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Meaty texture, crunchy finish, and a delicate zing of spice? Say no more! In this post, you'll learn the complete recipes to make Chili-Fried Morels! Need morels to cook with? Buy them dried here!
We've had fried morels on our table for 15+ years. Adding an element of spice seriously changed the game! Thanks guys! - Michael B, Morel Mushroom Forager, Madison, CT
The first thought for any Morel lover upon finding or buying morels is "should I fry these?". The answer is always yes! Fry them up and fry them well! For almost 20 years now, my family has been eating fried morel mushrooms until every last crumb is consumed. However, upon meeting a woman from Bangalore, India and inviting her to a fried morel dinner, it became evident; These puppies have no spice! To many people, like the woman from India, saying it has no spice essentially means no flavor! So, she suggested that I prepare the fry-batter with some new spices to turn up the heat. After many trials and failures, we finally NAILED the perfect balance! That balance is what will be shared with you today. Let's dive in.
The Recipe: Chili-fried Morel Mushrooms
Ingredients
1 pound fresh morels (or reconstituted dried morels)
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoons red chili powder (do not use flakes)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 eggs (Duck eggs are better if accessible)
1/2 cup milk
Butter, canola oil, olive oil, or vegetable oil for frying
For extra spice, you'll need 1 Habanero pepper
Instructions
Slice large morels (black preferred) in half lengthwise but leave the smallest ones whole. First, you must clean your morels by putting them in a small bowl of cool water for 10 mins to remove any leftover silt. Or, if they are already clean, move onto step 2.
Put the flour and all the spices in a bowl. Whisk together the milk and eggs in another bowl. If you selected to use a Habanero, dice the pepper as finely as you possibly can, and whisk it in with the milk & eggs.
Pour oil or butter into a decently-sized sauté pan until the oil level is about 1/2 inch high. You are shallow-frying, not deep-frying, so heat up the pan & oil to at least 325°F.
As the oil is heating up, dust the morels in the seasoning/flour mix. Once oil is hot, it's time to egg wash. Lightly place the battered morels into the egg wash, and then back into the flour. At this point, you can place the morels on the pan with enough distance between them. Lay them flat and distance them like you would bacon.
Depending on desired crisp, you'll have to do the eye test to tell when they are done. When they are done, place them onto some folded paper towels to absorb some excess oil
Enjoy with a spritz of lemon and the dipping sauces of your choice! We prefer ranch to balance the spice, but TarTar sauce or Garlic Aoili works well too! Our secret? They taste even better when you have the munchies ;)
We hope that you enjoyed this recipe, from our family to yours. Want something healthier? Make sure to try out this Morel Mushroom Avocado Toast Recipe! Or View all Morel Mushroom Recipes.
Affiliate Disclosure: We make commissions on affiliate links in this article. However, we'll only provide links to products that we feel increase the value of the article and help you forage for morel Mushrooms.