yolk, vinegar, mustard, fish sauce and a pinch of salt in a jar with a lid. Shake vigorously to combine, taste with a piece of radicchio and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, more fish sauce, citrus and/or oil.
To assemble the salad, add the radicchio, mushrooms, and pepitas to a serving bowl. Drizzle with dressing and toss to coat evenly. Serve right away.